The direct mail, door drops and household deliveries showcase

Congratulations! You’ve just found the world’s best and biggest collection of fundraising direct mail, right here on sofii.org. There are more than 160 detailed case histories and articles here for you to learn from, crib from, adapt or copy. And lots more besides. Enjoy!

Click here for the full contents and index for SOFII’s direct mail showcase. 

The summary report of the Commission on the Donor Experience into direct mail fundraising can be found here.

St. Patrick’s Home of Ottawa Foundation: ‘One Song’ direct mail

by John Lepp

This warm direct mail appeal has it all. Using great copy and simple and effective design, the appeal begins a beautiful conversation with each donor. Unsurprisingly, the results and emotional responses from supporters of St. Pat’s prove that taking time to craft a special appeal can really pay off. Dive in and get inspired before writing your next appeal.

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National Trust for Scotland: ROOTS regular giving campaign

by Joe Nicholson

For membership organisations, recruiting regular givers isn’t always easy – but with a beautiful new regular giving product, the National Trust for Scotland certainly succeeded.

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Mennonite Central Committee Canada: Tigray, Ethiopia crisis appeal

by BuildGood

Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) Canada wanted to help refugees of the Tigray crisis in Ethiopia, but they’d only just finished an appeal for victims of the war in Ukraine. Would their kind donors be willing to give again so soon? Find out what happened next, here.

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Rainforest Rescue: ‘You can help build the Daintree’s largest nursery’

by Karl Tischler

Discover how a small but visionary environmental charity exceeded all expectations when it came to both fundraising and planting more trees.

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Meals on Wheels San Francisco: ‘Deliver Hope’ Giving Tuesday appeal

by Clay Buck

Clay Buck was vaguely sceptical about Giving Tuesday, but then a campaign came along that changed his mind. It took the Giving Tuesday ethos and turned it into something very special – and here’s how. 

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Medical Aid for Palestinians: Two Christmas appeals, one wish for Palestine

by nick mawer

In this case study Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) share how they built on great donor relationships to power not one but two Christmas campaigns in just a month. Keep reading to find out how they did it and discover the surprising results!

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SAVE FINZ: Emergency direct mail appeal

by Joe Burnett

Facing difficult financial straits due to coronavirus, the Fundraising Institute of New Zealand launched an unprecedented matched funds appeal and brought in support from all around the world.

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Life Education Australia - Healthy Harold the giraffe business appeal

by Steve Thomas

With a target audience of only a few hundred prospective donors, fundraising expert Steve Thomas and Life Education brought in thousands of Australian dollars with this iconic campaign.

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The Canadian Lung Association: Santa Door Drop

by Steve Thomas

It’s the simplicity of this door drop that really makes it a hit. And a Canadian classic no less! By recreating the ruddy cheeks, red garb and big beard of the classic Coca-Cola Santa, Steve Thomas and Ross Reid gave donors something familiar and fun to latch onto.

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University of Sheffield: Direct mail – the longer the better? Two page vs. four page letters

by Heather Clement

How the University of Sheffield drew on best practices to challenge their own preconceptions and achieve markedly improved results.

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Jerry Huntsinger: 80-years young

by Gwen Chapman

Jerry Huntsinger celebrated his eightieth birthday in July 2013. Since 1965, there has never been a year when he hasn’t had at least one control package being mailed nationally by a major nonprofit organisation. What an achievement.

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Centennial Parklands Foundation Transplant Appeal

by Alex France

With consistent artistic content across multiple platforms and a great community approach, the Centennial Parklands Foundation made a real impact on raising awareness of their organisation's needs, with exciting results.

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