Open with an emotional or compelling story and tie that into the P.S., and into the ask.

 Address only one subject, generally what the generosity of donors has allowed you to accomplish and why you need them to give again.

 Create a sense of urgency, but not a crisis. Donors want to feel needed, but no one likes to try to save a sinking ship. If there’s a funding crisis, don’t mention it.

 Ask them to give a specific amount, even if it’s a range. Consider personalizing the letter to thank them for their past gift and suggest a new one.

Check your ask for signs of “begging,” guilt for bothering the donor, or an uncomfortable tone. Think of the ask as an opportunity for the donor to be part of your exciting program. Don’t “urge” — suggest and involve!

 Don’t give too much information. When the letter is “newsy,” it distracts from the purpose of the letter. Give news in a newsletter. Ask for money in a solicitation letter. In fact, consider sending a newsletter about four weeks prior to a solicitation.

 Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Choose a theme and repeat it several times. It might seem like repetition would make the letter boring, but people don’t read this from first word to last.

 Consider highlighting or underlining your most important points. The reader will be skimming this. What do you want them to know? (Answer: That you are successful now and their gift will make the organization even better.)

 Create a response device that matches the look, tone and ask of the letter.

Create an insert that emphasizes the information contained in the ask. Great place to use graphics and color.

Limit – but don’t eliminate – teaser copy on envelope.

Use of board letterhead detracts from letter message – unless you’ve got big stars whose name appeal will pull gifts.

Segment your list and write to the segment.