Contemporary Letter



(insert date)

SAMPLE LETTER 1

Dear :

I hope that this letter finds you doing well! I am writing this letter to ask for your support. I will be participating in the March for Independence, a five-kilometer walk to raise money for the National Federation of the Blind’s Imagination Fund. The Imagination Fund was established to help support the programs of the NFB Jernigan Institute and the NFB state affiliates and chapters.

One of the NFB’s goals is to ensure that blind individuals get the tools and training needed for them to lead fully independent lives—to empower and help the blind realize that blindness need not stand in the way of achieving their dreams. The NFB strives toward this goal through its national programs and through the grassroots efforts of its 52 affiliates and more than 700 local chapters.

In 2004 the NFB held the grand opening of the Jernigan Institute, a research and training center on blindness, run by the blind. The Institute currently focuses on six initiatives: Education, Employment and Rehabilitation, Jacobus tenBroek Library, Parent Outreach, Seniors, and Technology.

In order to keep these programs running, the NFB needs to raise the funds to support their efforts. Therefore, I am writing to ask you to sponsor me and support this wonderful organization. I have enclosed some brochures to provide you with more information about the NFB and the Imagination Fund, as well as a March for Independence business card. Please take the time to fill out the card and return it to the attention of Kristi Bowman at the above address with your check made payable to the NFB (please write “March” in the memo area). You can also sponsor me online at . All donations are tax deductible.

Thank you so much for your support. It is people like you that make it possible for the NFB to continue its mission of helping blind individuals lead fully independent lives.

Sincerely,

Enclosures

(insert date)

SAMPLE LETTER 2

Dear (Insert Name):

The National Federation of the Blind is holding a “March for Independence” at our national convention in Atlanta, Georgia on July 3, 2007. That’s right; the march will take place in the heart of Atlanta!

As the enclosed material describes, in order for me to march in the March for Independence, I need to raise at least $250, though my personal goal is greater. Your business sponsorship will help me reach my goal. What I would ask of you is to make a $250 tax-deductible gift in a check payable to the National Federation of the Blind and send it to me at the above address where I will forward it along with a letter to the NFB national office (copy to you) demonstrating your business sponsorship of me in the March for Independence. How the donated funds will be used is listed in the enclosed material.

Each year, grants from the NFB are awarded to state chapters for programs and projects that help the blind to lead fully independent lives. In addition monies that are raised for the Imagination Fund also support programs such as the Possibilities Fair for Seniors as well as Youth Slam 2007, where 250 blind science students will work with a team from Johns Hopkins University, next summer.

I would also like to make another request; If you have a ball cap or something else with your company name and logo on it I can wear it during the march to show your sponsorship. I will have a picture taken during the March for Independence to send to you after the event. If you would like to partner with the NFB in a very significant way and be a corporate sponsor of the march itself, let me know and I will have our national office contact you.

My relationship with (insert company name) has always been an excellent one. In this respect, your sponsoring me in the March for Independence demonstrates to our convention as well as to the public in Atlanta just who it is that continuously supports the community.

I look forward to your sponsorship so that I can represent (insert company name) in our March for Independence.

Sincerely your;

(sign here)

Enclosures

(insert date)

SAMPLE LETTER 3

Dear (insert name),

This is (insert your name) and I am writing you this letter for assistance for what I believe is a very worthy cause! I am a "cut-to-the-chase" kind of person, so I’ll be brief and to the point.

I have been a member of the National Federation of the Blind since (insert date) and I believe that it is the most effective organization of and for the blind in the world. Over 70% of my blind brothers and sisters are unemployed or underemployed, and because I have been blessed by God to have a wonderful family and career, I feel that it is my duty to help as many blind people as possible receive even a measure of the blessing that have been bestowed upon me and my family. To this end, I give my time, effort and money to help expand and promote the programs and services of the NFB:

I'm writing you to ask you to help me raise a minimum of (insert $ goal) by December 1 to help fund the programs of the newly created Jernigan Institute. Dr. Kenneth Jernigan was one of the most inspirational men I have ever met in my life. His contributions to the blind community were and are too numerous to mention in a letter like this. Let it suffice to say that the fact that this new research institute bears his name is but a small attempt to thank him for his leadership and commitment to the blind of the world.

I have enclosed a brochure for you to look at for addition: information and consideration. Additionally I have enclosed a self-addressed, stamped envelope for your convenience. Frankly, I need you to make the most generous contribution you can to this effort, and please know that I am contributing as well and that I would never ask you to do this if I didn't fully believe in the cause.

If you have any questions for me about my request, please contact me at (insert phone number) or (insert e-mail address). Please don’t send your money to me, but put it in the appropriate enclosed envelope. If I raise (insert $ goal) I will be able to participate in the March for Independence to be held at our National Convention next July in Atlanta, Georgia. Will you help me?

Sincerely grateful,

(sign your name here)

(insert date)

SAMPLE LETTER 4

Dear (Insert name):

This summer I will wake earlier than ever to walk with my blind and sighted friends while the sun wakes up the city of Atlanta. On July 3, to mark the opening of the national convention of the National Federation of the Blind, we will walk together, some with canes, some with guide dogs, and some blindfolded in the National Federation of the Blind March for Independence. This 5K walk will be meaningful for so many people beyond myself and it’s more than “just a walk” – the NFB March for Independence will raise money that will support the National Federation of the Blind Imagination Fund. One hundred percent of the monies raised through the Imagination Fund go directly to help the outreach efforts of NFB affiliates and chapters throughout the United States, and the programs and initiatives of the NFB Jernigan Institute.

The goal of the walk is not to just raise money. It is also to raise awareness and to educate the public about blindness. You know that (I, my daughter, my son, my mother/father) (am/is/are) blind. But you are probably not aware of the struggles that blind people face in their everyday lives. These struggles are not about how to get around or how to do things in life, they are about overcoming the misconception that blind people can’t get around or do the simple things in life. The Imagination Fund supports Braille literacy programs for blind children, science camps for blind youth and resource and informational services for senior citizens who are losing their vision.

When I registered to walk, I pledged to raise $250 to participate in this walk, but I’ve set a personal goal of raising (enter amount here). I’ve never been very good at asking for money, but the NFB has really changed my life. Before I knew the NFB, (enter what life was like before the NFB) and as a result of knowing the NFB (enter facts here.) So I’m asking you for you help by making a fully tax-deductible donation to help me achieve my goal. I’ll be doing all the walking...all you need to do is send in the attached March for Independence card with your check of support (the mailing address is on the card).

You have probably received letters like this before, and you certainly understand the “walk-a-thon” concept. I am asking you to reply to this one with your support, it means a lot to me and it will mean a lot to thousand of blind children, youth, and seniors. Consider sponsoring $5, $10, $20, or more for each of the 5 kilometers I’ll walk.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and to understand the passion I have for the work of the NFB. I’ll hope you’ll participate with me in this walk with your financial support. Please call me or e-mail me if you have any questions.

All my best,

(sign here)

-----------------------

Marc Maurer, President

National Federation of the Blind

1800 Johnson Street Baltimore, MD 21230

Phone 410 659 9314 Fax 410 659 5219



Marc Maurer, President

National Federation of the Blind

1800 Johnson Street Baltimore, MD 21230

Phone 410 659 9314 Fax 410 659 5219



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