[Ohio-talk] A Practical Guide to Obtaining Donations

[J. W. Smith]

Good job here Sir.

Join us please and let's have a great showing next year ok?
JW
At 10:05 PM 11/15/2008 -0500, Everett Gavel wrote:
>Hello,
>
>Below is a 7-page guide on requesting donations, including sample request 
>letters and thank you letters. I hope this can help some here, or in your 
>chapters, to become better prepared and more outgoing in your chapter's 
>efforts to raise funds for various events or programs.  Such as the 
>Imagination Fund and upcoming March for Independence / Rally on the River 
>event next summer in detroit.  Have you signed up yet, to help raise 
>funds?  If not, please, get on over to www.MarchForIndependence.org to 
>sign-up now!  We need your involvement.  Just because you signed up last 
>year doesn't mean you're signed up for this coming year in Detroit.  Go to 
>www.MarchForIndependence.org to check and make sure.  There's only a few 
>of us signed up right now.  It's pitiful.  Where are all the 
>Go-Getters?  The March for Independence needs you! Let's get a few hundred 
>more signed up by year-end! Come on, get to it, let's do it!  We need your 
>involvement!  Sign up before year end!
>
>Okay, anyway, off my Imagined soapbox for now.  Below is what will 
>hopefully help some of you improve your fundraising abilities.  ;-)
>
>It's nothing to do with the NFB.  It's just a document, 7 pages, which the 
>college students who put it together, call a Guide.  It has some good and 
>useful info in it that can help us be better at raising funds. Sample 
>donation  and thank you letters - and some tips are below.
>
>
>Strive On!
>Everett
>www.everettgavel.com
>
>
>
>A Practical Guide to Obtaining Donations
>from Private organizations and Companies
>- with Sample Donation Request and Thank You Letters Included
>http://www.wright.edu/~jenny.alexander/donation_guide.htm
>
>By
>Aaron Dowd, Vicky Giminez, Kathi Goings, Peter Hutzel, Lindsay Johnson, 
>Russ Smith and Kathleen Werning
>COM 141  Fall 1999
>
>
>(Below is the 7-page Guide.)
>
>
>Introduction
>
>Have you ever had a great idea for a plan or project only to discover that 
>you don't have enough funds to complete the project? Are you planning a 
>social action project with a group or club and are tired of collecting 
>canned goods or food donations? This guide will provide you with some 
>helpful hints and tools to actively, correctly and successfully solicit 
>donations from companies or individuals.
>
>The barrier to obtaining donations from private organizations may be your 
>group's lack of knowledge about donation requesting. To effectively 
>solicit and obtain donations from private industry, your group must be 
>organized, plan ahead, and know the local business community. The business 
>community works on a system of supply and demand coupled with the profit 
>margin. Industries want to make money. However, they want to promote a 
>good, positive image to the community. The majority of companies want to 
>help worthy causes with donations. They can't donate to your project 
>unless you ask.
>
>How do you ask? You ask in person with a professional image and a well 
>thought out donation request letter. Donations are possible. Most 
>corporate companies' budget for donations to worthwhile causes. Local and 
>national corporations want to promote business by showing an active 
>interest in supporting the needs of the local community.
>
>The explanation of the donation request letters that follow has an example 
>so you can model your own letter after the sample.
>
>After you receive a donation, what do you do? Take it and run? No, you 
>have to acknowledge the donation and send the donor a thank you letter 
>soon after you receive the donation. Section 2 of this guide explains the 
>components of an appropriate thank you letter and some examples are 
>provided for your assistance. We hope this guide is helpful in your quest 
>for donations. We wish you luck in your endeavors. Remember just because 
>one company says "No" doesn't mean they will all say "No".
>
>
>DONATION REQUEST LETTERS
>
>The following donation letter is a copy of the donation request letter 
>used by our group to solicit donations for our project. The body of the 
>letter and the return address heading remained constant in all letters. 
>The addressee heading was formatted for each individual business or 
>individual.  This format allows the business to utilize the donation 
>request letter and their own itemized ledger for tax deduction purposes. 
>It is a good idea to mention tax deductions because many companies 
>especially small and/or local companies may not be aware of the tax 
>deduction potential of the donation. They can donate out of season items, 
>last years stock or even clearance items to your cause or project while 
>deducting their full market value from their taxes at the end of the year. 
>Donations that don't have a direct market value such as the use of 
>equipment or supplies can be deducted from the company's taxes in the form 
>of depreciation costs of equipment or materials.
>
>
>
>Some larger companies such as Meijer's, Wal-Mart, and Kroger have an 
>annual budget from donations to worthwhile events or projects. This makes 
>these types of companies good sources for donations. It is recommended 
>that you request donations as early as possible. This is essential if your 
>group, club, or project is following a strict timeline. Large companies 
>may require your group or club to complete a donation request form 
>supplied by the company. This donation request form is usually mailed to a 
>corporate office for consideration. Donation requests are handled on a 
>first come first served basis. The corporate office may require 3 to 4 
>weeks to process a donation request. Make sure you request donations well 
>in advance of your event or need.
>
>A member of the group or club requesting the donation should deliver the 
>donation request letter in person if possible. This individual should be 
>dressed in a professional manner and be able to answer basic questions 
>about the project.  The group member should speak with the owner, the 
>shift supervisor, or the head of customer service. Be polite. Don't 
>promise something that your group or club can't provide such as media 
>coverage or recognition of a donation. Thank the individual for their time 
>and consideration of your request even if they decline to donate.
>
>Send a thank you follow up letter describing how the donations your group 
>or club received impacted your group, club, project, or the community. 
>(See the sample thank you notes in this booklet). Make certain your follow 
>up thank you is timely. Don't wait until two months after your project is 
>completed or the group has benefited from the donation to send your thank 
>you. ALWAYS SEND A THANK YOU ADDRESSED TO EACH INDIVIDUAL DONATOR .  DON'T 
>USE A FORM THANK YOU LETTER.
>
>
>MAIN COMPONENTS OF AN EFFECTIVE DONATION LETTER
>
>·          Who is asking for the donation?
>
>·          What are you asking for? ( Be specific- not just clothing but 
>infant clothing, or cookies and cupcakes for 50 people rather than baked goods)
>
>·          Why are you asking for this donation?
>
>·          Who will the donation benefit?
>
>·          What can the donator gain from donating to your group, club or 
>project? (free advertisement by your posting a list of all the donators, 
>recognition in the community if the event is in the local area and/or 
>printed in the newspaper, a tax deduction, and donations to local groups, 
>clubs, or projects are good for public relations and business.)
>
>·         Thank the business in advance for considering donating to your 
>group, club, or project.
>
>·         The name and phone number of a contact person (from the group).
>
>·         Signatures - all group members, or the contact person, or 
>"major" group members (i.e.: president, Vice President, Chairman, Board 
>Members etc. )
>
>
>** Sample donation request letter
>
>
>Small Group Communications Class COM 141
>Wright State University
>3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
>Dayton, Ohio 45435
>
>Jim Amburn
>State Farm Insurance
>6070 Wilmington Pike
>Sugar Creek Plaza
>Centerville, Ohio  45459
>
>
>We are students at Wright State University. Our class requires us to plan, 
>develop, and execute a  social action project over the course of a 
>university quarter term. We have chosen to sponsor and provide a Fall 
>Harvest/Halloween Bingo Party for the residents of Brighton Gardens in 
>Centerville on October 17, 1999. We are soliciting donations from area 
>businesses for prizes, decorations, and refreshments. If your business is 
>interested in donating to this project we would greatly appreciate your 
>input. All donations would be recognized as donated from your 
>establishment at the party, in the resident community newsletter and 
>possibly in the local newspaper (if we are able to interest them in a 
>human-interest story for the paper). This letter and our letter of Thank 
>you indicating your exact donation are sufficient documentation of your 
>donation for tax purposes.
>
>These donations will be used for the sole purpose and benefit of the 
>residents of Brighton Gardens in Centerville. No donations will be awarded 
>to Wright State University participants or employees of Brighton Gardens. 
>Our project goal is to provide a Sunday afternoon of activity, 
>socialization, and enjoyment for the residents of Brighton Gardens. If you 
>have any questions you may contact the project group chairman, Kathleen 
>Werning at 513-896-6545 or kwerning at fuse.net If you wish to have further 
>information on the nature of the class requirement you may contact our 
>Instructor, Jennifer Alexander-Paul, at 937-775-2710. Thank you in advance 
>for your consideration and support.
>
>
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Aaron Dowd  Vicky Gimemez  Kathi Goings  Peter Hutzel
>Lindsay Johnson  Russ Smith  Kathleen Werning
>
>
>
>THANK YOU LETTERS
>
>The following thank you letter is a sample of the thank you letters our 
>group sent out to those companies and individual's that donated items to 
>our project. We also sent a thank you card. Enclosed is a second example 
>of a thank you letter of a more professional style. The style you chose 
>depends on the amount of the donation, type of donation, and type of 
>company you are soliciting. Each thank you letter was addressed to the 
>business or individual that donated. The individual letters mentioned the 
>exact donation, how it was utilized, and how it supported our project. The 
>individual from our group who had obtained the donation signed the thank 
>you letter for that donation. This helped to maintain continuity and 
>familiarity with our group member and the business.
>
>Thank you letters are extremely important when dealing with donations. 
>Some companies use the donation request letter to justify the actual 
>donation but use the thank you letter as proof that the donation actual 
>occurred when filing their taxes. Despite providing documentation for tax 
>purposes, the thank you letter affords your group or club the opportunity 
>to express your appreciation to the donator for their donation and to 
>inform the donator what his donation did for your group, club, or the 
>community. Finally, individual thank you letters to your donators is a 
>common courtesy. It lets the business or individuals know they are dealing 
>with a professional. It expresses your group or club's gratitude for the 
>efforts of the business community. Everyone desires to be appreciated by 
>others for what they do. By sending a personalized thank you to all your 
>donators you help to insure that the next group or club that asks for a 
>donation will probably get one.
>
>
>MAIN COMPONENTS -- THANK YOU LETTER
>
>·        Address the letter to your contact person in the company or the 
>individual in the company who authorized the donation.
>
>·        Include a direct reference to the specific items donated.
>
>·        Explain how the donation benefited your group, club, and/or the 
>community.
>
>·        Send out the thank you letter within one week of receiving the 
>donation. It is important to send a prompt thank you to avoid feelings of 
>neglect or abuse on the part of the donator.
>
>·        Include in your letter any unique things that resulted from the 
>company's donation. (Maybe their donation helped persuade another company 
>to donate also, maybe their donation was the largest or most beneficial 
>donation in your fund-raising activities or maybe their donation changed a 
>community situation for the better.) By highlighting the outcomes or 
>results of the company's donation, your group will increase the chance 
>that the company will donate again and the company has first hand 
>knowledge of their power to impact the community.
>
>
>
>** Sample thank you letter
>
>
>October 21, 1999
>
>Small Group Communications Class COM 141
>Wright State University
>3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
>Dayton, Ohio 45435
>
>Jim Amburn
>State Farm Insurance
>6070 Wilmington Pike
>Sugar Creek Plaza
>Centerville, Ohio 45459
>
>
>Mr. Amburn:
>
>On behalf of our group, I would like to thank you for your generous 
>donation of the use of your business's Polaroid Camera and six packages of 
>Polaroid film. Our small group communication social action group 
>appreciates your support of our Halloween Party for the residents of 
>Brighton Gardens. Our event on October 17, 1999 was a wonderful success. 
>We spent the afternoon entertaining and socializing with a group of 30 
>residents. We took pictures of the residents enjoying the festivities, 
>mingling with the Wright State University Students and playing bingo. We 
>gave a photo to any resident who wanted a momento of the afternoon. The 
>remaining photos were posted on the activities bulletin board in the first 
>floor lounge of the facility. After the Halloween season is over these 
>photos will go into a time capsule book for the year 1999 for residents to 
>remember the event in years to come. Your donation played an integral part 
>in the fun and success of our project. Thank you for your generous support 
>of our efforts to brighten the afternoon of some of the elderly members of 
>our community.
>
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Lindsay Johnson
>Wright State University Student
>
>
>** Sample thank you letter
>
>May 10, 1999
>
>Wright State University Rehabilitation Club
>Creative Arts Center
>Wright State University
>Dayton, Ohio 45435
>
>GENEX
>Thomas Kinser, MS, CDMS
>3040 Riverside Drive
>Suite 302
>Columbus, Ohio 43221
>
>
>Mr. Kinser,
>
>We would like to thank Genex for the generous donation of 8 Cincinnati 
>Reds Tickets to our fund raising raffle at the May Daze Festival at Wright 
>State University. Wright State University Rehabilitation Club appreciates 
>Genex's support in our fund drive. We would like to extend a special 
>thanks to Mr. Kinser for his assistance in obtaining this donation. Our 
>fund raising raffle was a huge success. . Our raffle provided over $300 to 
>our club treasury. These funds are utilized to assist students to attend 
>professional conferences and seminars in the area of Rehabilitation 
>services and fund community outreach activities to individuals with 
>disabilities and the agencies that service individuals with disabilities. 
>Thank you again for your support.
>
>
>Respectfully,
>
>Anna Haynes
>Wright State University
>Rehabilitation Club Treasurer
>
>
>End of Document
>
>
>
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