Annual Fund Letter Writing

Description                                                                                                           

The Annual Fund is a department that raises money for the university by contacting alumi for donations. The Annual fund sends thank-you letters to all of their donors. The letter texts are written by students. They pay clubs to get these written.

These letters are short, and we ask each club member to write five of them. The annual fund is rather particular about these letters, as they are part of their relationship with the donors. It is very important that the following guidlines be followed when writing the letters.

Send your completed texts to president@byudebate.com

Letter Requirements                                                                                           

- 150 words or more. Try not to go far over. Your letter should be between 150 and 160 words.

- They must be about ACADEMIC experiances. Not club stuff, not sports - academics.

- Must contain a first-hand experiance. Tell about something that happened to you. Don't just talk about how great everything is in general. Be specific.

- Don't say anything that would date your letter.

- Don't say what their money did specifically. Say "Donations like yours..." or "Donors like you support..."

- Don't ask for continued support.

- Make sure all of your letters are unique. Don't reuse paragraphs.

Outline                                                                                           

Salutation - " Dear BYU Donor; "

Intro - Personally thank the donor.

Body - Discuss how attending BYU has impacted your personal life. Be sure to include at least one first hand, academic experiance. Be specific. Try to make this something that is unique to BYU.

Closing - Thank them again.

Signature - Put your name, major, and graduating year.

Materials                                                                                           

Official Guidelines Ignore what is says about the hand copying. We aren't having you guys do that part.

Official Examples

Past Letters (Use these for ideas only. Keep in mind that some of these were rejected)

Example                                                                                           


Dear BYU Donor,

Thank you for your donation to BYU. Attending school here has
been one of the greatest blessings in my life and donors like you help
make BYU great.

I remember my first day of health class here. Before learning
about exercise regimens and balanced diets, we learned of the
sacredness of the body. The correlation between spiritual and physical
health was taught in the context of ancient scriptures and modern
revelation. This set the tone for the rest of the semester where we were
taught of current medical knowledge on how to best take care of the gift
of our bodies. After taking this class, I know that I am better prepared to
live a happy and productive life. I have greatly improved my healthy
living habits because I now have a deeper appreciation for my body and
I have been taught how to best take care of it.

This experience could only have happened at BYU. I love
learning here. Thank you again for helping enrich the educational
experiences of students like me.

Sincerely,
Andrea Kinghorn
Social Work, 2010