A Step-by-Step Guide to Write Strong Donation Appeals for Your NGO

Let’s ask ourselves, why is it crucial to craft a good donor appeal? We want to make a stranger relate to us, we want them to care, we want to make an emotional impact on them and ultimately encourage them to click that donate button. 

But, in the age of information where individuals receive constant and incessant notifications and emails with lustful offers on food, travel and fashion, it is quite hard to grab the attention of the user towards your cause. Especially since you are making an ‘ask’ and not offering a ‘giveaway.’ 

Donation appeals have to be thought of well, evoking a connection and empathy for the audience to convert into a donor. A great donor appeal is the best way to get a person to believe that their money is worth your cause. 

Nonprofits use fundraising appeals to motivate donors to give. Appeals are often used to raise funds for specific programs or projects the nonprofit is trying to get off the ground. Appeals are a way of marketing specific initiatives and allowing a nonprofit's audience to get involved.

Here is a step-by-step guide for creating strong donation appeals for NGOs. 

Step 1: Set the context 

Let’s say your NGO works with underprivileged children. Before you talk about your organization, remind your readers of the issue of poverty in India and add real statistics from a World Bank report to help drive the magnitude of the problem.

Use glaring statistics that can grab the reader’s attention. 

Step 2: Understanding your purpose 

Give a specific context. If your NGO speaks about poverty in India, talk about your beneficiaries. If your NGO is targeted toward malnourished underprivileged children in a particular area, talk about the problems they face and the solution you have come up with to help them. 

Look at your organization like an unaware stranger and talk about it that way rather than talking to someone who knows about you and your work already. Once you make the reader sufficiently aware of the issue, appeal to their conscience without making them feel guilty. 

Step 3: Show proof 

This is one of the most important parts of your appeal. Why should a reader donate his hard-earned money to your organization if he isn’t sure of its authenticity? Relevant documents, pictures, videos, and a few paragraphs about what your NGO has achieved in the past can work perfectly to show that the work you are doing is genuine and important. 

Putting effort into clicking some good pictures and making a simple video will show your dedication and loyalty to your cause. It’s also a great way to personalize your story and sets your fundraiser apart. 

Pro tip: Tell human interest stories. Adding a face and a story behind it will give your fundraiser another angle.

Step 4: Talk about the past

What were your previous fundraisers? Were they a big hit? Feel free to brag! 

Your donors want to be convinced you know how to use their money well. Tell them about your previous fundraising experience and how you used the funds, and most importantly, what change did your fundraiser bring about and whose life did it make easier?

Step 5: Usage of funds

Explain the goal of your fundraiser and provide meaningful information. This includes details like exactly how and where you are planning to distribute the funds you collect. Provide an elaborate report and be transparent about it – try not to be vague about where you’re spending your reader’s money. 

This will show your reader that you value his generous donation.