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WannaBrie
09-11-2007, 03:29 PM
Ok, here is the letter I drafted for us to send out. I borrowed heavily from our press release. We are dependent on having the web site up and running before we mail this out. We could either send these out enmasse to a bunch of printers and paper companies or we can each create a copy and send them out to people we have relationships with, in which case the letter will have to be more personalized. (i.e., I am a member of this group instead of we are...) Anyway, I am sure there are some corrections t hat need to be made, etc...so here it is

Dear_______________________,

We are forty six graphic designers, artists, and printers from around the world who united to create a calendar to assist in raising funds needed by the family of Andriana Senarighi. Also known as Ana to her friends and family, the eleven year-old is currently undergoing tests and treatments for an inoperable brain tumor. The medical diagnosis officially known as Brainstem Gliomas, translates into layman’s terms as having a tumor that affects the nerves in the cranial area. It impairs vision, swallowing, and facial movements. Because the tumor is inoperable, Ana’s only viable treatment comes in the form of chemotherapy.

Upon hearing about Ana’s plight and surmounting bills, we came together on a web forum called graphicdesignforum.com where Ana’s father Pete is a member and one of the moderators for the parent company Jupitermedia.com. Pete is a self-employed freelance designer who lives and works in Minnesota. The calendar displays weekly designs ranging from whimsical to romantic and everything in between.

The forum members banded together to donate their skills and time to create a calendar to sell to the public as a fundraising endeavor. The project is a collaboration of ideas and processes that take part in various parts of the world. A project manager coordinates all aspects of the project from New Zealand; design specs for the calendar sparked from Wisconsin, the web designer works from Rochester, MN, and designers from all over the world submitted their artwork to make the calendar.

Now we need to make this calendar a reality. We need donations of paper, ink, printing and/or anything that will help us make this project come alive for Ana. As designers, we use a great deal of these products in our daily work and are looking to some of our suppliers to help us help someone else in need. In appreciation for your support, your business will be credited both on our web site and printed on the calendar.

For more information about the calendar and the project, please visit cause4design.com or oneana.com.

Sincerely,

xxx

ok, let me know what you all think.

budafist
09-12-2007, 04:25 AM
I'm a little worried that it sounds like one of those money scam email pleas to give out your bank details to some poor foreign person that has no bank account.

Maybe make it a little more to the point?

WannaBrie
09-12-2007, 01:03 PM
ok, but I'm not sure what to take out to make it more to the point without a good explanation of who we are and what we are trying to accomplish....

urstwile
09-13-2007, 03:52 AM
A lot of this is going to rest on getting a website up, I think. Brie, I don't really think it comes across that way, but at this point, we don't have any reliable location for people to go to check out that we're serious. Until the website goes up, it's going to be hard to back the letter up, I'm afraid. Thanks for the effort though, I'm sure once the website is up it'll be a good tool to use when approaching printers. :)

Ned
09-13-2007, 09:06 AM
I like it. I think you did a great job, Brie. I agree that we need to wait for the website before moving forward with it, of course, but I think this will work well. I do see Buda's point, but maybe we can come up with some modifications to aleviate that issue, by the time we're ready to move ahead with this stage.

WannaBrie
09-13-2007, 01:17 PM
Sounds good you guys. We can revisit when we are ready with the website. I have been toying with some ideas regarding how we could make this more interesting to the reader without sounding like some type of come-on. Perhaps we could even have an open letter to anyone wishing to donate on the website...just a thought.

tuliptree
09-30-2007, 12:55 AM
Brie, I like the letter a lot! I think the tone is spot on, and the information is all pertinent. One thing I would suggest from a fundraising letter stand point, is to lead in with information about Ana, quickly let the reader know exactly what's being asked of them, and then follow it with her father's ties to GDF and then who GDF is and the role of the designers. You could even invert sentences to achieve this, but I think it sounds great.

Other tips I've learned from writing for non profits, be sure to get actual names of the people you are sending to, and not just "Dear Sir or Madam," and also give them a contact name and phone number or email so they can call somebody if they choose to take part and donate.

Kool
10-01-2007, 12:49 PM
I think with Drazan's company providing us with print on demand calendars we don't really need to worry about this anymore Brie. It was a great letter though. :)