Charity Letter : Types and Steps

In letter writing, a charity letter is well heard of. It can be written for various purposes and can be a financial or a non-financial charity. To know more about what it is and how to write it correctly, continue reading the article. 

Definition of a Charity Letter:

The letter written by a person or organization asking another person or organization for charity for a specific cause is called a charity letter. Its goal is to seek financial help for the sender or his organization and ask for a contribution to improve the conditions.

Types of Charity Letters:

Here are the kinds of Charity Letters that you may come across:

1. Charity Letter for Mentally Ill Patients (sample)
2. Charity Letter for the Homeless 
3. Charity Letter for the Victims of a Calamity
4. Charity Letter for Street Children
5. Charity Letter for Medical Treatment (sample)
6. Charity Letter for the Orphans
7. Charity Letter for Associations (sample)
8. Charity Letter for Organizations
9. Charity Letter for an Event
10. Charity Intent Letter
11. Books Charity Letter
12. Charity Partnership Letter

Let us discuss the basic format of writing one.

Steps in Writing a Charity Letter:

These are the steps you should follow:

1. Start with the sender’s name, his title, the organization he belongs to, and address of that organization. If you are writing a books charity letter, it will be a library or a mobile school. But since a mobile school doesn’t have a fixed address, you can give yours or the organization who initiated it. Again, if it is the charity for the homeless, then naturally you will have to provide your address or your locality/school club address.
2. Adding the date of the letter, put in information regarding the recipient. His name, title, organization, and address. If it isn’t a company or so, but a highly influential, philanthropic person, you can add his name and personal address.
3. After an endearing salutation, introduce yourself to the recipient. Say that you work for so-and-so organization and then shift to introducing the organization itself. In this opening paragraph, mention what your organization is all about and what its purpose is, and how you help people and the society in general.
4. In the second paragraph, mention the instance for which you will need the money, in detail, because you need to convince the person that you are in need of it. Suppose there are not enough books in the library, the locality has been flooded badly, the accommodation of mentally ill patients isn’t enough or hygienic, etc. After this mention the amount that you would like the person to give as charity — state why that amount is necessary for a partial development, if not all.
5. In the closing paragraph, request him for the consideration and leave a thought-provoking, humanity-bound question for him so that he is bound to look into the matter and not just throw into the trash can. But don’t overdo it. Don’t forget to ask them to contact.
6. Thank and sign off.

Tips to Remember:

Here is what you will need to remember as you write:

1. Never send a handwritten charity letter. Always type it.
2. Details are vital. If the recipient is not sure what he is spending his money on, it is certain that he won’t.
3. You can add the credentials of your organization. By that, you can show how past charities have been put to good use, and you do not charge money unnecessarily. Also, credentials are proof that your organization is serving the cause it was built for, without fail.
4. The idea of the amount and why it is so should be clear. Don’t tell the donor to give minimum this and maximum that amount. Your indecisiveness will show how confused you are, which is not a good thing.
5. All information should be authentic.
6. Be polite as your request. Don’t choke the person on requests but maintain your grounds. You can’t forcefully ask for charity.
7. Don’t bring up how the person helps other organizations or is rich enough so he should help. If he has supported your organization in the past, only include that. Many do not like being subject to or facing comparison; of course, you don't want the donor to dislike you for poking your nose in his business.
8. Keep it simple, positive and check for errors before sending it.