David Hickman, the executive director of CharlotteONE, in Charlotte, N.C., has never written a direct-mail fund-raising letter before.

And he’s looking for your suggestions.

Mr. Hickman, who runs a nonprofit ministry group that reaches young adults and singles in Charlotte, has put together a draft letter and is hoping for some recommendations from Chronicle readers.

Below is a draft of Mr. Hickman’s letter. Please post a comment to share your (constructive) feedback.

Dear «First_Name»,

Every day young adults and singles are faced with life-defining decisions. Many are deciding which career path to pursue, whom they should marry and where they should live. However, according to the latest research, a vast majority of young adults are also deciding to walk away from Christ and the local church.

According to the Barna Research Group, young adults and singles across our nation are leaving the Christian faith in staggering numbers. Their research shows that close to 70% of twentysomethings, although spiritually active during their teenage years, want little or nothing to do with Christ or the local church as young adults. Because of this, America is now home to 24 million unchurched young adults and singles ages 16-29.

The effects of this spiritual pandemic are not only felt nationally but also locally as countless young adults and singles in the Charlotte area have been negatively affected as well.

Because of your past financial support, CharlotteONE has been able to help thousands of young adults and singles in the metro area reconnect with Christ and the local church. On Tuesday nights in Uptown, close to 500 young adults gather together as ONE for dynamic worship, Biblical teaching and authentic community.

Thank you for supporting our vision of seeing the young adults and singles of Charlotte come to know the love of God through Jesus Christ!

However, we need your continued support as we seek to fulfill this vision in our city for years to come.

The Board of Directors and I are currently in the process of raising our operating budget for the upcoming 2009 winter/spring, which runs from January – December. Our goal is to raise $64,000 by the end of this year. This amount includes staffing, programming and ongoing operating expenses.

Enclosed, we’ve included a giving slip that has different support options available. Please pray through and select an amount you would like to give towards the above goal and insert the slip in the enclosed prepaid envelope and place it in the mail! It’s that easy! Online giving is also available at www.charlotteone.org.

Thank you again for your generous support for what God is doing through CharlotteONE! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!