You may have a non-profit organization like a charity institution or a school that you want to provide monetary help, or belong to a particular non-profit organization that badly needs funds. However, you do not have the time, the resources, and especially the money, to achieve this. Luckily, there are ways to make money for your non-profit organization and one of which is sending letters to different businesses in your local area, which is usually referred to as "solicitation." Here are the steps to get you started.

Write letters - Create a bunch of formal funding requests to local businesses. The first paragraph of your letter should explain the mission of the organization and how it helps the community. You should also explain what you want from the organization, whether it is money, supplies, or a combination of the two. For a more professional touch, each letter should be addressed to a particular potential donor rather than a repetitive and boring "Dear Sir/ Ma'am."

Indicate the benefits of being a donor - At the end of the letter, explain what the letter's recipients will get in return, whether their names will appear as donors in the non-profit organization's website or newsletter or giving a special gift in return. Let the businesses know you are non-profit, indicating that any donation they make a secure tax write-off. To do this, you should include the organization's tax ID number in the letter.

Attach the organization's budget to the letter - Tell prospective donors in the letter that you have attached additional information on a separate sheet of paper that outlines your budget and how donations can be made. The attachment should let them see how much money and/ or supplies you need. The detailed the itemization, the better. Openly showing your budget to prospective donors would give them an idea what aspects of your organization they want to cover, such as donating enough money to cover the food expenses.

Tell whom and where to pay - The letter of request for funding should include details on how to donate, including your contact information, whether your organization accepts cash and/ or checks, as well as whom and where the donations should be made payable to. Donations through checks should never be payable to an individual, as this decreases the credibility of your request.

Compile a database of potential donors - Using a spreadsheet program like Excel or Calc, compile information of local businesses and organizations including type of business, name of business, mailing address, city, state, and complete zip code. You can gather such data from your local phone book and the Internet. You could also use this database to record which businesses have donated or expressed interest in donating. The reason why you should focus on local businesses first is because they will most likely contribute to your non-profit. You could also consider gather contact details of each department in your local school or university.

Send the letters - Either hand carry your letters and send them personally to businesses or send it through mail. Make sure that the mailing addresses are complete.

Say thanks - Once you have received donations, you need to show your appreciation by sensing a thank you card or a simple gift. Keep up your relations with your donors so that you could ask them for donations in the years to come.