How to Write Business Letters Requesting Financial Assistance

Professionals are more likely to assist you financially if you follow proper protocol and send a request letter.

Whether you're a student seeking financial aid or an executive looking for monetary support for your start-up company, the most professional way to make such a request is to write a formal business letter. As with all business letters, your letter requesting financial assistance must be properly formatted and brief, showing respect for the recipient's time. The content you include should make the recipient aware of and sympathetic of your reasons for making the request without delving into too much detail.

Instructions

1. Start a document with your company's letterhead at the top. If you do not have a letterhead, center the text on the first line and type a single-spaced header with your name, address, phone number and email address. Double space and type the current date.

2. Left-justify the text and type the inside address, single-spaced. This includes the recipient's name, title, company name and address. If you are requesting financial assistance from an organization, do the research necessary to discover who will be considering your request and address your letter to that person in order to make a personal connection.

3. Greet the recipient with a salutation that uses the appropriate prefix and her name, such as "Dear Ms. Wright." Write an introductory paragraph that explains who you are and what company you represent (if applicable). State that you are writing to request financial assistance, and explain exactly what the assistance is for, such as a new client project or to fund research.

4. Write the body of the letter and explain why you need financial aid for this project or situation. Do not go into personal detail, such as accidents or family issues. Focus the body on the positive benefits that will come from the financial aid. For example, explain what your project or research is for. If there is a benefit to the recipient for assisting you financially, mention what that benefit it is this paragraph.

5. Write the concluding paragraph and indicate what the next step in the process will be, such as a phone call, meeting or if you have included financial aid forms for the recipient to fill out. Thank her for her time and consideration.

6. Type a formal closing salutation, such as "Sincerely," followed by your name. Print the letter and sign your name about your typed name.

References

• Writing Help Central: How to Write a Hardship Letter
• University of North Carolina: Business Letters