By Joanne Fritz, About.com Guide
When asking for a donation, a gift-in-kind, or services from a corporation1, it is best to use a letter.
Corporations generally prefer a letter, spelling out exactly what you need, rather than a more formal proposal2 such as you would provide to a foundation3.
Some corporations do have application forms so do check to see if this is the case. A call to the corporate office that generally handles corporate giving will do to get this information, or a visit to the corporate website. Below is a fictional sample letter to a corporation requesting a gift-in-kind. I have used a format recommended by Beverly A. Browning, author of Grant Writing for Dummies, 3rd edition (Wiley
Publishing, 2009).
August 26, 2010
The Gravitas Neighborhood Senior Center
90123 S. Lindenwood Lane
Monsoon, IA 14399-5678
Phone: 485-312-4890
Fax: 485-312-4892
Email: GSC@monsoon.ci.ia.gov
Website: www.gravitassrcenter.org
Ms. Lauren M. Funder
Senior Vice President and Corporate Giving Officer
Cooper Restaurant Equipment Corporation
10903 Birdseye Terrace
Monsoon, IA 28281-7777
Dear Ms. Funder:
* Two hundred of the 425 people over the age of 65 who use our senior center are considered to be living below the state poverty level. Most of those receive their morning and noon meals through our meals program on site.
* In the past two years, the number of elderly living below the poverty level in Butler County, District 9, has risen 10% per year. Many of those have found their way to our Senior Center and to our daily meals program, where we serve nearly 300 breakfasts and lunches daily for a sliding fee based on income.
* The neighborhoods surrounding our senior center are primarily occupied by lower middle class families, the working poor, and older people living on modest fixed incomes in their own small homes, senior apartments, or with their adult children. The Senior Center is the only available safe environment for most, outside their homes, and they come nearly daily for companionship, recreation, and warm meals.
The Gravitas Senior Center is located in Monsoon, Iowa. The Center was founded in 1985 by the Butler
County Council for Aging, which serves a large elderly population throughout the county's 75 square miles.
The Gravitas Neighborhood Senior Center's mission is to provide a safe and nurturing environment to support the social, physical, and health needs of the neighborhood's elderly. Over 100 volunteers and four

full-time staff assist in the Center's daily programs and activities throughout the year. The Center offers several outstanding programs such as:
* Young Forever: An exercise program with subgroups of differing physical abilities. The groups range from dance classes to chair yoga to an outdoor walking program, using a 1/2 mile track on the Center's grounds, to water aerobics, in the Center's indoor pool, and gentle stretching routines for arthritis sufferers.
* Games for Brains: A program of games for varied interests and abilities encompassing computer games, trivia and puzzles to chess, checkers, and other board games. Several reading groups are included in this program as well as the Brain Olympics program delivered by faculty and students from the University of
Iowa.
* Lecture Me Now: A series of lectures and presentations by experts in longevity and aging, as well as entertainment ranging from films and staged performances by the Community Theater of Monsoon, to visits by groups of school children who sing, dance, and perform.
* Meals for Life: Serving a hot breakfast and a hot lunch that follow federal standards for age appropriate nutrition. In any given week, some 800 meals are served.
According to the May 2009 issue of the American Journal of Gerontology, older adults are 89% more likely to be physically and mentally active if they are afforded a safe and attractive place to congregate, and if they receive at least one nutrition-dense meal daily. The elderly in our community would not have these advantages were it not for the work of the Gravitas Community Senior Center. Many, who live at or below the poverty level, would never receive a nutritious meal, much less two in one day.
In fact, many of the neighborhood's elderly would find themselves isolated and without safe opportunities to exercise, to socialize, or to use their mental capacities beyond watching television. We are open six days per week from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. to help feed and offer social opportunities as well as facilities for proper exercise of mind and body to the otherwise underserved elderly population of our neighborhood. The warmth and laughter within the Center's walls attest to the pleasure and health afforded by the Senior Center to our elderly population.
Unfortunately, our meals program is threatened by dilapidated and outdated appliances. As the Center's
Executive Director, I am writing to you to request a gift in kind of a commercial stove and refrigerator manufactured by your company.
Not only is your company located in Monsoon, Iowa, not far from our Senior Center in the Gravitas neighborhood, your commercial kitchen equipment is known for its durability and functionality. I know because I've done extensive research into kitchen equipment, and your company's products stand out.
I have been particularly impressed by your Model 68B2 commercial stove and oven, as well by your 98 cubic foot, model 583J refrigerator. Both of these appliances would work well for our center considering the number of meals we prepare and the number of people we serve.
Should your company be able to help our Center, you will have contributed more than just equipment. Your company will be a major partner in providing a healthy life for more than 400 elderly people each week.
The result of your help and our services means that the elderly, many of whom are poor, of our community can live engaged, alert, and physically active lives as long as possible. These elders should never be considered excess baggage, but valued members of our community as long as they live.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this proposal, and please do not hesitate to contact me at 485-
312-4890 with any questions about this request. We are badly in need of new kitchen equipment and hope to begin the new year with it in place.
Hoping for your partnership,
Janice Head, M.A.
Executive Director
Gravitas Neighborhood Senior Center
Attachment: annual report, program brochure, and letter from the City of Monsoon
P.S. As I was writing this letter to you, I received a call from the family of an elderly woman, desperate to find a safe place where their mother, recently arrived from New York, could find other people her age to meet in her new community. I was able to assure them that their mother would find a welcoming community right here at the Center, as well as many programs that would keep her healthy, active, and alert. I could hear the relief in their voices as they made an appointment to bring their mother to the Center on Monday morning for introductions and a tour.
[The P.S. is optional, but if included, could be handwritten for a more personal effect.]
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