This is good, thanks for sharing Kathy! If people are interested in staying local, they could also consider connecting with some of the community leads at their local/regional United Ways and community foundations. Getting a writing/communications skillset in front of those orgs — as they often have great inroads with nearby nonprofits — can be a boon, and also create one closer layer of connectivity. It's a bit more elbow grease, and could encourage a both/and approach to the prospecting letters.