Sample Wording and Responses
Online Donation Forms
Copy/paste/customize responses to common donation form questions below.
Important: read the answers you are pasting in, edit as needed, and remove redundant sentences from multiple answers. These blurbs help us use the same talking points, but questions differ per form, and some content is repeated in these responses, so please edit as necessary to avoid repeating yourself throughout a form.
About Our Organization
Organization's Name
James Denman PTSA
Tax ID/EIN
90-0914298
Year PTA Was Organized
2012
Organization's Email
auction-team@denmanptsa.org
Organization's Address
Denman PTSA Auction
241 Oneida Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94112
Main Website
https://www.denmanptsa.org
Event Website
https://auction.denmanptsa.org
What is the number of people your organization serves annually?
1100
(Explanation for volunteers: ~810 students + ~40 teachers + ~40 other staff + ~150 Facebook followers + ~120 Instagram followers + ~130 groups.io members, knowing some parents are repeated.)
What is your mission? (Older, based on existing verbiage on website)
To build on the many strengths of Denman by supporting the teachers and staff who make our school a shining star among the middle schools in San Francisco. Through the generous financial support of family, alumni, and friends, the PTSA supports Denman in its mission to provide each student with an equal opportunity to succeed.
What is your mission? (Newer, based on guidance on writing a mission statement)
Our mission is to build community and enhance learning experiences for students at Denman Middle School by providing staff with funding for supplies, materials, books, teaching apps, trips, student clubs, and more.
What is your demographic?
Our grade 6–8 student body is highly diverse with over 90% minority enrollment: 50% are Hispanic, 14% Asian, 11% Filipino, 8% White, 5% African American, 7% two or more races, and remaining are Pacific Islander, American Indian, or not reported. 48% are female and 52% male. 26% qualify as English learners, 3% are homeless, and 20% have disabilities. 63% live in socioeconomically disadvantaged households.
Family and friends who support our fundraising event generally reflect the demographic makeup of our students, though those who are able support financially tend to be more White, higher income, and college educated.
Describe your overall fundraising efforts
Our PTSA raises $25,000–$30,000 annually. Our largest fundraiser is our Denman Pride Fund annual ask campaign, raising $23,000 through donations and corporate matching. Food sales at events and third party give-back programs account for about $5,300. We hope our auction raises at least $2,500, or 10% of our annual budget. Finally, about $700 comes from membership dues. We work year-round, and it takes a load off our backs to receive your support!
About Our Event/Donation Request
Event Name
Denman PTSA Auction
Event Type
Online auction
Event Date
4/7/2025 at 10am to 4/18/2025 at 10pm
April 7–18, 2025
Online Auction Catalog
https://32auctions.com/denman25
Financial Goal
$2,500
Estimated Attendance (i.e., Participants)
100
What would you like us to donate?
While we are grateful for anything you can offer, we would love to receive gift certificates or gift cards between $25 and $500 in value.
(Explanation for volunteers: we are prioritizing gift certificates and gift cards since we do not have storage space or volunteer power to manage large tangible donations. To avoid having items outside our audience's price range, we're aiming for donations below $500 in value unless they are amazing vacation stays or plane tickets, etc. To avoid cluttering our catalog with too many low value donations, we're aiming for donations above $25 in value. Consider our middle school demographic before soliciting donations that worked for elementary school, since many of those cater to preschool and elementary students, but some families don't have younger siblings.)
Tell us why
Denman Middle School in San Francisco serves a diverse and dynamic community, committed to developing social and academic skills along with the core values needed to be successful citizens. With 90% minority enrollment and 60% of 814 students from socioeconomically disadvantaged households, we lean on support from outside our school to offer the best educational experience possible. Our PTSA aims to raise $2,500 through a 12-day online auction to fund resources for staff and experiences for students. Our funds are used for family engagement, supplies, books, sensory materials, teaching apps, and tailored opportunities through grants for grade-level camping trips, graduation, student clubs, and more. These initiatives enrich the learning experience for our vibrant community, and your gift would have a significant impact.
Donors will be promoted in our online auction catalog with a logo and up to 4 product images and listed on our auction info website, auction.denmanptsa.org, separate from the catalog. Thanks for your consideration!
Describe your event (one-liner)
Online auction running for 12 days to raise $2,500 for students at our Title I school
Provide a brief description or summary of your request, 500 character limit
Denman Middle School in San Francisco serves a diverse community, with 90% minority enrollment and 60% of 814 students from socioeconomically disadvantaged households. Our PTSA aims to raise $2,500 through an auction to fund family engagement, supplies, books, sensory materials, teaching apps, and tailored opportunities through grants for grade-level camping trips, graduation, student clubs, and more. These initiatives enrich the learning experience for our vibrant community.
How does your event serve youth?
Proceeds will provide staff with supplies to teach students effectively; fund program grants that enhance students' intellectual and social-emotional learning; and support community building.
• SUPPLIES: We supply $100–200 per classroom teacher to fund supplies, incentives, and learning resources, which directly benefit students and their learning environment.
• PROGRAM GRANTS: We earmark over $20,000 for grant requests submitted by staff members who best know the needs of their class, club, or school group. Examples of program grants we have funded include books, classroom supplies, arts and crafts, sensory materials, teaching applications, field trips, camping, graduation activities, and materials for student clubs.
• COMMUNITY BUILDING: We believe that kids thrive when there is an active community, including family members. To that end, we facilitate communication between the school and families, supply refreshments for various school events, and host gatherings like a summer picnic, Bingo Night, and beautification days.
72% of what we spend goes back to students and families, and the rest goes toward staff support and operations. No one is paid on the PTSA.
How will we be recognized? (simple)
Donors are promoted in our online auction catalog with a logo and up to 4 product images. We attempt to list donors on our Facebook and Instagram pages as well.
How will we be recognized? (detailed)
Donors are promoted in our online auction catalog with a logo and up to 4 product images and listed on our auction info website, auction.denmanptsa.org, separate from the catalog. We try to list donors on our Facebook (149 followers) and Instagram (119 followers) pages as well.
Sponsors who donate cash to offset the cost of the auction are listed on the online auction catalog's home page in 4 tiers: Platinum ($500+), Gold ($250+), Silver ($100+), and Contributor (Up to $100). Sponsors are also listed on the front of our auction info site auction.denmanptsa.org, separate from the catalog.
Email or Contact Forms
Copy/paste/customize the template below to email a business that does not have an online donation request form, or offers only a "Contact Us" form.
Remember to attach the donation letter/form or include the link to the donation letter/form if attachments are not enabled.
IMPORTANT: Text that’s bold with brackets [like this] and/or IN ALL CAPS must be replaced with your own wording.
Dear [COMPANY/PERSON’S NAME],
My name is [YOUR NAME] and I'm [the (NAME OF OFFICE) or "a volunteer"] with the James Denman PTSA in San Francisco, inviting you to support our students and public education by donating to our fundraising auction held online from April 7–18. We would be honored if you were able to contribute to our cause.
Denman Middle School is a diverse and dynamic school community, committed to developing social and academic skills along with the core values needed to be successful citizens. Your donation will provide staff with supplies and grants needed to teach effectively and enhance intellectual and social-emotional learning. With over 90% minority enrollment and more than 60% of our 814 students living in socioeconomically disadvantaged households, we are one of the most diverse schools in the city, so your gift can have a significant impact. Your contribution will also help us connect families through hosted events and social media.
Would you kindly consider donating [SUGGEST A DONATION HERE]? [Optional sentence that connects you to this business.]
To donate online, please visit https://forms.gle/xSA386s6AdKPq4eL6 or return the attached form with your donation. We'd be happy to receive your gift through April 4. Any e-certificates, digital logos, or images can be sent to auction-team@denmanptsa.org.
Donors will be promoted in our online auction catalog with a logo and up to 4 product images. We are a 501(c)(3) organization, tax ID 90-0914298, and donations are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
Thank you for your consideration!
With Gratitude,
[YOUR NAME]
[Your role, like "2025 Auction Team Volunteer" or "Parent of a 6th/7th/8th-grader"]
[YOUR EMAIL AND/OR PHONE]
More info: https://auction.denmanptsa.org
Official donation letter and form: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Xyh7L4AwfIshqo9gBK1dBMiUmQp05T0u/view?usp=drive_link