Enquiry Letter | Format, Sample and How To Write An Enquiry Letter?

Enquiry Letter

Nonprofit organizations often depend on fundraising, and letters of inquiry can be crucial to obtaining funding from donors. Writing a letter of inquiry is one of the first steps a nonprofit can take to obtain grant funding from a foundation. If your company requires funding to complete meaningful projects and solve problems, it could be helpful to learn how to write an effective letter of inquiry. In this article, we explain what a letter of inquiry is and how to write one, and we also provide an example letter of inquiry to guide you when you write yours.

How to write a letter of inquiry

An effective letter of inquiry includes a few key components. Here are six steps to write a great letter of inquiry:

1. Start with an introduction

The introduction of your letter of inquiry serves as an executive summary of your letter. Your introduction can include your name, position and organization, as well as a brief description of your organization’s project and the amount of funding you are requesting. Additionally, you can mention how your project is relevant to the funder’s interests, which can make them more receptive to granting your request.

2. Describe your organization

Following the introduction, the next paragraph of a letter of inquiry often includes a concise description of your organization. You can include some background information and an overview of your staff and their qualifications. Be sure to convey a clear plan your organization has and how it would benefit from the funding you’re requesting. You can do this by listing a few projects your organization has already completed successfully.

3. Include a need statement

Write a need statement that explains the reason your organization has requested funding by including statistics such as demographic studies. It can be helpful to include concrete examples of the problem you want to solve. For example, your organization may have identified a need in your community to offer better transportation options for children to get to and from school. You could provide evidence to show that this is a problem by listing statistics such as how many school buses are currently operating or how many buses are out of service.

4. Provide a need solution

After the need statement, write a paragraph that includes your need solution—a clear description of how your organization plans to respond to the need you’ve identified. Describe your project, including the progress you’ve already made and your project’s major objectives. Additionally, you can describe the outcomes you expect your project to achieve.

For example, if you want to improve children’s school transportation options, the main outcome of your project might be to ensure that every child gets to school in a timely fashion. One of your specific objectives for the first six months could be attaining funding to buy a new school bus.

5. List other funders you’re approaching

It can also be useful to include a brief list of other entities your organization has contacted for funding, such as government entities or other donors. Additionally, you can include information about any funding you’ve already received and how much more money you require to reach your funding goal.

6. Conclude with a summary

Finally, close your letter of inquiry with a brief summary, in which you can restate the main points of your letter. Additionally, be sure to thank the recipient for their consideration and include your contact information. If a funder has requested any additional attachments, you can include them at the end of your letter.

Letter of inquiry example

Dear Ms. James,

My name is Maria Caba, and I am writing to you on behalf of Hope and Community Pride. Because of Community Help Foundation’s history of helping create safe communities, we think you might be interested in our Hope and Community Pride Recreation Center project. We hope you will consider reading our full proposal, in which we respectfully request a grant of $100,000.

Hope and Community Pride is a nonprofit organization focused on improving the quality of life in our communities through building new, community-oriented facilities and hosting community-building events. In the past year, we have completed a new park and outdoor event center in our neighborhood.

We have now noticed a need in our community for a recreation center. Currently, our neighborhood and surrounding communities have no recreation centers, so children often play in the street or at decaying playgrounds.

We believe that creating our Hope and Community Pride Recreation Center will offer children in the area a safe place to exercise, play and interact with other community members. We have already purchased the property for our recreation center, so the next step is the construction of the recreation center. Our objectives in the next 12 months include:

  • Completing the design and construction of Hope and Community Pride Recreation Center.
  • Hiring recreation center staff, including coaches, supervisors and maintenance employees.
  • Advertising the recreation center in newspapers and on social media.
  • Organizing activities and establishing a date for a grand opening.

We expect the total cost of our design and construction process to be $3.7 million. We have already obtained $3.6 million in funding from the city government’s development funds, as well as other donors. Your grant of $100,000 would allow us to reach our total funding goal and make the Hope and Community Pride Recreation Center a reality.

We are very excited to move forward on this project that will make our community safer and more fun for children, and we hope that your foundation will contribute. If you have any questions, please contact me at (678) 231-5267 or mariacaba@hopecommunitybuildersatlanta.org. We thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Maria Caba
Campaign Fundraising Manager
Hope and Community Pride