Originally posted by April W: GAPTADAD, I got a donation receipt from the bonus tools section on this website and mailed it out with our letter. There is a spot on there where they can mark to be anonymous and just be listed as "a friend of the PTO" not by their name. That way if they are worried about being bombarded with requests, it would take care of that. In our donation request letter, we told them of the different ways we would be listing the companies that have help make our event successful ie: webpage, newspaper, etc. We figured by using this form, not only did it have all of the donor info on one sheet, item value, it also makes for a great receipt that I can sign and return to them for tax purposes. If you want to see a copy of it let me know and I'll email you with my letter and the donation receipt.
Please email the info you suggested!!!! This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Thank you
Thanks! I appreciate the input. I thought about saying what I posted earlier. But, then I thought, what if they think, "Well, if he's not going to publicize this, there's no use in giving." So, maybe I'll just leave it up to the person who's giving.
GAPTADAD, I got a donation receipt from the bonus tools section on this website and mailed it out with our letter. There is a spot on there where they can mark to be anonymous and just be listed as "a friend of the PTO" not by their name. That way if they are worried about being bombarded with requests, it would take care of that. In our donation request letter, we told them of the different ways we would be listing the companies that have help make our event successful ie: webpage, newspaper, etc. We figured by using this form, not only did it have all of the donor info on one sheet, item value, it also makes for a great receipt that I can sign and return to them for tax purposes. If you want to see a copy of it let me know and I'll email you with my letter and the donation receipt.
Oakland Park Mom -- Thanks for the advice! I adapted the letter well and have even found a few fax numbers for corporations. But one thing since I'm also mailing celebrities is that "your donation is considered private and will not be shared on any message boards". Does that make me a bad person? I'm just thinking - on the one in a ten million shot we receive something from, say, Destiny's Child, I don't think they should be bombarded with thousands of other requests that mention "I know you have been generous in the past with other organizations". What does everyone else think?
Personaly, I wouldn't ask for specific items from a company, who knows..ABC Puzzles might have donated 100 puzzles or maybe cash if given the choice, but you are only asking for 10 so they only send 10.
Being it is a donation, I also like to leave it up to the company to decide what to send.
I am on the fence post about telling them how much you made last year without telling them how much you spent.
How specific do I state what the money will be used for (which is education programs, hospitality programs, etc.)?
See my letter attached.
Does anyone include budget or what they hope to raise?
We don't. We do cite how much we made last year so they know we have a target but don't say flat out what our goal is.
Does anyone come right out and ask for an item i.e. if you're writing ABC Puzzle Company, you ask for 10 puzzles?
We don't. Sounds kind of pushy.
Have you found that the general company address is better or looked on a website for a more specific name/address?
Both tactics are used and successful.
Dear Business Owner;
We are writing to you today in the hope of soliciting your support for the [pto name]Basket Auction. Your generous support will help us bring a wide variety of educational materials into the classrooms at [ School].
Our continuing mission is to raise funds for educational materials that provide our teachers the resources to support the curriculum in our classrooms. The money we raise goes to toward our many school programs including student assemblies, Young Authors and Red Ribbon week. Last year we were able to generate $18,000 though the generosity and support of businesses like yours.
Our annual [schoo] Basket Auction is scheduled for [date]at the [site]. We will be creating and auctioning off a variety of baskets that will include household products, toys, small appliances and gift certificates. Your business can make a monetary donation, a product or a service and it will be greatly appreciated. We always make sure to recognize our contributions in our program, on the baskets themselves and will announce your participation during the auction.
We hope you will consider contributing to this worthwhile cause. Your donation can be sent to the school in care of:
Chairpersons name and phone#
Thank you for helping us to provide our students with resources for a better education.
