Fund raising letters

Direct mail fund raising is one of the tools savvy candidates use. A short letter, on one page, if possible, with highlighted paragraphs of key issues and asking for the donation. There has to be a strong pitch or you don't get the dough.

A PS at the bottom catches the eye to promote an upcoming event, or just send the reader to the website.

The letters should ideally be mail merged from your excel spread sheet so they are personalized. You can do this yourself and stuff and stamp (a more personal touch for the smaller campaign, not to mention less expensive) or have a mailhouse do it for you.

Use a pre-printed no. ten envelope with your logo, and a union bug, or if you are really saving, use labels for the return address. Make sure a remit envelope with the union bug on it is on the inside, and if you are printing the letters on your home computer, put a disclaimer on the bottom, something like "printed in house by volunteers", "printed on pc by volunteers", or "labor donated," so people know you did this yourself.

Once the letters have been out about a week to your prospect list, start making follow up phone calls to the ones where no donation was sent in yet. This is the most crucial part of any campaign.

It's a one-two punch. First make the pitch. Then make the calls; it's the only way to actually collect the cash.

Then send a personal thank you note to the people who come through. They will be sure to donate more later.