Template · Fundraising
Year-end appeal letter
A one-page year-end fundraising letter with a reply slip, notes on personalizing it for each group of donors, and the IRS wording only where it applies.
Three editable formats: Word (.docx), Rich Text (.rtf) and plain text (.txt). Reviewed October 21, 2026.
How to use this template
- Download it as a Word file (.docx), which opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice, or as Rich Text (.rtf) or plain text (.txt). All three are editable.
- Fill in every blank. Blanks are in square brackets, like [ORGANIZATION NAME], and are highlighted in the preview below. Delete any bracketed notes you don't need.
- Make it yours. Check it against your bylaws and your state's rules, and change anything that doesn't fit. Have your board approve it where it says so.
- Printing? Print this page: the printout leaves out the site's menus and shows the template with lines for the blanks.
A year-end appeal letter asks your supporters for a gift in the last weeks of the year. A good one is short, personal and about one thing: a real need, a real story and a clear ask. This template gives you a one-page letter, a version for people who have already given, and a reply slip. Our guide to planning a year-end giving campaign covers the timeline, the groups to split your list into and the December 31 rules.
Which IRS wording goes where
An appeal letter is not a receipt, so most appeals need no IRS wording at all. The tax language belongs in the thank-you letter you send after the gift arrives.
- A plain ask, nothing given back: no IRS wording in the appeal. After the gift, send a thank-you. For any single gift of $250 or more, the donor needs a written acknowledgment from you. Use our donor thank-you letter template.
- The appeal offers something back for a gift of more than $75, such as event tickets or a dinner: this is a quid pro quo contribution, meaning the donor gets goods or services in return. The IRS requires a written statement that only the amount above the value of what they receive is deductible, with a good-faith estimate of that value. It can go in the appeal or in the receipt. If you put it in the appeal, you don't need to repeat it at receipt. Use the optional paragraph below.
- Small thank-you items like a sticker or magnet may be exempt from the disclosure if they have "insubstantial value" as IRS rules define it. Our guide to donor acknowledgments explains how to check them.
Don't call a gift "tax-deductible" as a promise. Whether a donor can deduct it depends on their own taxes. You can say your charity is a 501(c)(3) organization and that gifts are deductible "to the extent allowed by law".
How to personalize it
- Greeting: use first names, spelled correctly. "Dear Friend" is a last resort.
- The first line: for a past donor, name what their last gift did. For someone who hasn't given, start with the story.
- The ask amount: suggest an amount based on the donor's last gift, such as the same or a little more. For people who haven't given, offer two or three amounts that each buy something real in your program.
- Signature: sign each letter by hand if you can, and add a short handwritten line for people you know.
- Monthly donors: don't send the standard ask. Thank them, tell them what their gifts did this year, and, if you like, invite an extra year-end gift.
- The P.S.: many people read it first. Use it to repeat the ask and the deadline.
Before you send
- Check that every figure and claim in the story is true and that you have permission to share it.
- If you mention a deadline, make it the real one. Gifts by check count when they are mailed, gifts by credit card when they are charged.
- If you mail or email people in other states, check whether those states expect you to register first.
- Prepare your thank-you letters now, so you can send them within days.
Preview
Appeal letter: past donors
[ORGANIZATION NAME]
[ORGANIZATION ADDRESS]
[DATE]
[DONOR NAME]
[DONOR ADDRESS]
Dear [DONOR FIRST NAME],
Last year, your gift of $[LAST GIFT AMOUNT] helped [ONE CONCRETE RESULT, FOR EXAMPLE: KEEP OUR FOOD PANTRY OPEN ON SATURDAYS FOR 40 FAMILIES]. Thank you.
[THE STORY: TWO OR THREE SHORT SENTENCES ABOUT ONE PERSON OR MOMENT THIS YEAR, SHARED WITH PERMISSION. FOR EXAMPLE: WHAT CHANGED FOR THEM, AND WHAT YOUR PROGRAM DID.]
[THE NEED: ONE OR TWO SENTENCES ON WHAT COMES NEXT AND WHAT IT COSTS. FOR EXAMPLE: THIS WINTER WE WANT TO ADD A SECOND DAY, WHICH MEANS RAISING $[GOAL] BY DECEMBER 31.]
Will you give $[SUGGESTED AMOUNT] again this year, or more if you can? [ONE SENTENCE ON WHAT THAT AMOUNT DOES.]
You can give online at [WEB ADDRESS], or return the slip below in the enclosed envelope.
With gratitude,
[NAME]
[ROLE]
P.S. [REPEAT THE ASK IN ONE SENTENCE, FOR EXAMPLE: A GIFT OF $[SUGGESTED AMOUNT] BEFORE DECEMBER 31 WILL HELP US START IN JANUARY.]
Appeal letter: people who haven't given yet
[ORGANIZATION NAME]
[ORGANIZATION ADDRESS]
[DATE]
[NAME]
[ADDRESS]
Dear [FIRST NAME],
[THE STORY: TWO OR THREE SHORT SENTENCES ABOUT ONE PERSON OR MOMENT THIS YEAR, SHARED WITH PERMISSION.]
[WHO YOU ARE: ONE SENTENCE. FOR EXAMPLE: [ORGANIZATION NAME] IS A VOLUNTEER-RUN CHARITY THAT [WHAT YOU DO] IN [PLACE].]
[HOW YOU KNOW THEM: ONE SENTENCE. FOR EXAMPLE: THANK YOU FOR VOLUNTEERING AT OUR SPRING CLEANUP / FOR COMING TO OUR OPEN HOUSE.]
[THE NEED: ONE OR TWO SENTENCES ON WHAT COMES NEXT AND WHAT IT COSTS.]
Would you make a first gift before the end of the year? $[AMOUNT 1] [WHAT IT DOES]. $[AMOUNT 2] [WHAT IT DOES]. Any amount helps.
You can give online at [WEB ADDRESS], or return the slip below in the enclosed envelope.
With thanks,
[NAME]
[ROLE]
P.S. [REPEAT THE ASK IN ONE SENTENCE.]
Optional paragraph: when the appeal offers something in return
Use this only if the donor receives goods or services, such as event tickets, for a gift of more than $75. Put it near the reply slip.
[ORGANIZATION NAME] is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. For a gift of $[GIFT AMOUNT], you will receive [DESCRIBE GOODS OR SERVICES, FOR EXAMPLE TWO TICKETS TO OUR SPRING DINNER], with a good-faith estimated fair market value of $[VALUE]. The amount of your gift that is deductible for federal income tax purposes is limited to the amount you give minus the value of what you receive.
Reply slip
Yes, I want to help [ORGANIZATION NAME] [THE NEED IN A FEW WORDS].
My gift: $[AMOUNT 1] / $[AMOUNT 2] / $[AMOUNT 3] / Other: $______
Name: ____________________________
Address: ____________________________
Email: ____________________________
[ ] Please don't list my name in your annual report.
[ ] I'd like to give monthly. Please contact me.
Please make checks payable to [ORGANIZATION NAME] and mail to [ORGANIZATION ADDRESS]. To give online, visit [WEB ADDRESS].
[ORGANIZATION NAME] is a 501(c)(3) charity. Gifts are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. [ADD ANY STATE DISCLOSURE STATEMENT YOUR STATE REGISTRATION REQUIRES ON SOLICITATIONS.]
Template from Golden Hint: goldenhint.org/resources/templates/year-end-appeal-letter. Reviewed October 21, 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.
Keep going
- GuideBequests and planned gifts: legacy giving for small charitiesHow gifts in wills and beneficiary designations work, what to tell donors who want to leave you something, other planned gifts, and thanking legacy donors.
- GuideBuilding a donor baseHow to find your first 50 donors, ask with confidence, keep people giving year after year, and grow toward monthly giving with a simple donor list.
- GuideBuilding a grant budgetHow to build a grant budget and budget narrative that a funder trusts: direct and indirect costs, in-kind gifts, and matching requirements.
- Founder pathwayLaunching your charitySimple branding, a basic website, a first fundraising plan, thanking donors well, and your first local grant applications.
Sources
Checked on October 21, 2026. Rules and fees change, so follow the links for the current version.
Was this page useful?
Need help with something specific? Ask a person.