An end of year appeal letter is a great way to show donors your appreciation and explain how their donations can directly help your organization’s cause. Below, we give helpful tips to create an end of year appeal letter that is effective and offer inspiration from past letters to help you create one of your own.
What is a Year-End Appeal Letter?
A year-end appeal is a donation request that is sent out during the end of the year in order to earn contributions from donors. There are many ways to send out end of the year appeals, but one effective way to send your year-end appeal is as a direct mail piece. These letters should be sent no later than early November, in order to optimize donation opportunities.
Traditional Appeal Packages
While appeal letters can vary quite a lot, they are critical to your appeal campaign and are usually part of an overall package that includes:
- Outer envelope – to hold everything you are sending your donors
- Appeal letter – a formal appeal letter
- Donor Reply Card – a pre-printed card for submitting donations and pledges
- Reply envelope – an envelope for donors to send their donations and reply cards
These packages provide you with all the materials you need to make your fundraising efforts a success.
Why Send a Year-End Appeal Letter?
At the end of the year, people tend to be more giving and generous due to the holiday season. In fact, around one-third of annual donations are received in December, according to the Digital Giving Index.
How to Write Your Year-End Appeal Letter
Want to create an end of the year appeal letter that increases donations for your organization? These tips can help you create a more effective year-end appeal.
1. Focus on Your Donor
Make sure the subject of your appeal focuses on the donor. Rather than talking about your charity, be sure to explain how the donors themselves can help the cause or people your organization works with.
2. Make Your Appeal Emotional
When you make your potential donors feel a powerful emotion, they are more likely to resonate with your message and your cause. You can make your year-end appeal letter more emotional by including personal stories about people who have been helped by your organization’s cause. It’s also important to write your letter as a personal conversation, rather than a formal monologue.
3. Call Attention to What You’ve Achieved
Show statistics on the number of people you’ve helped – or whatever statistics are relevant to your cause! This helps donors see how the donations your organization receives impacts your cause.
4. Use a Large Donation Envelope
To avoid your year-end appeal letter from getting ignored in your donor’s crowded mailbox, use a larger envelope than the standard 5×7” envelope size. This will help your letter stand out from the rest.
5. Include a Donation Form
Make the process of donating to your cause simple. This can be done by including a donation form or a QR code that leads to an online form.
6. Thank Your Donors
When you send out your year-end appeal, make sure to thank your donors for their support and previous donations. Make them feel appreciated and have them support your organization year after year.
End of Year Appeal Letter Samples
If you need some inspiration for your year-end appeal letters, here are some great past examples we love.
Get Started on Your Year-End Appeal Letter
It’s not too late to get started on your year-end appeal letter! Contact us at United GMG today. We’ll work with your budget, time constraints, and vision to create a year-end appeal letter that is effective and inline with your cause.
