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Nonprofit guides

Donation Solicitation: The Complete Guide for UK Charities (2026)

July 8, 2026
TL;DR — The Short Answer

Asking for donations the right way builds lasting relationships with your donors and protects your charity's reputation.

  • Match the channel to the donor: email for mid-level donors, in-person for major gifts, SMS for urgent time-sensitive campaigns with opted-in supporters.
  • Every ask should name a £ amount and a specific outcome. Vague asks underperform.
  • With Gift Aid, a £100 donation from a UK taxpayer becomes £125 for your charity at no extra cost to the donor.
  • On Zeffy, your charity keeps 100% of every gift: no platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee. Ever.
  • Comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice and PECR before using email, SMS, or phone.

Asking for donations the wrong way costs you more than just a gift, it costs you the relationship. This guide covers what donation solicitation means, how fundraising is regulated in the UK, which channels work best for which donors, five copy-paste templates with Gift Aid built in, and a pre-ask checklist so nothing slips through. Over 100,000 charities and nonprofits have raised more than £2 billion on Zeffy with zero fees. Here is how to make every solicitation count.

In this article:

What is donation solicitation?

Email template

Subject: [First name], your $[amount] feeds [X] families this month Hi [First name], Last [month], your support helped us [specific impact — e.g., "provide 200 hot meals to families in our shelter program"]. That's real, measurable change — and it happened because of you. This month, we're raising $[goal] to [specific purpose — e.g., "keep our food pantry stocked through the holidays"]. We need [X] more donors to make it happen. Will you make a gift of $[suggested amount] today? [Give $[amount] now — your Zeffy donation form URL] Every dollar you give reaches [cause] directly. No platform fees. No processing fees. With gratitude, [Your name] [Organization] P.S. A gift of $[amount] before [deadline] will [specific impact]. [Give here — your Zeffy donation form URL]

Donation solicitation is the act of asking for a charitable gift, whether via email, text, social media, phone, in-person conversation, or direct mail. It is synonymous with a "donor ask" or "gift solicitation." For charities, solicitation spans everything from a casual social post to a formal major-gift conversation.

Solicitation vs. donation, a quick clarification:

  • Solicitation = the ask (what you send, say, or share to invite a gift)
  • Donation = the gift received in response

Both terms are often used interchangeably in casual conversation, but understanding the distinction helps you identify which part of your fundraising process needs attention. If gifts are low, your donation process may be the issue. If response rates are low, your solicitation needs work.

Is asking for donations the same as soliciting? Yes. In charity fundraising, "soliciting donations," "making a donor ask," and "gift solicitation" all mean the same thing. UK charities are regulated by their charity regulator (the Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR for Scotland, or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland) and, for fundraising conduct, by the Fundraising Regulator via the Code of Fundraising Practice. This is not the same as a US state-by-state registration system.

How fundraising is regulated in the UK

In England and Wales, charities register with the Charity Commission (CCEW). In Scotland, all charities register with OSCR regardless of income. In Northern Ireland, registration is with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI). Across all three jurisdictions, fundraising conduct is governed by the Code of Fundraising Practice, whose current version came into effect on 1 November 2025. The Code's principles are straightforward: be legal, open, honest, and respectful. The Fundraising Regulator also operates the Fundraising Preference Service, which lets donors ask charities to stop contacting them. If you are a registered charity and you raise funds from the public, you are expected to comply with the Code.

Donation ask checklist

Run through this before every ask. It takes five minutes and prevents the most common solicitation mistakes.

Pre-ask

  • Research the donor's giving history, interests, and preferred channel
  • Set a specific ask amount based on their past giving or capacity
  • Choose the right channel (email for mid-level donors, in-person for major gifts, SMS for urgent campaigns)
  • Prepare your impact statement: one £ amount and one specific outcome
  • Confirm your Zeffy donation form URL is live and mobile-friendly

During the ask

  • Open with the donor's name and a specific reference to their past support
  • State the £ amount and the impact it creates. Do not leave either vague
  • Remind supporters they can tick Gift Aid and increase their gift by 25% at no extra cost
  • Make giving one step: a direct link or QR code to your Zeffy form
  • For phone and in-person asks: make the ask, then stop talking. Silence invites a response

Post-ask

  • Send a personalised thank-you within 24 hours
  • Name the specific impact their gift will create
  • Confirm receipt and next steps (donation acknowledgement, programme update timeline)
  • Schedule a follow-up touchpoint 30 to 60 days out to steward toward the next gift

Channel-by-channel best practices

Different channels reach donors differently. Match the channel to the donor relationship stage and you will see better response rates across every campaign.

Email

Email remains the workhorse of charity solicitation for mid-level donors. The subject line determines whether the email is opened at all.

Do:

  • Write subject lines under 50 characters with a specific hook ("Sarah, your £20 feeds 10 families this month")
  • Lead with Gift Aid as your strongest hook: "Your £20 becomes £25 when you tick Gift Aid, at no cost to you." This line outperforms a plain amount every time
  • Put the ask above the fold. Do not bury it after three paragraphs of context
  • Use the P.S. line as a second ask. It is one of the highest-read sections of any fundraising email
  • Link directly to your Zeffy donation form in the first paragraph and again in the P.S.
  • For warm-list charity email, legitimate interest is the typical UK GDPR lawful basis; cold email requires prior consent. The 2026 charity soft-opt-in guidance from the ICO provides a further route for some charities

Don't:

  • Use subject lines like "Newsletter, November update"
  • Send the same email to every segment of your list
  • Make donors hunt for the giving link
  • Use tip-jar language or suggest a "platform contribution" in your ask. UK donors are highly sensitised to this after widespread coverage of suggested platform tips

Do say: "Your gift of £20 today provides ten backpacks for children starting school next week. With Gift Aid, we reclaim 25p for every £1 you give, turning your £20 into £25 for the charity at no cost to you. [Give now, link to your Zeffy form]"

Don't say: "We hope you'll consider supporting our important work this autumn."

SMS / text

Text is best for urgent, time-sensitive campaigns with existing donors who have opted in. Keep it short and direct.

Do:

  • Stay under 160 characters so the message sends as one SMS
  • Include your charity name as the sender ID so recipients immediately know who is texting them
  • Use a short, memorable URL to your Zeffy donation form
  • Send texts during business hours (10am to 7pm local time)
  • Include a free opt-out instruction in every message

Don't:

  • Send texts to donors who have not opted in. Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) alongside UK GDPR, you need prior consent (or, where applicable, the 2026 charity soft-opt-in basis) before sending marketing texts to individuals
  • Make the ask longer than two sentences
  • Skip the opt-out instruction. Every commercial message must offer a free opt-out under PECR and must identify the sender. Refer to the Code of Fundraising Practice for the full rules on electronic communications

Do say: "[Charity name]: 2 days left to match your gift. Give £25 now: [short Zeffy URL]. Reply STOP to opt out."

Don't say: "Dear supporter, we wanted to reach out about our important upcoming fundraising campaign that runs through the end of the month..."

Social media

Visuals consistently outperform text-only posts across every major platform. Platform norms vary, so adjust your approach per channel.

Do:

  • Lead with an image or short video showing real programme impact
  • Tailor the tone: LinkedIn for corporate and professional donors (impact-forward, data-driven), Instagram for visual storytelling, TikTok for behind-the-scenes authenticity
  • Put your Zeffy donation form link in your bio and reference it in every caption ("Link in bio to give")
  • Drive supporters to your own Zeffy form for Gift Aid-eligible processing. Facebook and Instagram in-app donation tools have historically routed gifts via PayPal Giving Fund without capturing your charity's own Gift Aid declarations, which means you can lose the 25p-per-£1 uplift on those gifts. Section 9 of the Code of Fundraising Practice (effective 1 November 2025) now covers online platforms, worth reading before using platform-native donate features

Don't:

  • Post text-only donation requests
  • Ignore platform-specific character limits and best practices
  • Use your bio link for anything other than your donation form during an active campaign

Do say (Instagram caption): "This is what £30 looks like for a family in our shelter programme. Link in bio to give, 100% of your gift reaches them directly. Tick Gift Aid and we reclaim 25p per £1 on top."

Don't say: "Please donate to our charity by clicking the link."

Phone

Phone solicitation works best for major donors and lapsed mid-level donors where the relationship justifies a personal call.

Do:

  • Write a short script (under 90 seconds) and practise it until it sounds natural
  • Make the specific ask, then go silent. The pause after the ask is where the yes lives
  • Listen more than you talk after you have made the ask
  • Confirm next steps before ending the call ("I'll send you a link to our Zeffy form so giving is straightforward, expect it in your inbox within five minutes")

Don't:

  • Read from a script word-for-word
  • Fill the silence after the ask with more talking
  • Leave a voicemail with a vague ask. If you leave a message, make it specific and brief
  • Cold-call donors registered with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) unless they have specifically consented to receive calls from your charity. Telephone fundraising to individuals must comply with PECR, the TPS, and the Code of Fundraising Practice's rules on unsolicited calls and vulnerable donors

Do say: "Based on your generous gift last year, I am asking whether you would consider a gift of £500 to fund our literacy programme for one month."

Don't say: "We're calling to see if you might be able to help us out with whatever you can."

In-person

In-person solicitation is the highest-conversion channel for major gifts. The relationship and the moment matter more than the script.

Do:

  • Research the prospect before the meeting, know their giving history, interests, and any personal connection to your mission
  • Make a specific ask with a specific £ amount ("We are hoping you will consider a gift of £2,500 to fund our after-school programme for a full term")
  • Let silence do the work after the ask
  • Offer a monthly-giving alternative if the donor hesitates ("We can also set up a monthly Direct Debit if that works better for your planning", Direct Debit is the most common recurring-giving mechanism in the UK)
  • Have a QR code to your Zeffy form ready if they want to give on the spot
  • For community fundraising at fetes, PTA events, quiz nights, and village-hall socials: cash is increasingly rare, and many supporters simply do not carry it any more. Having a way to take card payments or accept a tap-to-pay donation from a phone fills that gap and prevents lost gifts at the door

Don't:

  • Make a vague ask ("Whatever you're able to give")
  • Rush the conversation
  • Forget to confirm next steps and send a follow-up within 24 hours
  • Conduct street collections or house-to-house collections without the appropriate permit. Public street collections in England, Wales, and Scotland require a licence from the local authority; house-to-house collections need a separate permit under the House to House Collections Act 1939. The Code of Fundraising Practice covers both

Do say: "We would love for you to consider a gift of £1,000, that is enough to provide full equipment for one of our youth sports teams."

Don't say: "We really appreciate any support you might be able to provide."

Direct mail

Direct mail reaches donors who are less active online and performs strongly for Christmas appeals and year-end campaigns with existing mid-level donors.

Do:

  • Open with a story, not a statistics dump. The first paragraph should be personal and specific
  • Use a handwritten or handwriting-font envelope address. Open rates improve significantly with personalisation signals
  • Include a reply device (prepaid reply envelope or donation card) and a QR code linking to your Zeffy form for donors who prefer giving online
  • Keep the letter to one page wherever possible
  • Respect Fundraising Preference Service opt-outs. Postal fundraising to warm lists typically relies on legitimate interest as the lawful basis under UK GDPR; always document your balancing test and honour opt-outs promptly (Fundraising Regulator)

Don't:

  • Lead with organisational history or mission statements
  • Include so many giving options that the donor feels uncertain
  • Forget to include a deadline or reason to give now

Do say (opening line): "Last March, a single mum named Teresa walked into our shelter with two children and nowhere to go. Your gift of £50 changes that story."

Don't say: "As a charity registered with the Charity Commission since 1987, we have been committed to serving our community through a variety of programmes and initiatives."

5 copy-paste donation solicitation templates

SMS / text template

Hi [Name], [Organization] needs your help. A gift of $[amount] before [date] will [specific impact]. Give in 30 seconds: [your Zeffy donation form short URL]. Reply STOP to opt out.

Each template below is ready to use. Replace the bracketed fields with your details. Every CTA slot points to your Zeffy donation form, set yours up at zeffy.com/en-gb/register before you send.

Template 1: Email solicitation

Template 2: SMS / text solicitation

Template 3: Social media post

Template 4: In-person / phone script

Template 5: Direct mail letter

4 steps to successful donation solicitation

Social media post template

[Compelling opening line tied to a real story or specific stat — e.g., "47 kids in our program started school without supplies last week."] A gift of $[amount] changes that. [Impact statement — e.g., "£30 = one full backpack. £75 = three."] We're raising $[goal] by [deadline]. Every dollar goes directly to [cause] — £0 in platform fees. 👉 Link in bio to give via our Zeffy donation page. [Relevant hashtags]

1. Planning and research

Set a clear fundraising goal, break it into manageable steps, and identify target donors alongside their motivations. Prepare your Zeffy donation form, email copy, and any supporting materials before your campaign launches. A well-organised plan prevents scrambling mid-campaign.

2. Building relationships before the ask

Do not lead with the ask. Share impact updates, invite donors to events, and show them behind-the-scenes progress. When donors feel connected to your work, they are far more likely to say yes when you do ask. Relationship-building is not a step you can skip for major gifts, it is the entire foundation.

3. Making the ask

Be specific. "We are raising £10,000 to provide 500 meals for families in need this Christmas" outperforms "support our work" every time. State the amount, explain the impact, and make giving easy with a direct link to your Zeffy donation form or a QR code for in-person conversations.

4. Following up and stewarding

Send a personalised thank-you within 24 hours. Name the donor, name the impact, and confirm the next update they will receive. A note to a donor who funded school supplies, for example, could include how many pupils will benefit and when the supplies will be distributed. Stewardship is not optional, it is what turns a one-time donor into a regular giver.

12 best practices for effective donation solicitation

Direct mail letter template

Dear [First name], [Opening story in 2–3 sentences — specific person, specific situation, specific need. E.g., "In September, a single father named David came to us with nothing but the clothes on his back and two kids under five. Within 48 hours, your generosity helped us place his family in safe, temporary housing."] Today, I'm writing to ask for your help again. We're raising $[goal] by [deadline] to [specific purpose]. A gift of $[amount] will [specific impact]. A gift of $[higher amount] will [larger impact]. To give online: Visit [your Zeffy donation form URL] or scan the QR code below. It takes less than two minutes and there are no fees on your gift. To give by mail: Complete the enclosed reply card and return it in the postage-paid envelope. [Your mission] depends on neighbors like you. Thank you for everything you've already done — and for what you're about to do. With deep gratitude, [Signature] [Name and title] [Organization] P.S. Gifts received by [deadline] will [specific urgency — e.g., "be matched dollar-for-dollar by a generous board member"]. Don't let this moment pass. [Zeffy donation form URL]

In-person ask script

Hi [Name], thanks for taking the time to [meet with me / talk today]. As you know, [Organization] has been [brief mission statement — e.g., "providing emergency shelter for families in crisis"] for [X] years. Right now, we're working to [specific goal — e.g., "fund 90 nights of shelter for 15 families this winter"]. Based on your past support and your connection to this work, I'm asking if you'd consider a gift of $[specific amount]. [Pause. Wait for response.] [If yes:] That's wonderful. I'll send you a link to our Zeffy donation form right now — it takes about 60 seconds to complete, and there are no fees on your gift. [If hesitant:] I understand completely. Would a monthly gift of $[lower amount] work better? You can set that up through our Zeffy form and cancel anytime.

Be transparent and accountable

Share the impact of contributions in real terms. The Code of Fundraising Practice requires charities to be legal, open, honest, and respectful in all fundraising. UK registered charities also publish annual returns and Trustees' Annual Reports through the CCEW, OSCR, or CCNI registers, donors can and do look up your charity before they give. Meeting this standard of transparency builds lasting trust.

Show tangible impact

Avoid broad statements. Instead of "support our charity," show donors exactly what a specific gift amount accomplishes. For example: "A gift of £30 provides one family with a week of emergency food assistance." Specificity builds trust and makes it easier for donors to picture their impact.

Use stories to build emotional connections

Statistics are important, but stories move people to give. Instead of "your donation will help families," describe how one specific family received safe shelter after a natural disaster because of gifts like theirs. A vivid, personal story helps donors feel connected to the cause.

Match your ask to the donor

Tailor your request to the donor's history, interests, and giving capacity. Share updates with returning donors to reinforce their connection. For major donors or corporate supporters, emphasise the broader impact their support creates, funding a year-long programme or enabling a new initiative.

Zeffy's supporter management tools let you organise donors with tags, track engagement across campaigns, and maintain notes on donor preferences, all at zero cost. Use that data to group donors by giving history and build targeted, personalised outreach for each segment.

Take advantage of high-giving seasons

The period from November to December sees the highest level of charitable giving in the UK. Key moments in the UK charity calendar include: the Christmas appeal season, The Big Give Christmas Challenge (a match-funding window that can double your donations), Giving Tuesday UK, Macmillan Coffee Morning (late September), BBC Children in Need (November), Comic Relief and Sport Relief cycles, and Remembrance Sunday for military charities. Awareness months tied to specific causes, such as Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, create natural urgency around your campaigns.

Understand donor patterns

Not all donors follow the same habits. Some give at quarter-end; others respond to milestone-based appeals. Analysing past donation data prevents you from overwhelming donors with frequent or poorly timed requests.

Align with events and campaigns

Donors are more likely to contribute when your request connects to a meaningful moment. Fundraising events such as gala dinners, quiz nights, or community clean-ups are natural opportunities to ask. Celebrating key milestones, an anniversary or the completion of a major project, gives donors a reason to feel proud and contribute again.

Be specific in every ask

Vague asks underperform. "Your gift of £25 provides five families with clean water for a month" outperforms "your gift helps us make a difference" in both conversion and donor satisfaction. Every solicitation should name a £ amount and a specific outcome.

Focus on donor-centric communication

Move beyond generic outreach. Share specific impact metrics that matter to each donor, meals served, students educated, acres protected. Create personalised touchpoints, from impact reports to behind-the-scenes updates, that show donors their unique role. Read more about donor-centric fundraising to build this into your process.

Use technology to make giving easy

An easy donation process encourages more people to complete their gift. Mobile-responsive forms, one-click payment options, and recurring donation features all reduce friction. Zeffy's free online donation forms are mobile-friendly and take minutes to set up. Zeffy also handles the Gift Aid declaration inside the same donation flow, so your charity captures the donor's name, address, and taxpayer confirmation at the point of gift, making the 25p-per-£1 uplift straightforward for HMRC-recognised charities to claim.

Measure results and adjust strategies

Track donor retention, average donation amounts, and response rates to refine your approach over time. Surveys and feedback forms reveal how donors perceive your outreach. If feedback shows donors want more updates, strengthen your follow-up process. Check out the top fundraising metrics every charity should track to build a measurement framework.

Always follow up

Failing to thank donors or share updates about their contributions damages trust. A personalised thank-you with a specific impact statement turns a transaction into a relationship. Read our guide to donation thank-you letters for templates you can use immediately.

How AI and data analytics enhance solicitation

AI and data analytics help charities make smarter decisions about who to ask, when to ask, and what to say. These tools let you:

  • Identify ideal donors by analysing past giving patterns to find the people most likely to respond
  • Refine messaging based on what donors actually care about, programme outcomes, community impact, or specific causes
  • Improve timing so your requests reach donors when they are most likely to respond
  • Segment donor groups by behaviour, preferences, or giving history for more personalised outreach
  • Track engagement trends across channels, email, social, events, so you know where to focus
  • Forecast giving potential to prioritise your highest-opportunity relationships
  • Monitor campaign performance in real time so you can adjust mid-campaign rather than waiting for the debrief
  • Identify regular-giving candidates and suggest re-engagement strategies for lapsed donors

AI tools work best when they are informed by clean, organised donor data. Centralising that data in one place, and keeping it current, is the foundation that makes every AI-driven insight actionable.

How to operationalise every template with Zeffy

Every template in this guide converges on one destination: your Zeffy donation form. Here is how to get set up and connect it to all five channels.

Set up your Zeffy donation form in 10 minutes

Create your free account at zeffy.com/en-gb/register. Zeffy's form builder walks you through adding your charity's branding, suggested gift amounts, and an impact statement. No platform fee, no transaction fee, no card fee. Ever. 100% free for charities.

Connect your form to every channel

Once your form URL is live, paste it into every template's CTA slot:

  • Email: link in the first paragraph and the P.S. line
  • SMS: use a URL shortener to keep it under 160 characters total
  • Social media: bio link plus caption reference ("link in bio")
  • In-person: generate a QR code from your Zeffy form URL and display it on a printed card, event signage, or your phone screen
  • Direct mail: include both the full URL and a printed QR code on the reply device

Handle Gift Aid inside the same form

Zeffy's donation flow includes the Gift Aid declaration, capturing the donor's name, home address, and confirmation that they are a UK taxpayer, at the point of gift. For charities that are HMRC-recognised (holding a Charities Reference Number), this means the 25p-per-£1 uplift is captured automatically without a separate process. Note: HMRC recognition is a separate registration from charity registration with CCEW, OSCR, or CCNI. If you are not yet HMRC-recognised, apply directly through HMRC before claiming. Full guidance is on gov.uk/donating-to-charity/gift-aid.

Add recurring donation options

Zeffy's donation form supports regular gift setup in the same flow. Donors who respond to a one-time solicitation can opt into monthly giving with a single step. Converting even 10% of one-time solicitation responders to monthly donors significantly increases lifetime donor value, with zero extra work on your end.

Why zero fees matter for every solicitation

When a donor gives £100 on a platform that charges 3 to 5% in fees, your charity receives £95 to £97 before Gift Aid. On Zeffy, you keep the full £100. With Gift Aid, an HMRC-recognised charity then reclaims an additional £25 from HMRC, meaning the charity receives £125 from a £100 gift. Over a full campaign, the difference is significant. It also changes your messaging: you can truthfully tell donors that every pound they give reaches your mission directly.

Frequently asked questions

What is donation solicitation?

Donation solicitation is the act of asking for a charitable gift. It covers everything from a social media post to a formal in-person conversation with a major donor. In charity fundraising, "soliciting donations," "making a donor ask," and "gift solicitation" all mean the same thing. The key is to be specific about the amount you are asking for and the impact it will create.

What is the difference between solicitation and fundraising?

Solicitation is a single ask, the specific moment when you invite someone to give. Fundraising is the broader strategy: the planning, relationship-building, events, campaigns, and stewardship that surround and support those individual asks. Good fundraising makes each solicitation more effective by building trust before the ask and maintaining it after.

What is a soft ask in fundraising?

soft ask is an indirect or low-pressure invitation to give, usually made before a formal ask has been established. Examples include sharing an impact story with a donation link at the bottom, or mentioning your charity's campaign in a newsletter without a direct "please give £X" request. Soft asks are useful for warming up new prospects and lapsed donors, but should always be followed by a specific ask for major and mid-level donors.

What is the difference between a donation and a solicitation?

solicitation is what you send, say, or share to invite a gift. A donation is the gift received in response. If your response rates are low, focus on improving your solicitation. If gift amounts are lower than expected, look at your donation form and suggested amounts.

How often should you solicit donors?

There is no single right answer, but most small UK charities find that two to four targeted appeals per year, plus a Christmas campaign, is sustainable without fatiguing their donor base. The right frequency depends on your relationship with each segment. Major donors may receive fewer, more personalised asks; regular email subscribers may receive monthly updates with a giving link. Use your donor data to find what works and adjust based on response rates.

What do you do if a donor says no?

Respect their decision immediately and thank them for their time. A "no" today is not a "no" forever. Ask (gently) whether they would prefer updates about your work without a giving request, and keep them in your stewardship communications. Many donors who decline one ask go on to give later, especially when they see their network or a specific event reconnects them to the cause.

Do I need a licence to solicit donations in the UK?

You do not need a specific licence simply to ask for donations, but you must comply with the Code of Fundraising Practice (Fundraising Regulator) and your charity regulator's rules (CCEW, OSCR, or CCNI). There are two important exceptions. Public street collections and house-to-house collections do require a licence from the local authority, obtain this before you go out. If you run a charity raffle where tickets are sold to the public in advance, that is a small society lottery under the Gambling Act 2005 and requires registration with your local council (Gambling Commission guidance).

How do I write a donation solicitation letter?

Open with a specific story about one person or family your charity has helped. Name a clear £ ask and explain exactly what it will achieve. Include a Gift Aid tick-box reference ("If you are a UK taxpayer, please tick Gift Aid on the enclosed reply card, we can reclaim 25p per £1 at no cost to you"). Close with "Yours sincerely," and include a prepaid reply envelope or a QR code linking to your Zeffy donation form. Keep it to one page wherever possible.

How do I solicit major donors?

Major donor solicitation is relationship-first. Research the prospect thoroughly before any meeting, understand their giving history, personal interests, and connection to your cause. Make a specific £ ask with a clear programme outcome attached ("We are hoping you will consider a gift of £2,500 to fund our after-school programme for a full term"). Make the ask and then let silence do the work. Offer a monthly Direct Debit alternative if they hesitate. Follow up within 24 hours with a personalised note and a QR code to your Zeffy form. Read more in our major donor fundraising guide.

How do I thank donors after a solicitation?

Send a personalised thank-you within 24 hours of receiving the gift. Name the donor, name the specific impact their gift creates, and confirm any next steps, such as a programme update or Gift Aid acknowledgement. For donors who have ticked Gift Aid, confirm that their declaration has been recorded. A well-timed, specific thank-you is the single most effective stewardship action a small charity can take. Our donation thank-you letter guide has templates ready to use.

Written by
Camille Duboz
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Insights from over $100M in monthly transactions

Quick wins for you:

  • Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.
  • Look for people who attend related events, follow relevant Facebook groups, or subscribe to aligned newsletters.These aren’t just potential donors—they’re your future advocates.

See our Guide for Mission Statements

How Loose Ends turned fee savings into mission impact
$1,715
saved
1
new hire
2500+
finished textile projects
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