Hungry/Homeless • Example Letters, Guides and Samples
Guides
Help readers to truly feel the gravity of the need you are addressing. When possible, include specific examples so that potential donors can feel a connection with real people and situations. However, be careful not to make the situation seem hopeless; show readers that the problem really can be solved, or at least that the situation can be improved, with their help.
How to write this fundraising letter:
- Begin your letter with a compelling story or with statistics that will illustrate the need you are working to alleviate.
- Tell about your organization and the important work it does: include its background, the kind of relief it provides, its goals for the future, and so on.
- Indicate the current need for which you are raising funds, and tell how the money raised will fulfill that need.
- Ask that readers contribute financially to your cause so that they may aid fellow citizens of their community (or country, world, etc.) through the work you do. You may wish to include a specific amount or range of amounts that donors can contribute, or a target amount you hope to raise.
- Describe the benefits (tangible and intangible) that will come to donors because of their financial donations to your organization.
- Reiterate the great need that readers will be helping to meet when they donate, and thank them for their willingness to aid in your cause.
Example Letter #1
It is impossible to live in our city without witnessing the pain of homelessness and hunger on our streets. The statistics are frightening: 1 out of every 20 people is without a home, and a much larger percentage of residents go through each day without enough money to pay for adequate food and other basic necessities. Fortunately, compassionate and informed citizens, such as yourself, understand the reality of these problems and feel compelled to contribute to the solution.
(Name of Organization) provides such solutions. For the past two decades, our organization has taken a clear and honest look at the problems of homelessness and hunger in our city. Research, services, and advocacy are at the heart of our mission. (Name of Organization) has been analyzing the causes and conditions, establishing pragmatic and compassionate programs to relieve suffering, forging new methods of intervention, and advancing the fight for more support in the public and governmental spheres.
However, upholding these intentions requires a good deal of financial support. As a nonprofit organization, we receive some funding from governmental sources, but the foundation of our financial health derives from the generous contributions of the conscientious citizens of our city. We are writing today, therefore, to ask you to reflect on the problems of homelessness and hunger in our city, and then to consider the value and necessity of the services we provide. We hope you will then use the enclosed prepaid envelope to send us your support in the form of a financial contribution.
Example Letter #2
Have you ever been hungry? So hungry that you would eat anything, even something you disliked, just to stop the pangs in your stomach? What if there wasn't anything to eat? Nothing at all? Then imagine how it must feel to put your children to bed, night after night, with nothing in their stomachs. All you can do is wait to get weaker and eventually die.
This is what the people of Springfield are suffering from right now. For two years, they have planted their crops, but the rains have not come. Even without a successful harvest, they were able to scrape something together to feed themselves the first year, but now there is nothing left.
We at World-Wide Relief are flying planeloads of food into Springfield even as you read this, but in order to continue this effort, we need your help.
What do you spend eating out with your family or friends? Could you forgo eating out just one night and send that amount, or even more if you could, to World-Wide Relief? Every dollar you give will feed a family of four, allowing them to live for one more day.
Please send your donation today. Your gift will really be a gift of life.
Example Letter #3
You probably were not aware of this, but every day in the United States, 36 million people go hungry. It seems incredible, doesn't it, that in this land of plenty there could be so many people in need?
We at the Springfield Soup Kitchen are committed to help alleviate that need. Since the kitchen was established in 2015, we have served more than 1 million meals to members of this community. And we hope to be able for many years to come to provide a hot meal and an encouraging word to those in need.
Will you help us to be able to do so by contributing a modest monthly donation to our cause? With your tax-deductible monthly donation of just $30--only a dollar a day--we can provide hot, nutritious meals to fill 20 empty stomachs. Or, with a monthly donation of $50, we can provide 33 meals to those in need. To make your much-needed contribution, simply fill out the attached form, and use the enclosed, stamped envelope to send a check to the address above. Then, each month, we will send you a receipt for the previous month and a self-addressed envelope, in which you can send your donation for the current month.
When we give of ourselves, we can't help but be glad inside for the good we have helped to accomplish. So please help us to make a difference in our city by committing to make a monthly donation today--because no one should have to go hungry.
Thank you.
Example Letter #4
When Jone Doe first came to the Doetown Homeless Shelter two years ago, he was one of the most destitute individuals I have ever seen. As a result of a series of unfortunate events, he had no possessions beyond the clothes on his back. While he stayed at the shelter, he went through counseling to help him face and overcome many of his challenges, and he also received valuable training that helped him to get a job that he enjoys and that allows him to make enough money to support his modest lifestyle. Now that he is on firm ground again himself, he volunteers at the shelter a couple of times a week to help others in need.
At the Doetown Homeless Shelter, we see many people who have stories similar to that of John. They are people who just need a temporary helping hand to get back on their feet. In the 28 years since we opened our doors, we have focused on each individual and on his or her particular needs and strengths, and as a result, we have seen many, many success stories. We are extremely grateful for that.
In order to keep providing assistance to others, however, we need the help of people like you. We would never be able to continue our work without the contributions of the people in this community. Next week, we will be holding our semiannual telethon, where volunteers such as John will be calling to ask for your financial support for our cause. Will you make a generous donation to the shelter when you receive that call?
To show our appreciation, all those who do pledge a donation will receive a gift, absolutely free. Our volunteers will explain more about the gifts we have to offer when they talk to you next week, so make sure to be there for their call!
There are many people like John--too many people like John--who need our help in order to get back on their feet and be successful in society once again. I hope you will help them make that stand by giving a generous donation to the shelter. I know you will be glad that you did.
Write Your Letter Step-by-Step
1 Begin your letter with a compelling story or with statistics that will illustrate the need you are working to alleviate.
Sample Sentences for Step 1
- You may not be aware that this problem exists in our community, but last year alone we worked to find jobs and temporary housing for more than 1,000 homeless individuals in our city.
- The Johnston family was like any typical family...until their father was badly injured in an accident and could not return to work. Eventually, they lost their home, and, after being unable to make their rent and still pay for a few other bare necessities, they found themselves with nowhere to go.
- On any given day in the United States, more than 30 million people go hungry.
- Because it is one of the poorest countries in the world, it is not surprising that over half of the population are malnourished because of a lack of available [or affordable, etc.] food.
- These people, unlike you and me, literally live from day to day, hoping to find the means to purchase their next meal.
- In the last 10 years, instead of decreasing, the number of homeless people in this country has actually increased by nearly 10 percent.
- When we found Jamie, he had been living on the streets for several months.
- Each day, more than 30 people die in this country because of malnutrition--because they literally starve to death.
Sample Phrases for Step 1
- found Johnny
- every day, more than
- last year alone
- the number continues to increase
- the Mitchell family
- estimated to be about
- since the year 2018
- living in the streets
- too many others just like
- in our city alone
- unable to afford
- live from day to day
- can't think that it is "someone else's" problem
- across the U.S., there are more than
- a growing need for
- number of homeless people in that country
- helped the Martinez family to
- the number of homeless people has grown
- more than 30% of the population is undernourished
- one of the poorest countries in the world
- live on only
- never had the assurance of three square meals a day
2 Tell about your organization and the important work it does: include its background, the kind of relief it provides, its goals for the future, and so on.
Sample Sentences for Step 2
- Our organization, which was founded nearly 30 years ago, has been providing low-cost housing to the least fortunate of our community.
- When it was established in 1985, the Foundation had one goal: to give every person in our city the opportunity of three square meals a day.
- The shelter was built more than 50 years ago, and we have been catering to the needs of the less fortunate, the battered and abused, ever since.
- Every year, we send a group of volunteers to a developing country so that they can teach the people about how to raise simple, nourishing crops in order to help them to become self-sufficient.
- The Springtown Food Bank opened its doors back in 1966, and we have been helping needy families now for over 40 years.
- We are a nonprofit organization that helps families to attain the dream of homeownership by helping them into modest, affordable housing.
- Since we began in 1978, the Have a Heart Soup Kitchen has provided more than 3 million meals to those in need.
- When we opened our doors last fall, we never truly knew what an impact for good we could have on this community.
Sample Phrases for Step 2
- Hearts and Homes is
- founded in 1985
- for more than 30 years
- a nonprofit organization
- committed to alleviating
- mission is to
- set a goal to
- established by the
- work with individuals to find
- offer low-income families
- local agency that provides
- offer temporary housing for
- run a homeless shelter
- run a program that
- provide inexpensive housing for
- work with local governments to
- provide meals to
- begin a program to
- work in conjunction with the local food bank
- want to build a shelter for
- plan to send volunteers to
- hope to expand our program
- reduce the number of people suffering from
- want to eliminate
- set up a program to provide
- recruit volunteers to help us
- want to purchase
- purchase land to build inexpensive, comfortable housing
3 Indicate the current need for which you are raising funds, and tell how the money raised will fulfill that need.
Sample Sentences for Step 3
- In order to continue to provide a hot dinner to the nearly 2,000 individuals who come through our doors each day, we are writing this letter to ask you for a financial donation.
- Unfortunately, the demand for food and shelter is at the present time far more than we can adequately provide.
- Because of the growing need, we are planning to expand our current facility in order to offer temporary housing to a greater number of people.
- To continue to operate effectively and be able to serve those in need in our community, we really must update our facilities.
- We rely solely on contributions from people like you to keep our program going, and that's why we are currently raising money to purchase the building materials we will need next year for the homes we plan to build.
- This year, we plan to send six volunteers to implement this program.
- At the present time, we are working to expand our program to other areas outside of the United States.
- Because of this very evident need, we are raising money to construct a shelter and adjacent soup kitchen.
Sample Phrases for Step 3
- in desperate need of
- current facilities can't accommodate
- at present unable to
- able to continue to feed
- unable to help all of the
- so many others that need help
- currently limited because of the
- provide additional funding for
- dismally understaffed
- cannot meet the current needs
- give us the opportunity to
- build additional
- able to provide housing for
- update our current
- next year we plan to
- planning to construct
- in order to purchase
- hope to expand
- renovating our current facilities
- increase the number of
- able to help more families
- to send volunteers
- offer help to
- take our program abroad
- serve individuals in other countries
- expanding our program to
- allow us to purchase
- will be able to
- with additional funding
- money raised will be used to
4 Ask that readers contribute financially to your cause so that they may aid fellow citizens of their community (or country, world, etc.) through the work you do. You may wish to include a specific amount or range of amounts that donors can contribute, or a target amount you hope to raise.
Sample Sentences for Step 4
- Your tax-deductible donation will make it possible for us to continue our program for another year.
- Our annual fundraising event will be next Friday, October 20, at 7 p.m. at our office downtown. Will you help us to meet our goal of raising $10,000 by participating in our fundraiser?
- With a monthly donation of just $50, we can temporarily feed and house the many needy families in our area.
- Would you be willing to make an annual donation of $500 so that we may continue to provide affordable, modest housing for the many deserving families in our area?
- Ms. Soto, would you be willing to contribute $50 to help us feed families in need?
- In order to provide Thanksgiving dinner for the estimated 200 families, we must raise $2,000 before next Friday. Will you help us to reach that goal by contributing $25 today?
- If you are not able to make a donation of $75 at this time, would you consider making a contribution of $50, instead?
- Will you help sponsor one of our volunteers by donating $200 to our work?
Sample Phrases for Step 4
- hope you will contribute
- please donate
- rely on individuals like you
- receive no government funding
- ask that you give
- funded completely by the generous donations of people like you
- asking that you donate $50
- if you will make a monthly donation of $25
- make a generous contribution of $200
- be a part of our annual gift-giving program
- with your donation of $100, we can purchase
- your $75 donation will
- your tax-deductible donation
- make a donation of $40, $30, or even $20
- hoping to raise $20,000
- want to raise $50,000 by June
- need $10,000 in order to
- your $35 donation will go directly to
- the proceeds of the fundraiser
- can count on you for a donation of
- hope that we can count on you
5 Describe the benefits (tangible and intangible) that will come to donors because of their financial donations to your organization.
Sample Sentences for Step 5
- Remember, the full amount of your donation is 100 percent tax-deductible.
- To show our appreciation to those who contribute, we will include the names of our donors in our next quarterly newsletter.
- To demonstrate our gratitude for your help in making our dream a reality, we would like to make you an honorary member of our organization.
- Of course, the greatest benefit of all is the knowledge you'll have that you helped to provide food and shelter to someone who truly needed it.
- As an extra incentive, if you make a donation of $200 or more, we will send you this beautiful reprint (see picture on next page) absolutely free.
- We hope you will proudly display this bumper magnet with our logo. It is yours to keep, whether or not you are able to make a donation at this time.
- And for those of you who make a generous donation of $1,000 or more, we will invite you to our annual recognition dinner, courtesy of our local Doe Restaurant.
- But best of all, you'll know that you literally helped to save the life of someone who truly needed your help.
Sample Phrases for Step 5
- knowing that you helped
- feeling of
- will send you a free gift
- through your generosity
- to show our appreciation
- belong to a group of people
- a small token of our gratitude
- be part of
- send you a monthly newsletter to keep you posted
- accept our free calendar
- know you made a difference
- absolutely no obligation
- include your name in our
- we will announce the names of
- make you an honorary member of
- become a member of our
- feeling you'll get
- gift is tax-deductible
- improve the quality of life
- help save the lives of
- a blessing to so many
- literally help to save lives
6 Reiterate the great need that readers will be helping to meet when they donate, and thank them for their willingness to aid in your cause.
Sample Sentences for Step 6
- You can help make a difference in someone else's life by making a donation today. Remember, hunger knows no season.
- We truly appreciate the support you have given in the past, and we hope you will be able to help us again to reach this very special goal.
- There are so many people like the Doe family, who just need some help to get back on their feet. Please decide today that you will help meet that need.
- We believe that everyone should have the privilege of a warm meal and a place to stay. We hope you do, too.
- Remember, every dollar you give goes directly to providing a safe, warm shelter for some needy person in our town.
- Unfortunately, not all kids are as lucky as Rick. But with your help, we can at least get them off the streets and give them a chance at a better life.
- We are committed to making this program a success. I hope that you are, too.
- We're counting on you, so please make a donation today, and help us save another life.
Sample Phrases for Step 6
- counting on the support of
- can't do it without the help of
- so many people like Daniel
- many other families who
- you'll be helping
- you can help to
- hope that you will feel compelled
- please make a donation today to help
- send your donation today
- help change the lives of
- able to provide the basic necessities
- provide a safe, warm
- provide a hot meal
- truly make a difference
- allow us to accomplish such great
- such a great need
- are in desperate need of
- combined contributions will
- truly appreciate the many
- grateful for the past donations of
- express our appreciation to
- very appreciative
- convey our heartfelt thanks
- want to thank all those who
- sincerely grateful for the aid
