Aline Reed

A fundraising challenge to raise money for a legendary expedition

by Aline Reed

Aline Reed comes up with another gem of fundraising memorabilia, this from the roaring twenties. Click here to see a wonderful idea that raised the funds to reach the top of Everest for the first time.

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Great Ormond Street Hospital: Christmas mailing, from 1941

by Aline Reed

What an achievement for Great Ormond Street Hospital’s fundraisers during the Second World War, someone kept their mailing for 70 years.

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Heart and soul: Charles Dickens on the passion and power of fundraising

Children at a ‘ragged school’

by Aline Reed

‘Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.’ Charles Dickens.

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How the suffragettes became one of the most successful brands ever

by Aline Reed

You might be surprised to know that one of the most successful branding exercises ever was performed by the first suffragettes in Britain. They were, of course, notorious for their demonstrations of bravery, but also for the splendid ways they raised huge amounts of money to promote equality for women everywhere. One woman was so inspired that she donated £1000 a year – £80,000 in today’s value, to be paid until women were given the vote. You’ll find out lots more here.

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National Trust: recruiting members by the millions

by Aline Reed

Discover the story of Octavia Hill, an amazing fundraiser and co-founder of the highly successful and respected charity – the National Trust.

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Once upon a time…Oxfam and Remember Me

by Aline Reed

Aline isn’t too sure if the technology used in this great way to use stories to sell goods in Oxfam shops wasn’t a little too sophisticated. Anybody out there have any further information?

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Tank Banks: more sensational fundraising from the First World War

by Aline Reed

Now for something completely different: give a tank to thank your donors. Okay, this is a little cheeky, there aren’t many of us today who can give a tank as a special thank you. But we can create pride and excitement in our donors, just like the Tank Banks back in 1919.

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The Absent-Minded Beggar: bigger than Band Aid?

by Aline Reed

The first-ever fundraising song? If you thought Band Aid was the first fundraising song ever, this’ll surprise you. Aline Reed has been digging around in the past and discovered a much earlier version created by a rather illustrious team – Rudyard Kipling and Sir Arthur Sullivan (without Gilbert this time). It’s not exactly rock and roll, but did raise the equivalent today of £25 million.

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Unbound: the reinvention of an idea that flourished 200 years ago

by Aline Reed

This is a strange one. It the reinvention of an idea that was flourishing two hundred years ago, yet has left the notion of 'traditional' charities behind. Maybe even the sponsors don't see themselves as donors, but it's clear that this scheme contains all the ingredients of good fundraising – tangible need, a target, donor reward, donor recognition and the chance to support again.

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University College London: the ‘paper head’ Christmas appeal

by Aline Reed

It’s not surprising that University College London’s brief to bring philosopher and jurist Jeremy Bentham back to life to raise funds caused Aline Reed to, in her words, ‘frown, ask “you want me to do what” and generally feel rather puzzled for a number of days. But after undertaking some research she and Mark Phillips came up with the idea of a ‘ransom in reverse’. Intrigued? This exhibit reveals the fantastic results.

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What kind of advert would your supporters make, for you?

by Aline Reed

In this thought-provoking article, Aline Reed questions the power of big brands versus audience generated content in the world of advertising. Would you let your donors write and design your next advert?

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About the author

Aline Reed headshot

Aline Reed is a freelance copywriter and creative. She worked for fourteen years at Bluefrog, a London-based agency that specialises in fundraising, where she progressed from copywriter to creative director. She has written fundraising campaigns for all kinds of organisations – charities, museums, galleries and universities. Her work has successfully run internationally in the Netherlands, US, Australia, Ireland as well as the UK. Away from fundraising, she writes book reviews for the Sunday Express and blogs about books and travelling.