You will not know who you are writing to, as all information is kept confidential. This is to respect the privacy of people requesting a letter. Instead, we ask to write a generic letter of hope basing it around some key categories such as anxiety, depression, loneliness etc. These categories are listed on the volunteer hub, which you gain access to after you have registered as a volunteer.

When someone takes time out of their day to write a kind letter, it can be very hard to say the wrong thing! But rest assured, all Letters of Hope will be read and checked before being sent out to a recipient. Each recipient will also receive Mental Health Supports and some coping strategies with their letter. 

There are no restrictions on how long the letter must be. Every volunteer will have their own style of letter writing, whether it be short or long. Please write whatever is in your heart and it will be the perfect length.

A handwritten letter carries with it so many beautiful messages, such as I have taken the time to actually pick up a pen and write to you. We spend so many hours in front of a screen, that a handwritten letter sends a powerful message to the recipient that says, you matter, you are seen and you are cared for. There is something really special and personal in holding a letter and reading it. In light of this we ask that all letters are handwritten. If there is a reason this is not possible for you, please reach out to us directly as we are always happy to accommodate special circumstances.

Yes! You can absolutely reuse letters you've written before. We understand that it can be challenging to keep coming up with new messages, especially if you've already written quite a few. Each letter brings warmth and encouragement to someone new, so if you have messages that you feel are meaningful, feel free to rewrite them. Just make sure they’re as heartfelt and relevant as your first draft, and we'll ensure they reach someone who needs them.

Letters of Hope is very fortunate to have a stationery store on our website. Through this page, you can view the kindly donated stationery that is currently available and place orders for the stationery so that you can use it to write your Letters of Hope. This is completely free.

Once you have finished your letter (or letters), please send them to the Letters of Hope PO Box: Letters of Hope, PO Box 92, Varsity Lakes, QLD, 4227, Australia.

It is entirely up to you how you would like to send us your Letters of Hope. If you only have time to write one letter, then please send it to us. Every letter is appreciated, and every letter makes a difference. If, however, you have time to write a few letters and prefer to send them all at once this is great also. You may find, if you are an avid letter writer, it may be more cost effective to save them up and send in one bundle.

We aim to have your letter delivered within 6 weeks for recipients in Australia and 6-8 weeks for those in other countries. Please keep in mind that this timeline may vary slightly during our busier periods or depending on resourcing, but we’ll always do our best to get them out as soon as possible.

We always keep a steady supply of letters on hand, so we’re ready whenever a request comes in! Our storage allows us to have plenty of lovely letters waiting to be matched with someone who needs a bit of extra support. This way, we can ensure no one misses out on receiving a letter of hope when they need it most.

Volunteer hours can be claimed as long as you send the necessary paperwork for us to fill in. Once we receive your letters we will action the paperwork.

Unfortunately, Letters of Hope is still in its very early stages as a small charity, meaning we currently have a lack of funding to reimburse the postage costs for our volunteers. However, please feel free to send a batch of letters in one go to save on postage costs. Letters of Hope will fund all postage costs when distributing your letter of hope to its recipient.

YES your letter of hope will REALLY make a positive difference. When someone is going through a difficult time in their life, whether it be from anxiety, depression, social isolation, grief etc any small gesture of kindness, love or hope will make a positive impact. We have had many letter recipients contact us saying that their Letter of Hope was exactly what they needed on that day. It gave them a reason to keep going, to not give up and to know that there indeed is kindness out there in the world.

Our letter recipient survey shows that those who receive a Letter of Hope experience improved mood, an increase in helpseeking behaviours, and a number of recipients have also reached out to let us know that their letter saved their life.