Updated in December 2025.
The end of the year is an opportunity for a big final push for charitable giving.
Generosity tends to flow around the holiday season, and as we approach the last day of December, it’s a chance for both individuals and businesses to prioritize tax deduction opportunities as they support nonprofits like Help Hope Live.
You can keep your Help Hope Live campaign top-of-mind for your support community as they wrap up the year.
In this guide, you’ll find our top tips for writing an end-of-year fundraising ask, including a sample end-of-year fundraising letter.
Tip 1: Know where and how to share.
Before composing your end-of-year fundraising ask, know where and how to share it. Here are a few good options.
Send a traditional/paper letter:
It can be a treat to receive a physical letter in an age of digital communication. Sending a paper letter can be a powerful way to make an impression on your community of support.
If you’re planning to send a traditional letter, plan to write no more than one page of content using our tips.
If you know you may not be able to mail letters out in time to arrive before December 31, modify the content so it’s not holiday-themed and doesn’t emphasize end-of-year tax deductions.
Send an email:
An email or e-blast is a great way to share your end-of-year letter or donation ask. If you’re sending in email format, mirror the length of a paper letter.
Aim for no more than 6 paragraphs of content, and split up your content to make it easy to read from an email inbox (including on a mobile device).
Share as a social media post:
While social media posts vary in length, mirror the email approach above. Plan to write no more than 6 paragraphs of content and keep the content easy to read from a mobile device.
Consider posting your full letter as an Update on your Campaign Page first. That way, you can share just a few sentences or paragraphs in your social media post and link to your Campaign Page for readers to get the full letter.
This approach has an added benefit of driving traffic to your Campaign Page.
Send a text:
If you’re planning to text some of your supporters, friends, and family members, post your letter as an Update on your Campaign Page first. Share just a few sentences previewing the full update, and ask recipients to go to your Campaign Page to see the whole letter.
Sharing on multiple platforms:
You don’t have to pick just one of these options! Mix and match to ensure that all the key members of your community will have a chance to read your updates.
It’s okay if some recipients see your letter twice on different platforms. They may have the opportunity to read and save a paper letter while sharing a social media post with some of the same content in it to help increase your reach.
Tip 2: Keep it short and easy to read in one sitting.
Think about the holiday cards you’ve seen or received over the years. Like a year-end letter, holiday cards usually include updates and milestones plus a thank you for the support the recipient has shown to a cause or family. Holiday cards are also typically short enough to read in one sitting.
Read your letter out loud or ask a friend to read it over when you’re finished to make sure it’s easy to understand. When in doubt, aim for a middle school reading level.
As you write your year-end letter, don’t be afraid to revise it to make it shorter and easier to read. If you are concerned about leaving out key details as you revise, save a longer copy to post as an Update on your Campaign Page.
Tip 3: Write to a friend, not a stranger.
You may be sending the same letter, post, or email to a lot of people, but you should still write your letter as if you are sending it to one close friend.
You don’t need to write for “the general public.” Focus on how you’d share updates and gratitude with someone who already knows you well and cares about you.
Tip 4: Show how donations have helped already.
It always feels so good when you see the positive result of a generous act. Your donors and supporters want to feel that way, so take the time to recognize the big or small things they’ve made possible.
These milestones can be medical or even emotional. Use your letter to share a few specific examples of how donations (and other kinds of support) have changed your life or otherwise impacted you over the past year.
Tip 5: Include clear instructions on how to donate.
One key element of your year-end letter is a simple, crystal-clear explanation of how to donate in your honor.
If you’re sharing a printed/traditional letter: direct recipients to visit helphopelive.org and use the Find a Campaign box to search for your name. You can also ask your Coordinator for a QR code to add to the letter so recipients can scan to visit the page.
If you’re sharing a digital communication such as an email, text, or social media post: include the full Campaign Page link/URL in your posts.
Tip 6: Say thank you!
It is always the right time to say thank you. Whether you just got started with fundraising or recently reached your goal, reflect on what you’re grateful for and include it in your letter.
Extra Credit: Add a personalized element.
It means a lot to receive something that has been personalized just for you. If you can, add a personalized element to your message.
Including a P.S. addressed to each donor is a great way to do this (we have an example in our letter below). It may take more time, but personalization significantly increases the chances of a donor taking the next step to reply or donate.
Get Personalized Feedback
Lean on
Sample End-of-Year Donation Letter
Hi, Janet,
We wanted to take a minute to update you on how things have been going with Edward, how much you’ve helped us, and where we could still use your support.
Wow. This year has been a whirlwind of emotions for us as Ed has continued to figure out how to move from surviving to thriving with his new kidney.
We’ve had a few rough patches. We won’t soon forget the Thanksgiving Day hospitalization when his blood pressure dropped—an accidental holiday memory for all of us.
We’ve had some really bright spots, too, like when Ed dropped off Julie and Tavi at school on Ed’s birthday and the student orchestra played his favorite song right on the front steps. Now THAT was a birthday surprise for the books.
Through it all, the whole town of Charmont has been covering us in constant love and support.
We want to really, really thank you for the love and donations over this past year.
Thanks to you, we were able to cover the unexpected $982 ambulance ride on Thanksgiving and still spend the afternoon together with Ed and the kids. You helped us cover over $1,900 in medication costs that are giving Ed his life back by protecting his new kidney.
And this summer Ed got to return to the pool thanks to his physical therapy sessions with Dr. Luco. We could never have covered those sessions—and so much more—without your help.
The gift of life is something Ed will treasure for the rest of his years, but it is also something we need to financially support day after day to keep him with us.
If it’s a good time for you to donate to Help Hope Live in Ed’s honor, you can do so at helphopelive.org by searching for Edward Testaf in the Find a Campaign box.
This gift of new life would not have been possible without you. Thank you from all four of us (and Fluffy).
P.S. Janet, we LOVED the photos of Aliq in the holiday pageant. Well done, Aliq!
More Guides & Resources
Your Fundraising Roadmap: Find our top resources for fundraising basics, including telling your story and choosing photos, in our Fundraising Roadmap series.
Fundraising tips, social media guides, and more: Plan your next year of fundraising outreach with our fundraising guides. We are here to help, so contact your Client Services Coordinator to call on our personalized fundraising help to guide the way.
