A GivingTuesday appeal letter needs to answer three questions: What are you asking the reader to support, why does that request matter, and how can the reader respond? Work out those answers before choosing a headline or adding a personalized greeting.
This guide focuses on the letter itself. For the broader recipient, production and mailing plan, use our GivingTuesday direct-mail planning guide.
Start with an approved request
Write a short internal brief before drafting. Name the organization receiving support, the purpose of the appeal and the person who can approve its claims. If the campaign supports a particular program or fund, confirm the wording with that organization.
Collect the facts the letter can use: what the organization does, what it is asking supporters to help with, and any approved project details. A specific account of the work is more useful to the writer than a general instruction to make the letter emotional. Use a personal story or photograph only with the organization’s approval and the permissions it requires.
Do not manufacture a deadline, matching-gift offer, number of people helped or cost-per-service figure to make the appeal sound urgent. If your organization has a verified offer or target, record its exact terms and who approved them. If it does not, the letter can still make a clear request.
Give each part of the letter one job
Use the following structure as an editing worksheet, not a required formula or a promise of fundraising results.
| Letter element | What to put there | Question for the reviewer |
|---|---|---|
| Opening | The approved purpose and a clear reason for writing | Can a reader understand the subject without reading another insert? |
| Explanation | Enough factual context to understand the request | Are names, program descriptions and figures correct and approved? |
| Ask | The action the organization wants the reader to consider | Is it clear whether the request is to give, volunteer or take another action? |
| Response instructions | The approved online destination or reply method | Can the reader respond using the information on this letter? |
| Signer and closing | The appropriate person’s name, role and approved signature | Does the signer have authority to make the request as written? |
Read the draft aloud. Break up sentences that are difficult to follow, explain an unfamiliar program name and remove information that does not help the reader understand or respond. Keep type size and spacing readable in the printed proof; shrinking everything to fit is a layout decision to review, not a substitute for editing.
Review the ask without inventing an outcome
An appeal can explain an organization’s approved purpose without promising what every gift will accomplish. If you use a suggested gift amount, make sure the organization approves it and the reply piece gives the reader the intended choices.
Check any statement tying a dollar amount to a service. Does the organization actually substantiate that relationship, and does the wording describe it accurately? The printing team should not create that figure on the organization’s behalf.
Keep any tax, receipt, eligibility or restricted-gift wording with the organization’s designated reviewer. A mailing proof confirms the approved words appear correctly; it does not establish their legal or financial meaning.
Make personalization read naturally
Personalization adds another set of text to approve. Decide whether the greeting addresses a person, household or organization, then give the data owner that rule. A first-name field may not be suitable for every record.
Provide an approved fallback for a missing or unsuitable name. For example, an organization might choose “Dear Friend,” for records that do not have a usable personal greeting. That is an example to approve for your campaign, not a rule to apply automatically.
Review actual proof examples showing a normal greeting, a long name, a household or organization name and the fallback. Check punctuation, capitalization and line breaks. If a gift amount, program name or other text varies, include each approved version in the proof review.
Do not assume a name’s age, relationship to the organization or giving history from the address record. Use only the fields and assignments the organization has approved for this mailing.
Worked example: a fictional letter opening
The following is an illustrative writing example for a fictional community arts nonprofit. It is not a customer story, a tested fundraising template or a claim about results. The draft deliberately uses no donation target, matched-gift promise or cost-per-person figure.
Dear Friend,
This GivingTuesday, will you consider supporting our community art workshops?
At Example Community Arts, neighbors gather to draw, paint and share what they are creating. We are asking supporters to help sustain this work and the materials used in the workshops.
If you would like to give, please use the giving page printed below or return the enclosed reply card using the instructions provided. Thank you for considering our request.
Before adapting that approach, replace the fictional details with your organization’s approved facts. Add the real giving destination and the correct return instructions. Have the organization confirm that the description of the work and use of gifts are accurate. A real letter also needs its approved signer, contact information and finished layout.
Make the letter and reply pieces agree
If the package includes a reply card or return envelope, read all the components together. The organization name, campaign description, gift choices and return destination should agree. Confirm the payee wording separately if checks are an option.
If the letter directs the reader online, print a usable address as well as any QR code. Test the QR code from the final artwork and check the actual destination: organization name, campaign purpose, available giving choices and confirmation information. A code that scans is not enough if it points to an earlier campaign or the wrong page.
Ask the organization to identify who owns the giving page and who handles replies. Do not put payment-card details, private donor information or unnecessary personal fields into a printed reply piece simply because a previous form collected them. Have the response owner approve what information is requested and how it will be handled.
Check the complete printed proof
Before releasing the letter for production, confirm:
- The organization approved the purpose, facts, request and signer.
- Any gift figures, campaign dates or special offers match their approved terms.
- Greeting rules, fallback text and variable versions have been proofed.
- The signature and logos are complete and readable in the actual output.
- Letter, reply card and envelope use the correct names and response destinations.
- Website addresses and QR destinations have been checked from final artwork.
- The approved letter file and recipient-file version are identified together.
- The campaign owner knows what changed since the previous proof and has approved those changes.
If the wording changes after approval, identify every affected component and review the revised proofs. Keep earlier files clearly superseded so an old reply card is not paired with a new letter.
Turn the approved letter into a mailing brief
Bring the approved letter, planned reply pieces, intended quantity and recipient-file status to the print and mailing discussion. Ask what files and proofs the actual job needs and confirm the production and postal preparation schedule for that project.
Call 602-433-9101 to discuss your GivingTuesday letter and its printing and mailing requirements. Your organization approves the appeal and response process; the agreed job plan identifies the printing, addressing and mailing work included.
