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.

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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Forcing or forging a relationship? Part 4: how to manage a relationship

by Charlie Hulme

Everything you do has an influence on your donors' connections with you. This in turn helps or harms their commitment to you. Charlie Hulme has already shown how to measure this, now he shows you how to take it a step further and actually manage the relationship.

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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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Forcing or forging a relationship? Part 3: how to measure a relationship

by Charlie Hulme

You are only nine questions away from unlocking enormous value from your current donor file. Nine questions that represent the beginning of the end of inevitable donor churn.

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The unconventional fundraising gallery

by SOFII

SOFII loves to celebrate all that is good about fundraising: what we can learn from and replicate. At the same time, we like something quirky, even controversial. So we were delighted to hear about the Good Agency's gallery of unconventional fundraising. Click here to see the first four nominations.

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Toilet Twinning

by SOFII

The radical concept of toilet twinning brought at least 300 smiles to the audience at IWITOT. John Bird of data experts Blackbaud says its success is because it directly explains the cause and, obviously, has strong links to aspects of the donor's life that make it relevant. The beauty is, some elements are easily transferable to other charities.

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Forcing or forging a relationship? Part 2: what makes a relationship?

by Charlie Hulme

If Pret A Manager, Pizza Express, or Starbucks were losing even half the amount of customers as we are they’d go out of business, says Charlie Hulme. And here he explains how we can be even better at customer, or rather, donor service than they are – and keep our donors from deserting us.

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Does thanking really work?

by Laura Croudace

Thanking should be fun, colourful, vibrant, exciting and, above all, personal, says new, enthusiastic fundraiser Laura Croudace.

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NSPCC’s thank-you mailing

by SOFII

This bright, colourful direct mail pack is a winner all of itself. With the delightful, powerful booklet as well it couldn’t fail to inspire donors to send their own messages and, indeed, send in another donation to the cause they love.

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Forcing or forging a relationship? Part 1: understanding your donors

by Charlie Hulme

This, the first of a three-part feature by Charlie Hulme, managing director, DonorVoice UK, kicks off an important new series for SOFII. Based upon evidence and experience rather than theory and opinion, Charlie’s first article spells out the crucial necessity of really understanding what your donors want from their relationship with you and your cause.

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What kind of experience does your donor encounter when making an online gift?

by Pamela Grow

Pamela Grow shares some easy lessons you can steal and pitfalls you can avoid from the best, and worst, of donor experiences.

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Less pessimism about the fundraising climate but…

by Andrew Papworth

Andrew Papworth reports on the latest Managing in a Downturn and you’ll be pleased to learn that although things are still tough, there is a less pessimism about the fundraising climate. Even better is that individual giving continues to be an important part of fundraising in the UK (and elsewhere too, no doubt).

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