Starting an appeal letter is like starting a conversation with a stranger.

You're breaking the silence. You have just a second or two to capture the person's interest. What are you going to say first?

Here are some actual, professional-quality letter openings that might help you find an idea. Note two things: (1) appeal letters usually start with a brief sentence, to ease readers in painlessly (a letter that begins with a dense paragraph is dead on arrival); (2) the word you appears often. If you are new to writing appeals, bear in mind: a fundraising letter is like a conversation between I (the signer of the letter) and you (the object of my desire).

P.S.: Always indent your paragraphs. Indents help people read more quickly. Indents also signal that this is a personal letter, not a business letter.

P.P.S.: Always include a P.S., with a final plea for action. The postscript, research finds, is one of the few elements in an appeal letter that you can almost guarantee most folks will read.

------

Dear Jennifer Sample,

oooooWelcome ... I hope.

------

Dear Jane Sample,

oooooThe doctors call it "Day Zero."

oooooIt’s the day you come back from the dead.

------

Dear Ms. Sample,

oooooLet me ask you a personal question: Do you believe in miracles?

------

Dear Mr. Sample,

oooooHealing...a strong family...stable communities...and a place in this world for every child.

oooooWhat are these worth to you personally?

oooooI imagine you would say, "A lot."

------

Dear Mr. Sample,

ooooo"If I sell enough lemonade I can pay for the broken window that made Dad leave Mom."

ooooo"My mom has Ades. She is very sick in bed. She dies. I am sad. I dies and I see her in heven. Then I am happy."

ooooo"This is my baby sister after she fell down the stairs. My Mom says she falls down the stairs a lot."

oooooYou think: there’s no hope.

oooooBut there is hope. And there is healing...every day...for even the most difficult childhood emotional problems. When you give a gift to Bradley Hospital.

------

Dear Ms. Sample,

oooooHere’s my promise to you. You can change the world for the better...right now...with your gift to The Fund for Community Progress.

------

Dear Mr. Sample,

oooooSoon it will be tax time again. Perhaps not the happiest thought, but there could be a silver lining ... if you make a gift to Bryant now.

------

Dear Ms. Sample,

oooooA few days from now a Bryant representative will call you, asking you to renew and, if possible, increase your gift to the College.

oooooI’m writing you in advance -- parent to parent -- to explain why I think it’s important that you say "Yes" when that phone call comes.

------

Dear John Sample,

oooooLisa and I are writing today to bare our souls: Island Arts needs your help.

------

Dear Jessica Sample,

oooooI'm writing you today to ask that you consider making a gift.

oooooAnd you're probably wondering, "Why?"

oooooHere's my answer . . .

oooooBecause your gift to [NGO] has the power to solve some of America's thorniest community development problems. Your gift says "Yes!" when so many others would say, "No, it's impossible."