Following is a sample donation request letter for veterans. Feel free to copy it and modify it for your fundraising needs. For any other use, please contact us. (More fundraising letters and templates…)
There are more than 21 million veterans and active service men and women in the United States. And up to half of them have either visible or invisible wounds of war, from actual bullet wounds to depression.
That’s quite a price to pay, for themselves and for their families. Whether you are a non-profit organization supporting veterans or an individual fundraising on one’s behalf, thank you. And we hope that this sample appeal letter supports your important work toward that end.
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Sample Fundraising Letter – Community Fund for People in Need
More statistics and information on veterans can be found in the RAND Corporation’s open research database.
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Dear Friend,
Our County has more than 30,000 veterans or active service people that were in Iraq or Afghanistan. That means that at least one out of every 10 houses in our neighborhood is a veteran household. RAND estimates that at least half of veterans that need help for depression or anxiety do not seek treatment. That is why drug and alcohol abuse is a problem in the veteran population, and suicides are more frequent than in the general population.
And it is also why I personally volunteer and support the nonprofit [Veterans nonprofit]. [Veterans nonprofit] is a simple concept. We honor our warriors with fun weekend getaway vacations – camping, skydiving, polar ice swimming for examples – giving them a chance to decompress with peers, and just acknowledging their sacrifice.
More than 200 community members participate in our informal ‘therapy’ annually. The concept is simple, but the results are transformational. No [Veterans nonprofit] participant has ever committed suicide. And all of their families report at a minimum a lift in spirits, that helps them transition to civilian life and become active members of our community again.
[Veterans nonprofit] offers all these trips for free to veterans and active service people that otherwise could not afford them. That is why we have to raise money for each participant. We have a current waitlist of 50 people – of which at least one you likely know personally. What is more, [Veterans nonprofit] works with so many travel partners and sporting agencies across the country that we can offer a trip for 4 people and a volunteer guide (usually a veteran trained in informal therapy) for only $1,000.
So each gift of:
- $100 pays for all travel costs that [Veterans nonprofit] incurs for one veteran;
- $250 entirely support one veteran; and
- $1,000 supports an entire trip, valued at more than twice as much.
We can’t think of a better way to honor and support those that have served our country, and to give back to our neighboring families in need. That is why we are reaching out to you this holiday season to consider making the most generous gift you can to support our campaign goal to pay for all 50 veterans on the wait list to go on a winter wonderland trip in January.
For only $13,000, everyone will be offered a special trip. The Northridge Ski Resort and Spa is giving us a half price special on weekend retreats to make this offer possible. But we need to have all of the funding secured by December 31 to hold the reservations. If you can sponsor a veteran or an entire trip, thank you. Or any gift you can give at this time will be a great help toward meeting our goal.
With a new ‘donate now’ button on our [Veterans nonprofit] Facebook Page, giving has never been easier. The local office can also take checks (or you can send them directly to us).
I would be happy to chat more with you in person or on the phone about this important work at your convenience, if you have any questions about [Veterans nonprofit] and our work.
Thank you for considering a commitment to this cause to honor our local families who have given so much!
Warmest Regards,
Board Member, [Veterans nonprofit]
P.S. My family will send a personal thank you gift to sweeten up your Christmas from our family farm store to the first 10 donors that give $100 or more!