How do I get donations...?

Typically companies give donations to non-profits with tax numbers so they can write it off. However, it wouldn't hurt to go to a business in the city where the reunion will be held to solicit donations or a discount in exchange for advertising or promotion of their products. If you are expecting a large turnout, the company could benefit from this "free" advertising. I would try small businesses first, there's less red tape involved on their end. Another approach is to have your family members, friends, and family pay an attendance fee and you can draw a percentage from that (with full disclosure) to purchase prizes.

As for a letter use a format such as this one: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/templates/TC0101...

In it, be sure to reveal how many people you are expecting to turn out, what you want specifically (and quantity), date you would like to secure the item by, and what they will get out of donating to your reunion (think, again, free advertising). If you have a family website for the reunion, maybe they can post an ad there...think outside the box. Good luck!

Edit: What you're asking for is NOT fraud. A company can give a donation to any group or entity without a tax number, and you're not required to be "non-profit" to receive a donation. It's completely up to the company to decide if the donation will be beneficial to them (whether it is in the form of a tax write-off or not), or if they want to give out of the goodness of their heart (this is rare). People do this all the time and it's perfectly legal, just be upfront about what the donations will be used for.

Only a registered nonprofit organization with a tax exempt number can solicit donations. What you want to do is Fraud.

https://www.gofundme.com/kkcfp9wk

http://www.gofundme.com/5qw54esg