Tips for Your Endowments Annual Appeal

​2024 is rapidly drawing to a close! You’re likely making plans to send a letter to your donors asking them to consider making a gift as part of your annual appeal strategy. Don’t miss this opportunity to weave in messages about your endowment fund at the Community Foundation and how important it is for donors to support both current and future needs of your organization.
 
Here are a few tips and suggestions for crafting an annual appeal letter to inspire both current and endowment gifts.  
 
Cast a Wide Net
 
Somewhere in your letter, be sure to illustrate the various ways donors can support your mission. For example, you could consider language like this:
 
Our community is better because of donors like you who’ve included our organization in your philanthropy plans and charitable giving practices. Perhaps you give every year. Perhaps you’ve established a designated fund at the Community Foundation to support our organization. Or maybe you’ve already made arrangements for a major gift to our endowment fund at the Community Foundation. You might have even updated your estate plan to leave a bequest or IRA beneficiary designation to our endowment fund. Whatever way you’ve chosen to support our mission, we’re grateful! 
 
Offer Specifics
 
Let donors know about a few of the very specific ways your organization has been making a difference. For example:
 
Thanks to our donors’ generosity in building our endowment fund over the years, our organization was able to add two case managers to our team this year. This, in turn, means that we can ensure that nearly 50 additional children can receive the care they need. Donor support has also enabled us to provide our case managers with iPads, vastly increasing the efficiency of reports and communication, which in turn means we have more time to spend one-on-one with the children we serve.  
 
Tell Them Exactly What To Do
 
A call to action is essential, of course, but make sure you offer options to make it as easy as possible for donors to make a gift. Offering options also shows that you are flexible and signals to donors that you’re open to a live conversation, which is the gold standard. Consider the following example:
 
We’d be honored to receive your gift in whatever way works best for you. You can donate online at [include URL] or mail a check to the address below. And, importantly, we’d be happy to receive your gift of appreciated securities, which can be highly tax-advantageous. Please reach out today to talk about a potential stock gift. We work with the Community Foundation to make it easy and seamless for you to make a gift to our organization’s current programs, endowment fund, or both. 
 
For more ideas about how to engage donors through your annual appeal letter, please reach out! The team at the Community Foundation is honored to be your partner as you grow your endowment fund and expand your organization’s ability to serve our community.
 
This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended as legal, accounting, or financial planning advice.