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Solicitation Letter Template
What Is a Solicitation Letter?
A Solicitation Letter is a written statement prepared to persuade the recipient to donate funds or valuable objects to help a charitable organization. Whether you are planning a charitable event or simply need financial support for everyday activities, this document will help you collect the money required for your charity to continue its essential work. Download a printable Solicitation Letter template via the link below.
Alternate Name:
- Solicitations Letter.
Although it is recommended to personalize every message to make sure the recipient responds, at a minimum, you need to record the name of your entity, describe the work you do, and underline the importance of contributions to the charitable cause in question, include your bank account details in case the recipient decides to donate at once, and list your contact information. Additionally, you can invite the prospective donor to visit your entity's office or website and learn more about what you do.
How to Write a Solicitation Letter?
It is important to craft a letter that the recipient will read and be willing to donate money. A poorly written non-profit Solicitation Letter will be immediately thrown away if it only begs the recipient for funding without any explanation and if these letters are sent more often than needed. Depending on the type of organization, you will want to make sure you are addressing the correct audience to achieve the greatest number of people who will respond and donate based on your charity Solicitation Letter.
Here's what your Solicitation Letter should include:
- A title with a quick description of what the letter is asking for; For example, "Help us start out the school year strong!"
- An introductory paragraph explaining what your organization is and what service you provide to the community. You can include how long you have been a part of the community, the types of services you provide, or the groups that have been supported by your organization (such as after-school programs, homeless services, etc.).
- An explanation of why you are requesting funding and how you plan to use the recipient's donations. For example, if your Donation Solicitation Letter is for a school, you can explain that the funding will be used for school supplies, after-school programs, or other necessary items required throughout the school year. If the Solicitation Letter is written for a charity, such as an animal shelter, you can talk about the number of animals rescued each year, and the money required to house, feed, and care for each animal.
- You will want to be open by discussing how you plan to use these funds, especially since a vague statement can be seen as simply a request for money with no explanation of how it will be used. You do not need to go into great detail with a usage breakdown, but enough that the reader can get a sense of what their money will be doing by donating to your organization.
- Describe the amount you are hoping to receive from each donor and the best way the recipient can send their donation (check, online payment transfer, etc.).
- End the letter by thanking the recipient of the letter for supporting your organization.
If writing a Business Solicitation Letter for contract work, you will want to change the headline to mention the project name and include the following as the body of your letter:
- What services your business can provide that are relevant to the project. Include relevant experience on past projects.
- Cost breakdown of the services you can provide based on the quote provided by the recipient. Include terms and conditions for work and the deadline you expect to be finished with the work.
- Close the letter by stating when you will need a formal response from the recipient to move forward on the project.
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