Many clients run into an after-the-holidays fundraising slump this time of year. Clients and donors are often worn out which makes January a slow month for donations. While this can be a hurdle, it also provides an opportunity. This is a perfect time to write and send out fundraising letters. A letter writing campaign is a great way to solicit donations from businesses and civic organizations in your local area. If you’re not familiar with your local civic organizations, this is the time to connect with them.

Civic organizations are service clubs that exist in order to help strengthen their local community in a variety of ways. These groups contribute financially to causes within the community that they care about, and they are often willing to consider supporting new causes which is why contacting them is always a good idea.

There are a number of civic organizations that exist all over the country and whose names you probably already know: Rotary Clubs, Lions Clubs, and Knights of Columbus are some common examples. There are also many smaller groups that don’t exist everywhere but that were created by community members to serve small regional areas. The best ways to find civic organizations in your community is to do a thorough internet search or talk to your local town/city hall or Chamber of Commerce. Most civic organizations are not hard to find and talking to people in your community will help point you in the right direction.

Though some of the larger organizations will have websites with listed contact information, many of the smaller groups will not have these resources so readily available. This is why it’s crucial to connect with people in your community who may know of these smaller local groups. It’s likely you may only be given a PO Box through which to make contact – this is fine. In fact, the best way to solicit donations from Civic Orgs. is usually to send along your own personal fundraising letters.

NEADS has gotten a lot of support from civic organizations over the years, and clients especially have garnered that support. Some organizations make monetary donations, and some have been willing to hold fundraising events and drives on clients’ behalves. It’s always worthwhile to reach out to these organizations and let them know about your fundraising campaign for NEADS.

 

Note – even if you are not a veteran it can be helpful to contact the local veteran’s organizations in your area.  This is especially true if you are an Assistance Dog client since your NEADS dog will be helping numerous members of the community. The VFW, Amvets, and American Legion, will sometimes support causes in the community that are not veteran related. They sponsor particular groups and causes that they feel contribute to the betterment of the community as a whole. Also, you may catch them at the end of their fiscal year when they have extra funds available and are looking to put them to good use. It never hurts to ask!