This ad appeared in The Observer on 8th November 1964. Oxfam, the leading charity in the UK in the 1950s and 60s, is indeed recruiting a very special individual. Unquestionably sexist in its approach (though perhaps forgivable given the standards of the age) we think this may well be the ad that recruited legendary fundraiser Guy Stringer. See this exhibit.

SOFII believes that fundraisers can learn a lot from their history, and we’ve already unearthed some instructive treasures from the dawn of fundraising. Visit SOFII’s fundraising archive showcase.

But there’s still a huge amount of great material just waiting to be discovered, commented upon and added. As the ad above suggests, it needs someone special to do this. And we may have found just the right person.

Mark Phillips, founder of the Bluefrog agency, is also a passionate lover of fundraising history and an enthusiastic collector of and learner from the great fundraising of yesteryear. You can read about Mark’s searches here.

So when Mark offered the chance to share some of his gems with SOFII readers, we leapt at it. He’s promised to share all the great ads and direct mail that he showed in Holland at the thirtieth IFC in October 2010, and much more besides.

All of which enables SOFII to make the following special announcement.

Coming soon: an illustrated journey through time, with commentary by Mark Phillips, especially for SOFII users. The charming ad above from RSPCA is just a taster.