Donation Form Responses and Email Wording
Wording for Donation Forms
Quick Answers
Blurbs About Our Organization
Blurbs About Our Auction and Donation Request
Above are answers to common donation request forms. They are in 3 parts because the auction organizers wanted pre-filled Google Forms that you could easily copy from, and the answers won't all fit in in one form.
Basic How To:
Click each link to open those answers in a new tab.
Place the browser tabs with answers on one side of your screen and a browser window with the donation form on the other side of your screen.
Select All: click into the relevant Google Form with the answers, then Control + A on PC or Command + A on Mac, or triple click your mouse.
Copy (Control + C on PC, Command + C on Mac).
Click into the form field in the business' donation form.
Paste (Control + V on PC, Command + V on Mac).
To switch between the answers tabs and the donation form even more quickly, use the shortcut keys Control + Tab on PC or Command + ` (the backtick key) on Mac.
In this way, you can potentially fill a donation form in just 3 minutes.
Important: READ the answers you are pasting in, EDIT as needed, and REMOVE REDUNDANT sentences from multiple answers. These blurbs ensure that we all use the same talking points, but we can't predict the exact questions on every donation request form. So please edit these general responses as necessary to actually answer the questions on your forms and not repeat yourself.
For example, if a donor's form has a general "tell us about your event" question as well as a "how will donors be recognized" question, then use the response for the "Tell us why" response but delete the paragraph about how donors will be promoted, since that is the exact same paragraph used in the "How will we be recognized?" response.
Requests by Email or Contact Form
If you request a donation from a business that does not have a dedicated donation request form, you will need to write an email and then attach our donation form or include the link to it.
Sometimes, a business will not even have an email address listed on their website. They might just have a Contact Us form on their website, so you have to put your whole request in that one field.
Use the wording below for these two situations.
Instructions - IMPORTANT
For text that’s bold with brackets [like this], replace this with your own wording.
When text is in brackets is separated by a pipe [ | ], pick the applicable text and delete the option you’re not using.
Text IN ALL CAPS must be replaced with real words.
Business that has NOT donated before
Dear [COMPANY/PERSON’S NAME],
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I'm [the PTA (NAME OF OFFICE) | a parent] at Lakeshore Elementary School in San Francisco. I'm writing to invite you to support our students through our annual fundraising auction held in person on March 30 and online from April 1–19. We would be honored if you were able to contribute to our cause.
Lakeshore Elementary School is a diverse and inclusive school community, committed to providing a rigorous, equitable education for all students while giving children the opportunity to develop as resilient critical thinkers and empathetic community members. Over 50% of the families at our Title I school qualify as low income, so your contribution can have a huge impact and enrich the experience of such a community. Your gift will support a holistic approach to education through Art, Motor Perception, Science in the Garden, Capoeira, and Yoga, which can bring joy into students' lives while giving teachers resources they need, like classroom supplies and project grants.
We also connect our community through events, meetings, and a volunteer-run communication platform for families and educators. Your donation would not only help our students and teachers, but would also keep parents of over 420 students informed.
Please support Lakeshore today by contributing to our auction. Would you possibly consider donating [SUGGEST A DONATION HERE]? [Optional sentence that connects you to this business.]
If you can donate, please visit http://bit.ly/ls-auction to pledge your donation online or fill out and return the attached request letter and donation form on official letterhead. Any e-certificates and digital logos or artwork can be sent to pta-auction@LakeshoreElementary.org.
While we'd love to receive donations by March 10, the extended time frame allows us to add donations up to the last minute, so if you are able to support us, we'd be happy to accept your gift any time up to April 19. Donors are promoted in our online auction catalog with up to 4 logo/product images and are recognized in our weekly family newsletter. We attempt to list donors on our Facebook and Instagram pages as well. We are a 501(c)(3) organization, tax ID 94-3042896, and donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
Thank you for your consideration!
With Gratitude,
[YOUR NAME]
[Parent of a YEAR-grader]
[YOUR PHONE]
More information: auction.LakeshoreElementary.org
Official donation letter and form: bit.ly/lsa24l
Company who HAS donated before
Dear [COMPANY/PERSON’S NAME],
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I'm [the PTA (NAME OF OFFICE) | a parent] at Lakeshore Elementary School in San Francisco. I'm writing to invite you to support our students through our annual fundraising auction held in person on March 30 and online from April 1–19. We would be honored if you were able to contribute to our cause.
Lakeshore Elementary School is a diverse and inclusive school community, committed to providing a rigorous, equitable education for all students while giving children the opportunity to develop as resilient critical thinkers and empathetic community members. Over 50% of the families at our Title I school qualify as low income, so your contribution can have a huge impact and enrich the experience of such a community. Your gift will support a holistic approach to education through Art, Motor Perception, Science in the Garden, Capoeira, and Yoga, which can bring joy into students' lives while giving teachers resources they need, like classroom supplies and project grants.
We also connect our community through events, meetings, and a volunteer-run communication platform for families and educators. Your donation would not only help our students and teachers, but would also keep parents of over 420 students informed.
Please support Lakeshore today by contributing to our auction. In the past, you donated [to us | THE THING THEY DONATED which helped make our auction a success] - thank you! Would you kindly consider [repeating your donation this year | donating WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR THIS YEAR]? [Optional sentence that connects you to this business.]
If you can donate, please visit http://bit.ly/ls-auction to pledge your donation online or fill out and return the attached request letter and donation form on official letterhead. Any e-certificates and digital logos or artwork can be sent to pta-auction@LakeshoreElementary.org.
While we'd love to receive donations by March 10, the extended time frame allows us to add donations up to the last minute, so if you are able to support us, we'd be happy to accept your gift any time up to April 19. Donors are promoted in our online auction catalog with up to 4 logo/product images and are recognized in our weekly family newsletter. We attempt to list donors on our Facebook and Instagram pages as well. We are a 501(c)(3) organization, tax ID 94-3042896, and donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
Thank you for your consideration!
With Gratitude,
[YOUR NAME]
[Parent of a YEAR-grader]
[YOUR PHONE]
More information: auction.LakeshoreElementary.org
Official donation letter and form: bit.ly/lsa24l