Case

As a vice president of the financial services company Greenlight Financial, you serve many clients, and they sometimes ask your company to contribute to their favorite charities. You recently received a letter from Jennifer Ramirez asking for a substantial contribution to the National Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Association. On visits to your office, she has told you about its programs to recruit, train, and support volunteers in their work with abused children. She is active in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex as a CASA volunteer, helping neglected children find safe, permanent homes. She told you that children with CASA volunteers are more likely to be adopted and less likely to reenter the child welfare system.

You have a soft spot in your heart for children and especially for those who are mistreated. You sincerely want to support CASA and its good work. However, times are tough, and you can't be as generous as you have been in the past. Ms. Ramirez wrote a special letter to you asking you or your company to become a key contributor, with a pledge of $2,500.

Task

Write business letter that maintains good relations with your client, Jennifer Ramirez. Address it to Ms. Jennifer Ramirez, 4382 Swiss Avenue, Dallas, TX 75214.

Check the format of block-style letters in Module 4 and pages 530 and 531 in your textbook. As you plan and write a letter, consider the following points:

1. Find a tactful, professional way to inform Jennifer Ramirez that you or your company can't be a key contributor this year.
2. Decide whether to use a direct or indirect approach.
3. Present clear, pertinent facts using the information available in the case. You may make up logical, necessary information.
4. Write clearly, concisely, and professionally.
5. Evaluate your letter using the negative news checklist (PDF) Download negative news checklist (PDF)before submitting it. Be sure to proofread your letter to avoid spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

Use this checklist to evaluate your negative-news letter. You formatted your letter using the block style. See pp. 530-531 in your textbook. Your letter looks like a professional document and not like an academic paper (e.g., single space and no paragraph indentation). The message includes an appropriate salutation. The message includes an appropriate complimentary closing. The letter doesn't include a signature block. You use the direct or indirect organization correctly. The message focuses on the audience (\"you\" attitude). You follow the recommended format for negative news letters. The main idea is clear but de-emphasized. Each paragraph includes a topic sentence. You include all the necessary information. The information is organized into points that are internally coherent. You eliminated extraneous information. Paragraphs have $100 words. The sentence structure is simple and straightforward. Sentences average 15 words. You use positive, natural-sounding, and concrete vocabulary. Your message is concise (no redundancies such as "refer back\" or wordiness such as "there + be\" or \"it is + adjective + that/to\"). You use a professional tone and avoid casual expressions. You avoid fragments (incomplete sentences). You avoid dangling modifiers. You use parallel structures. Topic-specific headings, if used, enable readers to scan the message quickly. Lists, if used, are correctly formatted and help readers understand the information. Appropriate use of contrast, repetition, alignment, proximity, and white space makes the message look clean. The message doesn't have spelling, grammar, capitalization, or punctuation mistakes. You pay attention to small details (e.g., spacing between words)