PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM

LETTER WRITING GUIDELINES

2016-2017
Introduction
Avoid These Common Errors/Step 1: Draft
Template #1
Template #2
Template #3
Step 2: Proofreading Check-list
Step 3: Check Your Signature
Step 4: Hard Copy
Step 5: Review & Step 6: Keep Writing!
Lined Paper

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For questions about these guidelines, please email Meredith at [email protected].

For more stationery, please go to the Alumni Center Front Desk.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR STEWARDSHIP OFFICERS:

When you submit your materials, DO NOT submit an incomplete set. If you know that some letters or
postcards will be late, email Meredith. We prefer for the entire set to be late than for the materials to
be separated. That said, please make EVERY effort to ensure that all your materials are submitted on
time.

Page 1 of 11
Remember: Letters are due by 5pm at the Alumni Center on the last day of your groups session!

INTRODUCTION
Thank you for participating in The Stanford Fund Partnership Program. The Partnership
Program allows student organizations to earn money for group initiatives by thanking donors who have
contributed to The Stanford Fund (i.e. stewardship hours).
The Stanford Fund
The Stanford Fund is Stanfords annual fund for undergraduate education. All money raised directly
supports undergraduate life. The president of the university allocates all contributions each year
according to current priorities, but always across three specific areas: financial aid, undergraduate
academic initiatives and student groups. Examples of funded initiatives include OpenXChange, Stanford
in New York, Stanford in Washington, Cardinal Service, and many more. Stanford puts great emphasis on
the undergraduate experience, and TSF plays a central role.
The Partnership Program
The Partnership Program was formed in 1995 by representatives from the Office of Development, the
Dean of Students Office, and the ASSU. Through this program, any registered student organization can
earn group funds to help finance activities, programs, and Stanford community projects. The programs
primary goal is to centralize funding so that groups have a common resource when it comes to
fundraising. The Stanford Fund devotes approximately $500,000 each year to student groups.
The number of stewardship hours your group is assigned is directly correlated to the amount of funding
your group receives. The Partnership Program offers multiple ways to fulfill stewardship hours. The
options include writing letters and postcards to thank donors, working at Stanford events, and more.
Members of your group decide how many of your group's stewardship hours will be fulfilled through
writing letters or postcards.

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE
NEW THIS YEAR!
This year, we will be providing student groups with three templates from which to choose. The
templates are found in these guidelines. Each member of each student group should have an electronic
copy of these guidelines. Each student can begin as soon as he or she receives the guidelines, the list of
donor names and the stationary from his or her TSF Coordinator. Please read the entirety of the
guidelines before writing.

YOU MAY CHOOSE ANY OF THE THREE TEMPLATES PROVIDED!

Please read through all of the guidelines before you begin writing. The templates allow for flexibility,
creativity and personalization. Use good judgement when sharing stories.

If you were a TSF donor, what would you like to read from a student?

Page 2 of 11
Remember: Letters are due by 5pm at the Alumni Center on the last day of your groups session!

AVOID THESE COMMON ERRORS

1. Failing to mention the three major categories that The Stanford Fund supports: financial aid,
undergraduate academics, and student groups.
2. Spelling and grammar errors, especially in the signature or salutation.
3. Dating the letter implicitly or explicitly.
4. Directly connecting a donors gift to your student group (ex: Your gift has allowed us to).
Such a statement is not necessarily true and falsifies your information.
5. The Stanford experience example isnt specific enough.
6. Writing below the caption or above the header.
7. Incorrect signature format.
8. Using a different pen for the donor name, or the donor name being obviously written in after
the rest of the letter.
9. Gift solicitation. Referring to a donors gifts, plural, can suggest solicitation of further gifts.
Mentions of future gifts or continued support will also result in denial of the letter.
10. Failing to capitalize the T in The Stanford Fund.
11. Failing to include the gift month (Your December gift to The Stanford Fund).
12. Illegible handwriting.
13. Cross-outs or excessive ink smudges.

GRAD STUDENTS PLEASE READ

Please write from the perspective of an undergraduate student. The Stanford Fund is an annual
fund for undergraduate education. We selectively fund student groups that are primarily
undergraduate students. Although you are benefitting from the funding as well, our donors
have chosen to invest in Stanfords undergraduate education and should receive stewardship
from that population. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

STEP 1. Choose a template & draft a letter

Choose one of the following three templates. Type up a draft of your letter, including all of the
bolded text and filling in all of the red blanks with your personal information, stories, etc. Be
creative and authentic. Most importantly, be grateful!
Key:
All black bolded words should be included. FILL IN THE RED BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE
INFORMATION. The italics provide additional information or suggestions.
Page 3 of 11
Remember: Letters are due by 5pm at the Alumni Center on the last day of your groups session!

TEMPLATE #1: ACADEMIC

Dear DONORS SALUTATION ,
My name is FULL NAME , and I am a CLASS YEAR (i.e. senior) at Stanford
University majoring in MAJOR . Thank you for your DONATION MONTH gift to The
Stanford Fund. Donations to The Stanford Fund help support financial aid, undergraduate
academic initiatives, and student groups. SENTENCE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DONORS .
Choose one or write your own: Donors like you help to make the undergraduate experience
exceptional and meaningful OR Gifts like yours help make Stanford a wonderful place for
students like me to live and learn OR Your generosity has allowed students like me to take
advantage of the many opportunities offered at Stanford.

As a MAJOR major, I BRIEFLY DESCRIBE YOUR MAJOR (1-2 SENTENCES) ..

Example for guidance please write your own: As a public policy major, I have been challenged
to evaluate policy options and outcomes, which has been especially fascinating in this election
year. One of my favorite courses was FULL NAME OF COURSE . (Write Programming
Methodology, not CS106A) I particularly enjoyed SOMETHING YOU LIKED ABOUT THE
CLASS .

I am also a member of STUDENT GROUP , one of the many student groups

supported by The Stanford Fund. IN 1-2 SENTENCES, EXPLAIN WHAT YOUR STUDENT GROUP
DOES AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU .

Thank you again for your support of undergraduate life at Stanford. (Feel free to write
your own appropriate closing thank you).

Sincerely,
SIGNATURE (FIRST & LAST NAME IN SCRIPT) .
FIRST & LAST NAME PRINTED , CLASS OF GRADUATION YEAR , MAJOR (IF DECLARED) .
Page 4 of 11
Remember: Letters are due by 5pm at the Alumni Center on the last day of your groups session!

TEMPLATE #2: FINANCIAL AID

Dear DONORS SALUTATION ,
My name is FULL NAME , and I am a CLASS YEAR (i.e. senior) at Stanford
University majoring in MAJOR . Thank you for your DONATION MONTH gift to The
Stanford Fund. Donations to The Stanford Fund help support financial aid, undergraduate
academic initiatives, and student groups. SENTENCE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DONORS .
Choose one or write your own: Donors like you help to make the undergraduate experience
exceptional and meaningful OR Gifts like yours help make Stanford a wonderful place for
students like me to live and learn OR Your generosity has allowed students like me to take
advantage of the many opportunities offered at Stanford.
CHOOSE THE APPROPRIATE FOLLOWING RESPONSE:
1. I would like to especially thank you for your support of financial aid. As a scholarship
recipient, WRITE 2-3 SENTENCES ABOUT THE IMPACT OF FINANCIAL AID ON YOUR STUDENT
EXPERIENCE Do NOT imply that this donor is responsible for YOUR financial aid. Please refer to
your appreciation of financial aid and donor generosity in general and how it has impacted your
experience. Use phrases such as donors like you

OR
2. I would like to especially thank you for your support of financial aid. 1-2 SENTENCES
ABOUT HOW FINANCIAL AID IMPACTS THE UNDERGRADUATE EXPERIENCE AT STANFORD .
You can mention how some of your friends may not be here without it and/or how you benefit
from the diverse student population in the classroom, etc. Please speak in general terms
regarding financial aid and donor generosity.
I am also a member of STUDENT GROUP , one of the many student groups
supported by The Stanford Fund. IN 1-2 SENTENCES, EXPLAIN WHAT YOUR STUDENT GROUP
IS/DOES .
Thank you again for your support of undergraduate life at Stanford. (Feel free to write
your own appropriate closing thank you).
Sincerely,
SIGNATURE (FIRST & LAST NAME IN SCRIPT) .
FIRST & LAST NAME PRINTED , CLASS OF GRADUATION YEAR , MAJOR (IF DECLARED) .
Page 5 of 11
Remember: Letters are due by 5pm at the Alumni Center on the last day of your groups session!

TEMPLATE #3: TSF SUPPORTED PROGRAM

(ONLY if you participated in any of the listed programs)
Dear DONORS SALUTATION ,
My name is FULL NAME , and I am a CLASS YEAR (i.e. senior) at Stanford
University majoring in MAJOR . Thank you for your DONATION MONTH gift to The
Stanford Fund. Donations to The Stanford Fund help support financial aid, undergraduate
academic initiatives, and student groups. SENTENCE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF DONORS .
Choose one or write your own: Donors like you help to make the undergraduate experience
exceptional and meaningful OR Gifts like yours help make Stanford a wonderful place for
students like me to live and learn OR Your generosity has allowed students like me to take
advantage of the many opportunities offered at Stanford.

I was fortunate enough to participate in TSF SUPPORTED PROGRAM , a program

supported by The Stanford Fund. (Choose one: Leland Scholars Program, Cardinal Service,
Designing Your Life, Stanford in New York, or Stanford in Washington) A FEW SENTENCES
EXPLAINING YOUR POSITIVE EXPERIENCE WITH THE PROGRAM, WHAT YOU LEARNED, A
FAVORITE MEMORY, ETC. .

I am also a member of STUDENT GROUP , one of the many student groups

supported by The Stanford Fund. IN 1-2 SENTENCES, EXPLAIN WHAT YOUR STUDENT GROUP
DOES AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU .

Thank you again for your support of undergraduate life at Stanford. (Feel free to write
your own appropriate closing thank you).

Sincerely,
SIGNATURE (FIRST & LAST NAME IN SCRIPT) .
FIRST & LAST NAME PRINTED , CLASS OF GRADUATION YEAR , MAJOR (IF DECLARED) .
Page 6 of 11
Remember: Letters are due by 5pm at the Alumni Center on the last day of your groups session!

STEP 2. Proofreading Check-list

Content
DONT emphasize The Stanford Fund support of only your student group.
DO mention that The Stanford Fund supports many student groups, including yours.
DONT date the letter implicitly or explicitly; there can be a delay in sending letters.
DO use terms like recently, upcoming, and annual.
DONT connect the donors gift directly to your student group, as it may not be accurate.
DO use terms like donors like you.
DONT solicit gifts from the donor with terms like your continued support or by referring to
multiple or future gifts.
DO reinforce the importance of annual giving by thanking the donors for the gift they have
already given.
DONT simply state that The Stanford Fund directly funds travel for your group.
DO emphasize that you are representing Stanford.
DONT assume that the donor is an alumnus(a) unless the donor list identifies him/her as a
young alum. Some donors did not attend Stanford.
NEVER state the amount of money that you or anyone else receives or give the full name of any
financial aid recipient.
ALL information you write must be true.

Tone & Style

DONT use acronyms or abbreviations such as LGBT, Chem 31X, or BOSP without spelling them
out first.
DO write the full name of any program, course, or location you use as an example.
DONT say I do not receive financial aid, but If youre not on financial aid but want to tell a
story about someone you know,
DO jump right into the example without clarifying your personal status.
Good faith attempts at solid letters are expected. Tone should be friendly, sincere, formal, and
respectful.
DO use positive and sincere examples.

Spelling & Grammar

Correct spelling and grammar is very important in writing an acceptable letter.
The Fund is not an appropriate abbreviation for The Stanford Fund.
The T in The Stanford Fund must be capitalized for branding purposes.
DONT use myself and yourself instead of me and you.
DO write donors like you and students like me instead of donors like yourself.
No more than 4 cross-outs or areas with blotchy ink per letter. A letter with three cross-outs and
one blotchy area will be allowed, but a letter with three of each will not.

Page 7 of 11
Remember: Letters are due by 5pm at the Alumni Center on the last day of your groups session!

STEP 3. Check your signature

Signatures must be aligned to the LEFT of the page and include your name, class year, and major. Follow
the format below, substituting your own information. The printed name, class year, and major should
take up one line unless the length of the major forces you to add an additional line.
For most signatures, use:
Sincerely,

If Undeclared, use:
Sincerely,

John Doe

John Doe

John Doe, Class of 2014, Human Biology

John Doe, Class of 2016

For Double Majors, use:

Sincerely,

Jane Smith
Jane Smith, Class of 2013, Comparative Literature and Physics
(make sure to write out the word and instead of using an ampersand.)

Page 8 of 11
Remember: Letters are due by 5pm at the Alumni Center on the last day of your groups session!

STEP 4. Hard Copy

Now that youve written (or typed) your draft, write your first letter on the stationery provided. A typical
letter will look a lot like the one below. You may not copy this template word for word!
Letters must be handwritten. Print the lined paper on page 9 of this packet to help you write with
straight lines and reasonable margins.

Use ONLY blue or black ink.

Use only the
word Dear
before the donor
name and a
comma after the
donor name. No
variations
allowed.

Write below
the logo.
Writing should
be a readable,
reasonable size.
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Smith,
My name is Jane Doe, and I am a junior majoring in Earth Systems.

No errors in
your personal
information
are allowed.

Im writing to thank you for your May gift to The Stanford Fund. Donors
like you help make Stanford a wonderful place to live and learn.
The majority of money given to The Stanford Fund helps support
scholarships and undergraduate academics. One of my favorite courses
was a seminar titled Designing the Authentic Life. We learned to apply
the principles of design thinking to our career plans. Im now looking

Use
reasonable
margins.
The signature
section must
be aligned
with the left
margin. No
mistakes are
allowed in
this section.

forward to life after Stanford and feel confident in what awaits!

Im a member of Swingtime, Stanfords only lindy hop performance

Lines must not

be extremely
slanted or
crooked.
Use the same
pen and
handwriting
throughout the
letter. If your
pen runs out of
ink, you should
start over.

group and one of the many organizations supported by The Stanford

Fund. The group is like a family to me, and rehearsal never fails to put a
smile on my face. We have so much fun both on and off stage!
Your gift has contributed to an incredible experience that is uniquely
Stanford. Thank you again for suport supporting undergraduate life.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
Jane Doe, Class of 2014, Earth Systems
Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center 326 Galvez Street Stanford, CA 94305-6105
T: 650.723.9618 800.227.8977 F: 650.723.7543 http://thefund.stanford.edu

Do not write
below the
caption.

If you make a
mistake, use
one or two
lines to cross it
out. Then write
the correct
word next to it.
Do not use a
carat ^ to
insert missing
letters or
words.

Page 9 of 11
Remember: Letters are due by 5pm at the Alumni Center on the last day of your groups session!

STEP 5. Review
Now that youve written your first letter, double check it using the checklists on the previous pages so
that you dont write 30 copies of a bad letter. In addition, consider the guidelines about length below to
make sure that your letter meets the requirements. Lastly, check over your letter again using the list of
most common errors.
Length
If your letter is only one page long, the body should fill 75% of the page. Your signature does not count
as part of the body. If the body of the letter looks too short, then chances are there is not enough
content or your handwriting is too small.
If your letter is more than one page long, please write on the back of the first page. Do not use more
than one sheet of paper per letter. Your signature may not be the only thing on the back of the page. At
least one full sentence must accompany the signature.

STEP 6. Keep writing!

Write the rest of your letters! Take your time and remember how important these letters are to our
donors! As indicated before, were strict on spelling and grammar. Content-wise, we expect sincere,
solid examples. But we dont expect essays. Youre writing the donors a friendly note to thank them for
supporting undergraduate life and to tell them a bit about your Stanford experience. If you do this,
youll be fine.

THANK YOU!
We really do appreciate the work that you put into these letters. Sometimes we get letters back from
Partnership letter recipients. If we receive such a response to one of your letters, we will make sure that
it gets to you or your group contact.
What donors say
Honestly, sometimes I find it hard to give money to Stanford because it is such a wealthy place in
many ways. It helps to hear how that money nurtures you and your classmates minds, hearts and
sense of self.
Im sure that you seldom get responses to your thank you letters, but we want you to know that
we appreciated your contact. Its nice to hear from beneficiaries of our gifts. It makes contributing
to The Stanford Fund that much more gratifying. Alum 62, M.S. 63
Delighted to receive your letter thanking me for contributing money to The Stanford Fund. I did not
expect such a fine letter, and your thoughtful hand will only encourage me to make future gifts.
I further appreciate that in todays ubiquitous utilization of computer-generated text (such as this),
she took the effort to write by hand.

Page 10 of 11
Remember: Letters are due by 5pm at the Alumni Center on the last day of your groups session!

LINED PAPER
Print this page and place it under your stationery. Itll help you write in straight lines and keep your
margins constant!

Page 11 of 11
Remember: Letters are due by 5pm at the Alumni Center on the last day of your groups session!