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Sample Letter to a Friend or Family Member Requesting Support for a Non-approved Health Charity

Dear <Friend or Family Member>:

I admire your hard work and preparation for the upcoming <event> as well as your compassion for people suffering from <disease>. As a friend, I fully support your efforts and your dedication to helping others.

I want to let you know that I have recently revised my contributions to exclude organizations that fund experiments on animals and those that do not carry the Humane Charity Seal of Approval. <Charity> is not, unfortunately, an approved Humane charity. For many donors, whether or not a charity funds animal research is a key concern. I know this is a very sensitive issue for many people, and I hope that you respect my decision to support only charities that are committed to providing direct services and care to patients and/or to funding state-of-the-art, non-animal research, education, and prevention programs.

Although I can’t support the foundation’s research policies, I still want to support you and, generally speaking, the very important cause that you are <walking/running/etc> for. Here are a few of my ideas about other ways that I could show my appreciation for your efforts. I am willing to:

• Make a donation in your honor to a similar organization that has the Humane Charity Seal of Approval
• Make a donation in your honor to a local organization that provides services and care to patients and their families
• Buy your next pair of running shoes to help you train for the <non-animal research funded> event

I will happily contribute $<amount> in your name and in honor of your wonderful energy through any of the ideas above or suggestions of your own.

Complete information about the Humane Charity Seal of Approval and a List of Approved Charities can be found at www.HumaneSeal.org. The Humane Seal will help you to recognize health charities that are committed to human-based research and programs and maintain the highest humane standards.

Sincerely,
<Name>