Send a Second-chance/reminder Letter • Letter Templates and Guide

How to write this letter:

1Remind the reader of the cause that you are supporting.
2Thank those who have already contributed to your cause, including those who may have sent donations that crossed with your reminder letter in the mail.
3Mention again the amount (or range of amounts) you are requesting and the date by which you need the gift.
4Reiterate the importance of the work you are doing, and state again why you are supporting it and the need that the donation will be helping to fulfill.
5Thank the person for taking the time to read your letters.

Tips

This letter should be usually be sent a couple of weeks to a month after the initial letter. Much of the same information can be repeated, but consider adding a special incentive to encourage reticent readers to act.

Example Letter #1

Copied!

Thank you once again for donating to (Name of Organization) during last year's fundraising drive. Contributions from conscientious citizens like you comprise the heart of our financial foundation, and we are deeply grateful for your compassion and vision.

We are writing today, however, to emphasize our need for your continued support. Within the last few weeks, to shed light on the current situation, we sent a document detailing both the successes and results of our programs, and the rising costs of providing such services. We have enclosed this document once again in the hope that you will review the information and feel compelled to contribute to this year's fund-raising efforts.

As you know, (Name of Organization) has been providing essential services and perspectives for the past several years--services and perspectives provided by very few other organizations in our society. We ask you, therefore, to take another moment and consider using the enclosed postage-paid envelope to contribute once again to our important cause.

Thank you very much for your foresight and understanding.

Example Letter #2

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Time is running out for us to obtain matching funds for our homeless shelter!

Springfield is a wonderful place to live. So wonderful that sometimes we can forget that not everybody has a safe place to live. But homelessness is a fact of modern life, and our homeless people need somewhere safe and warm to stay while they get back on their feet. We hope we can avoid the tragic events of last winter when four homeless people died of exposure.

If you have already responded to our appeal for funds, please accept our thanks. If not, please send your donation before the end of the month, so that we can take advantage of the generous grant from the John Doe Foundation. The foundation will multiply every dollar you donate by three. There is no better time to give than right now. Please send your tax deductible gift today!

Write Your Letter Step-by-Step

1

Remind the reader of the cause that you are supporting.

Example Sentences

At Home for Life, we are committed to providing affordable housing to disadvantaged veterans in our area. Our committee chair, Jane Johnson, has spent countless hours over the last three years serving those of us who live in the Sunset Retreat Condominiums and Town homes. Citizens First is a volunteer organization made up of concerned citizens just like you who fight to preserve the freedoms and way of life that we enjoy in our community. As we mentioned in our first letter, the Smithtown Baseball League was started more than 100 years ago, in 1903. The volunteers that make up Hearts That Serve work tirelessly to provide aid to the many people in our community cannot adequately provide for their own housing and food needs. The Burchfield Animal Shelter provides medical care and a temporary home to more than 1,000 mistreated or abandoned animals in our area annually. At the Springfield Modern Art Museum, we provide low-cost admission to patrons so that everyone can enjoy the beautiful works done by some of the most renowned artists of our day. For more than twenty-five years, Doe Lung Foundation has been raising money to provide treatment for individuals with lung cancer and other debilitating lung conditions or diseases.

Example Phrases

work to provide low-cost our goal is to find a home for every because of the work we do through our efforts we have been able to for more than 100 years we have give our time to serve those in the community serve the community by work tirelessly to provide relief for group of volunteers our organization works every day to have established a foundation have organized a our committee of volunteers we're committed to help others to aid those in need concerned citizens like you hope that we can to give back to to aid in the effort remind you of the worthwhile cause writing to remind you that

2

Thank those who have already contributed to your cause, including those who may have sent donations that crossed with your reminder letter in the mail.

Example Sentences

We would like to thank the many individuals who have contributed in the past to the important work that we do. If you have already sent your donation and it has crossed this letter in the mail, please accept our sincere gratitude for your contribution to our work. We truly appreciate all those who have helped us in our fundraising efforts. For those who have already sent in their donations, we would like to thank you for your prompt response. If you have already made a donation, please accept our sincere gratitude for making it possible for us to purchase the new equipment and supplies that we so desperately need. We want to thank all of you who have already made a donation to our cause, and we would like to encourage those of you who have not yet to do so.

Example Phrases

want to thank those who have already appreciate very much very grateful to those thank you for your prompt grateful for very appreciative of the express our gratitude demonstrate our appreciation show our thankfulness wish to thank the many individuals like to thank all those very much appreciate

3

Mention again the amount (or range of amounts) you are requesting and the date by which you need the gift.

Example Sentences

If you have not yet taken the opportunity to make your $25 donation, please take a moment now to do so. For those of you who have not yet donated, we ask that you send your $100 donation today so that you can help us in this important work. We just wanted to remind you that there's still time to make your $50 donation before the end of the month. Please make a donation of $75 to help the abandoned women and children in our area. As we mentioned in our first letter, we're asking that donors make their contributions by next Friday, May 20. Please send your donation of $30 by April 10 so that one more girl or boy from our community can participate in this wonderful program. Remember, if you make your tax-deductible donation of $200 within the next two weeks--by September 30--we'll send you a pair of complimentary tickets to one of our upcoming events. Our deadline is fast approaching, so please send your donation today, and give the disadvantaged youth in our city an opportunity for a better life.

Example Phrases

hope that you can donate invite you to contribute hope you will consider making a donation today can donate a lesser amount your donation of $45 write a check for your check for only $25 receive your gift by fundraising deadline is all money received by anonymous donor will match if received by premium for those donors who contribute by only two weeks remain fundraiser is winding down time is running out need your contribution by hope to receive your contribution before please send to us by before the end of the month by next week

4

Reiterate the importance of the work you are doing, and state again why you are supporting it and the need that the donation will be helping to fulfill.

Example Sentences

Every day, more than 2,000 acres of rainforest are cut down. With your help, we can educate inhabitants about the importance of the rainforests to the local environment, and we can help them to find alternative solutions to their current slash-and-burn practices. We are counting on your help to bring this great work to pass--so commit today to make a difference in one little boy or girl's life by donating to the Find the Cure Foundation. With your support, we can purchase an additional 5,000 books, all of which will be sent to children in third-world countries as part of our Eliminating Illiteracy program. This year, with the money raised in our annual fundraiser, we plan to purchase new computers and software for our school. But we can't do it without your help. We want to give deserving students the opportunity to attend our university--but we need your help. Pledge today to lend your support, and give the priceless gift of a good education. The money raised will allow us to renovate the west wing of the hospital--a renovation which, as you know, is long overdue. The updated facilities and extra space will allow us to better meet the needs of our patrons, giving us the ability to accommodate more people and greatly improving the quality of the performances that we can offer. With the combined donations of our faithful supporters, we will be able to increase the number of homes we can build--allowing us to provide affordable housing to even more deserving lower-income families in our area.

Example Phrases

in great need of need your help to look forward to anticipate your know that it is very important to imperative that we enable us to provide able to increase the will allow us to makes it possible necessary in order to provides the opportunity for gives us the ability to such an important part a crucial role in great work that make it possible to

5

Thank the person for taking the time to read your letters.

Example Sentences

Once again, we want to thank you for being a long-time supporter of our cause. We wish to express our gratitude for your continued support. Thank you for taking the time to read our letters. We hope you will feel compelled, as we do, to help in this effort. I'd like to personally thank you for your interest in our work. We very much appreciate the support you have given us in the past, and we hope you will feel a renewed desire to contribute to our cause. As we've said before, we're very grateful for the support we receive from all of our members, and we hope you will help us as we work to raise money for this special need. Thank you very much for your generous contributions in the past.

Example Phrases

thank you for truly appreciate your very grateful for want to thank you would like to express our thanks show our appreciation convey our gratitude honestly value your thankful for your willingness very appreciative of the express our appreciation for

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