writing a fundraising pitch letter. blech

[mopinko]

this is a very important non-profit- http://www.womanmade.org
this is the 5th year for me to sell ads in the program for the annual auction. trying to get started up.
this year i want to do a little something for the 15th anniversary. i want to have the center page of the program be a thank you to the executive director, who has devoted her life to this. she does not want to be thanked in this way. :mad: :mad:
i just want to charge $15 (with a $5 early bird discount.) i just want to have people list their names on the thank you page. so, on top of trying to polish the language, so that it is clear what the point is, i have to twist her beloved arm to get her to let me do this.
and i have to get her to let me do this little discount thing, because i gotta have something fresh in my pitch each year. she is a real straighforward person. i don't think she gets the whole sales pitch thing.
i am thinking that a short message could also be included- 5 or 10 words, maybe. but that just ads more to the explanation. or maybe not. maybe that makes more sense than just listing names.

so, any good fundraisers out there got an opinion?

[EFerrari]

1. I don't know if I'm any good, but $15 is not a real number. $25 is.

barely.

:hi:

[mopinko]

2. that's what i say.

the rest of the book is fairly real money. and i was also tasked to bring in some early money. we moved last year into a really beautiful space, in a real gallery district. which, of course, means real rent.
the point of this is to get artists some advertising, for a tiny price, to thank this woman, who eats drinks sleeps this job, and to get some quick dough.
after 6 years as a volunteer, and 4 consecutive sales records, she almost trusts me. but.....

[EFerrari]

3. Ah -- i see now. Well, $25 is about what a batch of gesso costs.

I'm in the church mouse class myself and I would fork it over for something like that.

If you write the damn thing, I'll be happy to tinker with it with ya.

Have to walk the Minion of Gozer but I'll be back. :)

edit: k-->g