2009 Letter Writing Campaign Checklist
Please use this checklist as a guide for your letter writing campaign.
Sample letter
We have put together a sample letter for you to use as a reference when writing your own letters. We recommend that you use the letter we provide you just as a guide. It is always best to write a personal and heartfelt letter. These are your family and friends, use your own story; it is the most effective tool that you have when fundraising. Personal and emotional requests that explain why they should support FPWR are very well received. Be genuine and write from the heart - we promise you this will motivate people more than a standard form letter. Your letter should reflect your desire to raise funds and show how their contribution will make a difference. If you are not going to include a flyer, it will be important to include in your letter or email who your friends and family should make a check out to and where to mail it. Checks should be made out to "FPWR". Online donations can be made "In Honor of Letter Writing Campaign." Download the sample flyer and editable letter here.
Sample flyer
We've made this flyer to include when you send your letter to your friends and family. This will be an easy reminder for them to stick on the fridge so they can remember to donate! Include it with the letter you mail or attach it if you are going to email letters. This is meant to be used as a template - use your favorite pictures of your child and family to make it more personal. It should also contain important information as where to mail the checks or make an online donation. Make sure to include the FPWR non-profit status on the flyer! It needs to be included for tax purposes. It is: FPWR is a registered, 501(c) (3) non-profit organization. Download the sample flyer and editable letter here.
Self -addressed stamped envelopes
Make sure to enclose self-addressed stamped envelopes with your letter. This takes the hardest part of mailing donations out of your friends and families hands- postage! Put your own address on the envelopes, so you will be able to track who has donated and will be able to send them a personal thank you. It is also possible to donate online at www.fpwr.org. It is IMPORTANT to clarify the donation should go to the FPWR by writing "FPWR" on the check memo or in the "In Honor Of" section for online donations. Checks should be made to FPWR.
A more environmentally friendly option is to email your personalized letter and flyer! Just follow the same procedure with the sample letter and flyer but encourage people to make online donations instead!
Spreadsheet of friends, family, co workers, etc
This is a great way to keep track of who you want to send a letter to! Excel spreadsheets are easy to use and update - it's also a great way to keep track of donations for thank you notes! You make a list of how many letters were sent, who donated etc. Organization is key with letter writing campaigns and making a spreadsheet is a fast way to get and stay organized. To keep it even simpler, just keep a list of names, contact information and donation amounts in a notebook.
Thank you letters
It is really important to send personal thank you notes to your friends and family who donated! A personalized note thanking your donors takes a few minutes but shows your friends and family that you truly appreciate their contribution. Each donor will also receive a formal thank you from the FPWR with all the information necessary for tax purposes.
Sending checks to FPWR
Once you receive donations and update your spreadsheet, send checks to:
Foundation for Prader-Willi Research, Inc.
5455 Wilshire Blvd, Suite 2020
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Checks can be sent as frequently as you want - if you'd like to save postage and mail them once a week or when you get to a certain number, feel free! We recomend using UPS or FedEx so you can track the precious packages.
Thank you so much for your continued support and dedication to the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research!
