Individual donors

What would fundraising be without donors? And what would SOFII be without a special area devoted to nurturing and developing donor relationships? Within this special space SOFII has selected and assembled a glittering array of specialist showcases in which we display a treasure trove of examples of the art and science of donor relationship development.

The hashtag - I wish I’d thought of that

by Alfredo Botti

Social media and fundraising go hand in hand, and these days there is one little symbol with the power to connect thousands of people to your cause. Of course, it's the hashtag. But why has the hashtag gone from being a neglected key on our keyboards to one we just can't afford to ignore? 

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The Connection at St Martin’s: Donate Locate

by Georgia Bridgwood

The Connection at St Martin’s ‘Donate Locate’ app is a way to help someone living on the streets when donors feel most compelled to give – the moment they see him, or her. The app will locate the person they want to help and they can make a donation confident that it is going to the right place.

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The Collection Tin

by Sam Butler

Different ways to raise money for charities nowadays are seemingly endless. Yet the humble collection tin continues to stand silently by thousands of tills in shops, pubs, or in the hands of generous volunteers. Click here to see a variety of collection boxes from years passed and be astonished at the amazing amount of money raised.

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‘Humbert’ heartfelt message appeal

by Craig Linton

Humbert was created by Humber River Hospital not only to raise money but to celebrate the generosity and kindness of their donors.

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Creating extraordinary experiences for donors

by Simone Joyaux

SOFII’s expert on board development, Simone Joyaux, takes us on a different journey. Don’t just give your donors what they think they want, she says, give them something outside their wildest dreams, give them something that makes them go ‘WOW!’

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Donor-centred fundraising – are you prepared to take a leap of faith?

by Jackie Fowler

Giving donors choices and allowing supporters to opt out of fundraising appeals are hotly debated topics in the UK right now. But one well-known UK charity has been practising both of these supposed heresies for nearly 30 years now. 

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Let’s keep in touch… What happened next

by Rachel Hunnybun

Rachel Hunnybun used to receive wonderful communications from a charity she supports, some even moved her to tears. Now they have become mediocre and dull. What on earth went wrong? Do you think it’s because they lost sight of their values when staff moved on?

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StreetDoctors: helping victims of crime

by SOFII

When two young medical students were talking to a group of 11 to 16 year olds they were shocked to learn that either the youngsters, or someone they knew, had been shot or stabbed. That shock led to Streetdoctors, a charity that has fundraising embedded across the entire organisation.

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Let’s keep in touch

by Rachel Hunnybun

Does your organisation miss simple opportunities to talk to your donors? Click here to see what happened when Rachel Hunnybun contacted her favourite charities to tell them she had moved home.

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Lessons from a charity shop

by Laura Croudace

Do you think that charity shops are not ‘pure’ fundraising, in fact, aren’t fundraising at all? During a stroll in the sunshine, Laura Croudace came across a charity shop that, in her words, ‘blew me away’. Click here to see how and why she thinks we could all learn from FARA’s approach to running shops.

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Forcing or forging a relationship? Part 5: what’s your real message? Or, how to be relevant

by Charlie Hulme

Do you really know your donors? Do you know why they give you money? Does it matter? Yes, says Charlie Hulme. If we want to keep our donors so expensively recruited we have to make sure our messages are relevant to what they want. We can’t do that if we don’t know what that is.

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Why I support 12 different charities

by Laura Croudace

How can you learn and improve if your training budget is titchy? Get out and donate says Laura Croudace, who wants a steady stream of fundraising pouring through her letterbox because she learns so much from it. And all those donations are still cheaper than most seminars and workshops.

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