It’s the season when holiday appeal letters start arriving in your mailbox and inbox.

The major charities have been writing their letters, ordering their lists and buying their premiums for weeks. But small nonprofits are probably just starting to worry about that.

Having been involved with an all-volunteer run nonprofit, I know that the number of tasks to be done always outweighs the number of volunteers willing to do them.

And as for writing, most would rather scrub toilets.

If you’ve drawn the short straw and the task is yours, here are some tips to keep in mind:
Do not pray. It makes donors think you’re disorganized and maybe even wasteful.

Yes, I know you are writing because your cause needs money. But you shouldn’t say it that way. Instead, you should thank your donors for their past support (even if they haven’t yet) and proceed to show them that they are a part of something wonderful.

You need to entice them with a story and show them how their donations helped someone, whether it’s a child, a disabled person, a dog or a tree. Yes, I know, a broad definition of “someone”, but you see what I mean. Show that the support you receive makes a difference and let your donors feel proud to have been part of it. Remember, you are trying to arouse emotions that open checkbooks.

Review the events of the past year and pick out any specific successes in particular. Then talk about it. Avoid the temptation to talk about people or animals or even forests and lakes in a group. You can bring that up later, but focus on a specific event first.

Who knows why, but tests by major charities show that people react more strongly to the plight of a child, dog or homeless person than to the news of a mass tragedy. Maybe because they know they can’t give enough to save the world, but they can give enough to make a difference to one person.

Or maybe because crowds of any kind are impersonal, but an individual with a face and a name is very personal. Whatever the reason, the tests show it to be true.

I’ve seen it happen right here with our local animal rescue. The whole town knows from news articles that there are dozens of cats and dogs in need every weekday, and some citizens give to help them. But when a particular animal with a sad story makes the news, dozens rush to donate.

When we found a pregnant dog buried in a snowbank and rescued her, people even called wanting to adopt without even seeing her.

So how are you going to ask for the money without begging? You are going to ask them to help continue this work and save/help even more (fill in the blank). Note that I said ask. You can’t imply or assume that after they see what you’re doing, they’ll know they need to send money. They won’t unless you ask them to.

After that, do everything you can to make it easy for him. Include a reply coupon and an envelope already addressed to your group. However, do not seal it. Your donors will see it as a waste of money.

If you have a place on your website where people can click to donate, include the address of the web page where it will be easily found.

One last thing: when the donations start rolling in, send a thank you card within 24 hours. Don’t wait and bring names to a meeting and try to find someone to write thank you notes. That’s too late. If you want to create loyal givers who will give again, do it right away.

And, of course, record the name and contact information for each donor, along with the amount of their donation.

The only thing more expensive than mailing appeal letters is not mailing them, so get busy and mail them.