Dear SOFII friend,

SOFII is delighted to announce that Bloomerang, a leading donor-management software company based in Indianapolis, USA, has joined us as SOFII's newest ‘business partner’. Bloomerang helps nonprofit organisations to reach, engage and retain the advocates they depend on to achieve their vision for a better world. Their sponsorship will enable us to add more unique content to our website so that more fundraisers around the world can conduct ethical and inspirational fundraising campaigns that have been influenced by SOFII.

Bloomerang believes in the value of life with a mission and we applaud the choices nonprofit organisations make to improve the world. We share this belief with SOFII, which is an increasingly important resource for fundraisers all over the world. We are delighted to sponsor SOFII in its mission to showcase fundraising inspiration and innovation and to help to ensure it remains a free international fundraising resource for all.

Jay Love, co-founder and CEO, Bloomerang

SOFII’s unique fundraising information content is provided at no cost to an average of 14,000 users every month from all corners of the world. There is no other permanent, easily accessible archive of effective fundraising which shows what works and what doesn’t, that catalogues and displays fundraising communications excellence and effectiveness.

Thanks to Bloomerang’s generous support we’ll be adding a wide diversity of new content and expanding our campaigns, not just to grow our archives and improve how fundraisers access all the great content already there, but also to galvanise fundraisers around the world in a new approach to fundraising that puts integrity at its heart. We invite other generous sponsors to join Bloomerang as an important part of securing SOFII’s future.

Ken Burnett, managing trustee, SOFII

Support like this will help us to add new content and expand SOFII’s reach to thousands more fundraisers around the world.  SOFII welcomes more involvement from individuals and businesses who believe in the future of SOFII.  Fundraisers need a place where, regardless of their age, location or experience, they can meet and learn on an equal footing.  For more information or to make a donation please contact Sue Kershaw, development director sue@sofii.org

Warm regards,

Sue Kershaw

Development director

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Dear SOFII friend,

Happy New Year from SOFII.

To kick off 2017, we launch a new series focusing on the use and misuse of emotion in fundraising, in partnership with the Commission on the Donor Experience. Our first contributor is Dr Kiki Koutmeridou, resident behavioural science strategist at DonorVoice in the USA. In her excellent and informative article she looks at the use of emotions in fundraising from a behavioural science point of view and asks a crucial question: when do emotions in fundraising backfire?

We will be following Dr Koutmeridou’s article with several other contributions from a range of experts in coming weeks, all looking at how to make the best use of emotion when communicating with donors, so keep a look out for more soon.

We also bring an exceptional campaign from the fundraising team at the UK’s Durham Cathedral. Winner of the Institute of Fundraising’s Most Innovative Fundraising Campaign Award (sponsored by SOFII), the Durham Cathedral in LEGO® project made inventive use of buy-a-brick fundraising, raising £300,000 to go towards the cathedral’s amazing Open Treasure project, nearly a third of the £1m required. An engaging and innovative project that deservedly features in this first update of 2017.

Stay tuned for more from the use and misuse of emotion series, plus our reports on last year’s fantastic IWITOT in London and the first iteration of Alan Clayton’s series on fundraising innovation. 2017 is already shaping up to a bumper year for great fundraising content on SOFII.

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

Part three of the 2016 SOFII advent calendar takes us all the way up to Christmas Day, with some excellent case studies, from past and present, and terrific advice from some of the world’s most respected fundraisers. We hope you enjoy it.

19 December

A treasure preserved for 70 years: Great Ormond Street Hospital’s 1941 Christmas mailing

20 December

Virtual gifts that keep on giving from ActionAid, in a campaign only Father Christmas will dislike!

21 December

The David Suzuki Foundation put a humorous twist on the campaign to combat climate change by asking supporters to help save Santa Claus.

22 December

Who can say no to this campaign, as StreetSmart’s partner restaurants offer customers the chance to add a donation to their bill to fight homelessness? Fundraising innovation at its best!

23 December

Steven Dodds and Claire Jones from DMS give SOFII readers an insightful guide into how fundraisers can learn from street artists.

24 December

How do we make donors feel really special and how do they want to see us? SOFII asks the big questions all fundraisers should consider and comes up with some important advice.

25 December

UNICEF Sweden reignite the spirit of Christmas with some humorous and original takes on the nativity and a delightful visit to ‘The House of Goodness’.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all our readers!

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

P.S. It’s not too late! Enter Roger Lawson’s fun annual quiz to raise money for SOFII and win £50 for the charity of your choice.

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Dear SOFII friend,

We’ve once again delved into our archive to bring you a collection of inspirational SOFII Stars, this time focusing on great fundraising writers. From George Smith to advertising legend David Ogilvy via Indra Sinha and Karin Weatherup, we’ve gathered the best fundraising writers together to share their unique insights and advice.

SOFII’s I Wish I’d Thought Of That — IWITOT for short — event returns to London this week, and so to whet your appetite, here are some highlights from previous IWITOT events:

Fundraising from beyond the grave, presented by Alison McCants.

Adrian Salmon presents David Ogilvy’s letter to New York commuters in support of the United Negro College Fund.

Jason Potts on the RNLI’s brilliant interactive live launch map from the first IWITOT Toronto.

Catherine Cottrell hails the remarkable success of the ‘no-makeup selfie’ at IWITOT London 2014.

In London in 2015, Matthew Sherrington took attendees back in time to tell the story of a groundreaking  Oxfam campaign.

We crossed the pond again in 2015, this time to Baltimore, where Derrick Feldmann presented Liberty in North Korea’s autumn campaign.

We can expect more gems to surface at today’s IWITOT as well, and can’t wait to share them with you.

Kind regards,

Carolina

SOFII project manager

P.S. If you need a fundraising inspiration top-up then why not watch all the proceedings of today’s IWITOT in London on our livestream? Subscribe to SOFII’s YouTube channel here. So even if you can’t join us on the day, you can hear from 18 of the British fundraising sector’s best and brightest as they share fundraising ideas that inspire them. So just sit back and soak up the learning.

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PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Monday 28th November 2016

SOFII is delighted to announce that Agents of Good, a leading marketing and communications agency based in Ontario, Canada, has come forward as SOFII's newest ‘business partner’.  Agents of Good has helped Canadian non-profit organisations raise many millions in the last seven years.  This sponsorship will help to ensure that SOFII remains a valuable, relevant and free international fundraising resource for all.

SOFII is transforming the way fundraisers around the world learn and share with each other. Innovation and inspiration are at the heart of fundraising and communication strategies from Agents of Good and we are delighted to help ensure that SOFII can continue to grow.  We believe that SOFII is a very important part of the future of fundraising and are proud to be a part of it.

                                                         John Lepp and Jen Love, co-founders, Agents of Good

SOFII’s unique fundraising information content is provided at no cost to an average of 12,000 fundraisers every month, in all corners of the world. There is no other permanent, easily accessible archive of effective fundraising which shows what works and what doesn't, that catalogues and displays fundraising communications excellence and effectiveness.

We are very grateful to Agents of Good for their support. By sponsoring SOFII they are helping to provide fundraisers with easy access to innovative ideas so they can make a real difference for the causes they serve. We look forward to working with other generous sponsors who we are sure will want to join Agents of Good as an important part of SOFII's future.

                                                              Ken Burnett, managing trustee, SOFII

Support like this will help us to add new content and expand SOFII’s reach to thousands more fundraisers around the world.  SOFII welcomes more involvement from individuals and businesses who believe in the future of SOFII.  Fundraisers need a place where, regardless of their age, location, or experience, they can meet and learn on an equal footing.  For more information or to make a donation please contact Sue Kershaw, development director, SOFII at sue@sofii.org.

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Dear SOFII friend,

This week, we wrap up our four-part report from Ask Direct’s Summer School conference in Dublin. We can only give you a teaser of Alan Clayton’s talk because we’re working on a fantastic series with him for the near future, but we were also treated to a closing plenary by SOFII founder Ken Burnett.

Ken announced that a fundraising revolution is coming, and that we can all be a part of it. Events of the past two years have damaged the sector’s reputation, but Ken, working with the Commission on the Donor Experience, is determined to set that right and establish a pathway to making fundraising better for the future.

Kind regards,

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

Former Rapp Collins Milan copywriter Eleonora Terrile provides us with another great case study from Italian charity Cesvi (Cooperazione e Sviluppo). Inspired by the words of HIV-positive child Nkosi Johnson at the International AIDS Conference in Durban in 2000, they launched the first fully integrated fundraising campaign in Italian history. Called ‘stop AIDS at birth’, it covered mailings to prospects and donors, radio, print and TV adverts, events and even SMS. Their aim was to raise money to help HIV-positive pregnant women get access to medication and to promote awareness among the women’s local communities.

In Washington, DC, environmental advocacy group Ocean Conservancy have successfully deployed a smart and well-designed pop-up widget for their planned giving micro-site, created for them by specialist agency MarketSmart. The widget is programmed to expand rightward on the webpage when users click ‘let us know’. This encourages digital dialogue among website visitors to help uncover hidden legacy gifts and generate fundraising leads.

We’ve also updated our SOFII’s what-to-watch page with three new excellent video campaigns that will tug the heart strings, give you a shock and encourage new ways of thinking and giving. [link]

Kind regards,

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

 P.S. ‘I Wish I’d Thought Of That’ is all sold out now. Thank you to everyone that bought a ticket, you’ll be helping to replenish SOFII’s sadly depleted coffers and treating yourself to an afternoon of fundraising inspiration. If you wish you’d thought to buy a ticket, follow @SOFIIisHOT #IWITOT on Twitter.

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Dear SOFII friend,

In the third part of our report from Dublin, we cover a brilliant panel debate on the serious gender imbalance in fundraising. Even in a sector dedicated to improving the world, there is still a significant pay gap between men and women and too few women in leadership or boardroom roles. Niamh Ferris, Simone Joyaux, Rory Green and Jen Love explore the difficulties women face and provide inspiration and tools to pu things right. We also bring you a report on Norwegian website expert Beate Sørum’s insightful presentation.

We also have an excellent new case study from Italy. One of the country’s largest international aid and development NGOs, Cooperazione e Sviluppo (co-operation and development), or Cesvi, took advantage of their president stepping down to send a simple, effective and personal letter to their 5,000 most loyal donors to thank them for their support and advise them of the change of president. Without asking for more donations, they reminded their donors of the good work they had contributed to over the years and solidified the relationships for the future. And even though they didn’t ask they did raise some money.

Kind regards,

Carolina

P.S. On Wednesday 30th November in London, 18 fundraising practitioners from across the spectrum will each have 7 minutes to present a fundraising idea that they admire or envy at I Wish I’d Thought Of That. Tickets are selling fast. Get yours here.

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Dear SOFII friend,

On the 1^st and 2^nd September SOFII travelled to Dublin to attend the Ask Direct Summer School, one of this year’s most inspirational world class fundraising seminars. We were treated to thought-provoking, intriguing and engaging sessions by some of the sector’s leading lights. This week we present the first part of our series of reports on the Summer School, covering Ask Direct founder Damian O’Broin’s rallying call which introduced Mark Phillips’ electrifying opening plenary presentation, during which Mark asked the leading question: what is wrong with fundraising today? The answers he provided are great examples on how our sector can perform better for our donors and beneficiaries.

We’ve also added a superb case study featuring SolarAid’s BBC Radio 4 appeal. In 2013, when given the opportunity to be included in this prestigious appeal, SolarAid brought in renowned author Ian McEwan, a passionate supporter of the cause, to deliver the plea and outline the great work SolarAid does. Three years later they were invited back, and again worked with Ian McEwan to not just appeal for more funds but also provide donors with feedback on how their earlier donations had helped transform the lives of African villagers.

Warm regards,

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

P.S. Tickets for I Wish I’d Thought Of That (IWITOT) London 2016 are now on sale. Eighteen fundraising gurus, sector leaders and rising stars each present one killer fundraising idea that personally inspires them.  If you’ve already been, then we hope you’ll come again.  If you haven’t been to one yet, then don’t miss out. Click here.

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Dear SOFII friend,

Have you ever seen some great fundraising and thought to yourself, ‘I Wish I’d Thought Of That’?

This highly successful event with the unfortunate acronym of IWITOT regularly sells out and is firmly established as part of the fundraiser’s lexicon. An inspiring afternoon of fundraising ideas that worked. A cornucopia of fundraising gurus, sector leaders and rising stars are getting ready to take the stage for seven minutes each. Eighteen game-changing fundraising ideas. You can find the case studies from previous IWITOTs here.

The ethos of IWITOT is perfect for SOFII – the spreading of great fundraising ideas and the encouragement of young, fresh, untested talent.

Have you ever been to I Wish I’d Thought Of That?

If you’ve already been, then do please come again.  If you haven’t been to one yet, and you can travel to London, don’t miss out this time. 

The date: Wednesday 30th November 2016

The time: 13:30 – 17.00 pm (followed by a drinks reception)

The venue: Amnesty International Human Rights Action Centre, 25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA

Don’t miss out! Tickets are now on sale here.

Sue Kershaw, development director.

P.S. SOFII speaks your language - SOFII en español. Thanks to our brilliant volunteer translator Alhelí Quintanilla from Daryl Upsall Consulting International , we have just added some brand new content for our Spanish speakers.

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Dear SOFII friend,

This week SOFII brings you a very important case study outlining how leading UK environmental charity Friends of the Earth responded to last year’s negative media storm around fundraising. After the death of 92-year-old regular donor Olive Cooke many tabloid newspapers quickly –and wrongly- declared that she had been driven to commit suicide by receiving constant requests for money from charities. Despite the claims being denied by her family, it has left a stain on the reputation of fundraisers in the eyes of the public that continues to have repercussions. Friends of the Earth were quick to realise the gravity of the situation and took the bold step to send a letter and e-mail to thousands of their supporters asking a simple question: “Are we getting it right?”. By being open and honest with their donors about the negative media coverage and providing an opportunity for them to express themselves freely via a large open box, Friends of the Earth were able to quickly assess how they were perceived by their supporters and improve areas that needed to be better.

We also have a wonderful emotional mail-out from The Redwood, a shelter and support charity for women and children escaping domestic abuse based in Canada. Agents of Good, who were hired to produce The Redwood’s annual gratitude report, decided to interview the charity’s beneficiaries and chose the story of a woman called Ana, who had been helped by The Redwood to escape her abusive husband. Choosing to relate Ana’s story in her own words and nothing more, they created a report that was direct, simple and emotionally-affecting.

Warm regards,

Carolina

SOFII project manager

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Dear SOFII friend,

We recently sent you an email and I have to confess that I made a small but critical error – I used a wrong donation link. I feel just awful and I’m kicking myself for the mistake.

So I hope you don’t mind that I’m resending the email. This time with the correct link. Below is the email in full again.

You’re receiving this email because you’re a SOFII subscriber and it’s probably safe to assume you’re a fundraiser – a conscientious one who wants to do the very best for your cause, or causes.

I very much hope SOFII helps you to do that, just as it helps many other fundraisers throughout the world, who may not be in a position to give money to support us.

If SOFII is giving to you, can you give something back?

The number of people using SOFII has grown enormously since we first started but sadly it’s all happening at a time when our funding is reaching crisis point.

To keep SOFII free, I need your help. Yes, yours.

For a small charity like SOFII having a regular income can make such a difference when it comes to planning future projects and maintaining momentum for on-going work.

Any gift you’d like to give to SOFII is much appreciated, but donating by direct debit is such an easy way to help. A small contribution every month can add up to substantial support over the months and years.

We all need to know how much we’ve got coming in, so we know how much we can spend – and it’s exactly the same for SOFII and our work helping fundraisers to change the world.

The more we can plan ahead, the more we can look to the future by building and preserving a unique record of the history of fundraising and campaigning for social change. And keeping it  free, for the benefit of all.

SOFII gives fundraisers from all around the world the knowledge and inspiration they need to raise more funds for their important causes. Fundraisers like these:

‘It’s a unique and wonderful organisation, and transformative for all of us hard-pressed fundraisers. … Little bursts of inspiration landing in the Inbox. Fab!’ – Marketing & Fundraising Manager, Pulborough, UK

‘I have to tell you that SOFII is one of my favourite resources. The work you guys do to help charities all over the world is truly inspiring.’ -  Campaign Associate, Toronto, Canada

‘Love your work and I look forward to applying the knowledge in there in my new role.  Thanks heaps for all you do. ‘– Fundraising Manager, Auckland

‘I was very happy to find the site as it was exactly what I've been looking for recently as someone who is a few years into their fundraising career and really keen to learn as much as I can about best practice to push my effectiveness to the next level.’ – Development Manager, Dublin, Ireland

If you live in the UK, please click here to give your support to SOFII now.

If you live outside the UK, please click here.

Thank you.

Ken Burnett, Founder, SOFII

I hope you’ll forgive my slip-up and that you’ll understand why we felt it was important to send the appeal message again.

Regards,

Carolina, project manager, SOFII

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Dear SOFII friend,

You’re receiving this email because you’re a SOFII subscriber and it’s probably safe to assume you’re a fundraiser – a conscientious one who wants to do the very best for your cause, or causes.

I very much hope SOFII helps you to do that, just as it helps many other fundraisers throughout the world, who may not be in a position to give money to support us.

If SOFII is giving to you, can you give something back?

The number of people using SOFII has grown enormously since we first started but sadly it’s all happening at a time when our funding is reaching crisis point.

To keep SOFII free, I need your help. Yes, yours.

For a small charity like SOFII having a regular income can make such a difference when it comes to planning future projects and maintaining momentum for on-going work.

Any gift you’d like to give to SOFII is much appreciated, but donating by direct debit is such an easy way to help. A small contribution every month can add up to substantial support over the months and years.

We all need to know how much we’ve got coming in, so we know how much we can spend – and it’s exactly the same for SOFII and our work helping fundraisers to change the world.

The more we can plan ahead, the more we can look to the future by building and preserving a unique record of the history of fundraising and campaigning for social change. And keeping it  free, for the benefit of all.

SOFII gives fundraisers from all around the world the knowledge and inspiration they need to raise more funds for their important causes. Fundraisers like these:

‘It’s a unique and wonderful organisation, and transformative for all of us hard-pressed fundraisers. … Little bursts of inspiration landing in the Inbox. Fab!’ – Marketing & Fundraising Manager, Pulborough, UK

‘I have to tell you that SOFII is one of my favourite resources. The work you guys do to help charities all over the world is truly inspiring.’ -  Campaign Associate, Toronto, Canada

‘Love your work and I look forward to applying the knowledge in there in my new role.  Thanks heaps for all you do. ‘– Fundraising Manager, Auckland

‘I was very happy to find the site as it was exactly what I've been looking for recently as someone who is a few years into their fundraising career and really keen to learn as much as I can about best practice to push my effectiveness to the next level.’ – Development Manager, Dublin, Ireland

If you live in the UK, please click here to give your support to SOFII now.

If you live outside the UK, please click here.

Thank you.

Ken Burnett, Founder, SOFII

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Dear SOFII friend,

This week, SOFII showcases a bold and adventurous campaign by The HIV/AIDS Alliance called ‘We Come Together’. In the most risqué TV advert ever broadcast on UK television, late at night, of course, they celebrated safe sex and prompted viewers to visit a bespoke website where they could buy a cheeky safe sex kit, the profits from which would go to the global battle against AIDs. Please note this case study contains explicit content. Viewer discretion advised. The video in this exhibit is sexually explicit so please don’t view it if you are likely to be offended.
 
We also have two excellent contributions from Canada

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 If this message is not displaying correctly, click here to see it on line.

Dear SOFII friend,

SOFII dedicates itself to bringing the best fundraising campaigns currently taking place across the globe, but there is also a wealth of examples of past campaigns that continue to inspire and excite. These are our SOFII Stars and this latest edition focuses on fantastic fundraising events.

We all remember the Ice Bucket Challenge that swept the world two years ago, with even celebrities and politicians joining in to get soaked in freezing water, nominate their friends and help contribute to the fight against Motor Neurone Disease (ALS). This year, the millions raised by the campaign produced a significant breakthrough: the ALS Association announced that, in part thanks to donations from the Ice Bucket Challenge, a new gene that is a cause of the disease has been identified, allowing for focused drug development. This is big news, and a reminder that viral campaigns like this can have real beneficial impacts.

Here are some other major events on SOFII:

Our focus is not, however, solely on major events that capture the imagination and attention of major airwaves and people on social media platforms. There are other great campaigns all around the world focusing on less-recognised causes and in communities that do not get much of the limelight. These smaller events have had a real impact, raising money above and beyond what was expected, in locations as diverse as India, Canada and, um, Southend-on-Sea.

And we don’t just concentrate on the recent past. Here’s an example of a truly successful and innovative campaign from way back in the 18th century:

For whatever cause and regardless of budget or scope, events like these are marvellous ways to raise awareness of your causes and the money to make a real difference. We are proud to include these campaigns as part of our SOFII Stars.

Kind regards,

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

P.S. Tickets for I Wish I’d Thought Of That (IWITOT) London are now on sale. Twenty fundraising gurus, sector leaders and rising stars each present one killer fundraising idea that personally inspires them.  If you’ve already been, then we hope you’ll come again.  If you haven’t been to one yet, then don’t miss out. Click here.

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Dear SOFII friend,

SOFII has always championed inspiration in fundraising. Inspiration helps you kick-start a new surge of growth.

It is how you find the simple, powerful ‘Why?’ that unites your organisation behind its fundraising and doubles, triples or even quadruples your income. It drives your impact and creates a culture of whole organisation fundraising.

It is the essential feature of great fundraising.

So SOFII is delighted to announce ‘Inspiration by SOFII,’ a joint venture with Alan Clayton Associates that will help you fire up your leadership, organisation and donors to ever greater action and financial results.

Featuring big ideas, innovation and examples of revitalised cultures, ‘Inspiration by SOFII’ will demonstrate examples of great fundraising from across the globe, helping you find inspiration and showing you how to communicate that inspiration creatively, with maximum impact.

To deliver inspiration directly to you SOFII is delighted to unveil this special service at the Great Fundraising Organisations seminar in London on Monday 12 September. In this brand-new event, internationally renowned motivational speaker Alan Clayton shares his top tips on how you can raise more money, grow your fundraising substantially and create an organisation where everyone is inspired to drive and support fundraising. You can book your tickets here.

We are lucky enough to have three tickets to Great Fundraising Organisations to give away. To win your ticket send 500 words to sue@sofii.org by Tuesday 06 September, answering the question:

‘What makes a great fundraiser?’

Organisations that deliberately create and refresh their inspiration are the ones that grow and succeed long term. We hope that ‘Inspiration by SOFII’ will give you fresh ideas and motivation to achieve great fundraising for you, your teams and your cause.

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

Urgent appeal on behalf of Scott Richards, a fundraiser jailed in Dubai

Fundraising for worthy causes should never be a crime.

Scott Richards, a British-Australian volunteer fundraiser has been charged by Dubai authorities for “fundraising without permission”. His crime? Sharing a link on Facebook to promote a fundraising campaign for Afghan child refugees. In what world is wanting to raise money for needy children considered a prison-worthy offence? Dubai, apparently, and Scott now faces a potential sentence of up to a year. SOFII has therefore created a petition on Change.org to pressurise Theresa May into personally intervening to ensure his release. 

http://sofii.org/news/help-nee...

STOP PRESS: Scott has in the last 24 hours been released on conditional bail pending a trial, but still faces a sentence of up to one year in prison, so we still need to keep the pressure on. Please sign the petition above. Thank you.

Event – Being the Story – Friday 16th September 2016, London

Charities - How can we tell our stories authentically and powerfully?

Being the Story puts the spotlight on powerful, authentic storytelling in the charity sector. This event will take place on Friday 16th September at Conway Hall in London. 

Across the day, attendees hear the testimonies from speakers including award-winning photojournalist Giles Duley, social entrepreneur and youth advocate Sam Smith, domestic abuse campaigner Mandy Thomas, author and Parkinson’s ambassador Emma Lawton, Community Campaigner Pastor Lorraine Jones, lawyer and access to justice champion Sue James and Hassan Akkad, the key storyteller in the BBC documentary Exodus: Our Journey to Europe.

To find out more and to book your ticket go to  www.beingthestory.org.uk

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

Q. Why are Irish fundraisers so successful?

A. Because their capital is always Dublin!

Here’s why you should plan a brilliant long weekend in beautiful Ireland.

It’s now just over two weeks till the Ask Direct Fundraising Summer School in Dublin! This innovative event will be held on September 1^st and 2^nd at Trinity College and will bring together some of the brightest and best thinkers and path-forgers in fundraising to share their latest ideas and inspiration in a friendly and laid-back environment.

Highlights will include Beate Sørum’s guide to tripling your digital income, Mark Phillips exploring the challenges facing fundraising in 2016 and Ken Burnett’s call for a fundraising revolution. Intriguingly Tom Ahern will show us how to ‘loverise’ our donors and Dr Kiki Koutmeridou outlines the science of donor identity, plus many other great speakers, workshops and discussions.

Many of the speakers have contributed, sometimes frequently, to SOFII: Simone Joyaux recently wrote about enabling volunteers to do important stuff, Sean Triner, has contributed to SOFII’s best of 101fundraising, and Ask Direct’s founder Damian O’Broin taught us how to be fundraising hedgehogs. If you’ve enjoyed their contributions to SOFII, this is a great opportunity to hear their ideas first hand!

SOFII will be there to cover the event and share our experiences with readers around the world and we hope we’ll see you there too! The Ask Direct Summer School promises to be two days of constructive conversations and inspirational voices. You won’t want to miss out!

For full details and to book your place go to http://askdirect.ie/summerschool

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

P.S. SOFII is seeking adventurous fundraisers who would like to audition for an opportunity to speak at our flagship annual fundraising event I Wish I’d Thought Of That in London 30 November. More information on I Want to Talk At That will be live on this microsite tomorrow: www.iwitat.org

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Dear  SOFII friend,

This week sees the return of Relationship Fundraising Ignite.

Giles Pegram CBE tells the story of fundraising from the ever-evolving perspective of charities, from their formation to the challenges that built up over the years and how this has led to the formation of the Commission on the Donor Experience.

Charlie Hulme, meanwhile, guides us on how to establish and build a relationship with donors by asking three very important questions. His advice can make the difference between being a relationship fundraiser and a ’well-intentioned spammer’.

And Sonya Trivedy gives her personal experience on the challenges faced by Terrence Higgins Trust and how they are using relationship fundraising to approach them, concluding that fundraisers should not be afraid to fail, or to keep going.

We also have a case history of a fantastic partnership between Cancer Research UK and Slimming World – the Big Slimming World Clothes Throw. Going since 2013, this campaign allows Slimming World members to celebrate slimming success by donating their ‘before’ clothes to CRUK charity shops. This has generated over £5 million worth of stock for the shops, whilst also highlighting the issues of obesity and related cancers. All with minimal investment on the charity’s part!

I hope you find some inspiration for your fundraising from this week’s SOFII update.

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

P.S. SOFII’s hugely successful annual flagship event I Wish I’d Thought Of That (IWITOT) is returning to London.  Twenty fundraising gurus, sector leaders and rising stars each present one game-changing fundraising idea that personally inspires them.  If you’ve already been, then we hope you’ll come again.  If you haven’t been to one yet, then don’t miss out again.  Please save the date: Wednesday 30^th November 2016.

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Dear SOFII friend,

This week we’re continuing with our theme of relationship fundraising.

Our first article is Laura Croudace’s personal account of a new form of face-to-face experiential donor recruitment. It all started when she spotted a mud hut when out shopping with her family one day.

Next in our new series on relationship fundraising, some leading fundraising thinkers and practitioners have given their own thoughts at the UK’s 2016 Institute of Fundraising Convention.

And finally we have some more hand-picked and curated treasure for you from 101Fundraising:

• Rachel Beer asks what are the big things that make the really big differences to your fundraising results?
• Beate Sorum thinks that if Facebook isn’t working for your organisation, she is willing to bet that it is not Facebook’s fault – it’s yours.

I hope you find some inspiration for your fundraising from this week’s SOFII update.

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

P.S. SOFII‘s hugely successful annual flagship event I Wish I‘d Thought Of That (IWITOT) is returning to London. Twenty fundraising gurus, sector leaders and rising stars each present one game-changing fundraising idea that personally inspires them. If you‘ve already been, then we hope you‘ll come again. If you haven‘t been to one yet, then don‘t miss out again. Please save the date: Wednesday 30th November 2016.

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Dear SOFII friend,

Have you heard the term ‘relationship fundraising’? Did you know that it comes from a book published in 1992?

In the first of a new series, Richard Turner asks if the book is still relevant in today’s world and what lessons it has for current fundraisers? Click here to find out how we all have social capital now and why that’s important.

Next we have two case studies of charities with minimal budgets both using hard-hitting creative to raise public awareness and funds for their causes.

Women’s Aid used an innovative billboard campaign in the hope of opening a few blind eyes to domestic violence with a novel use of facial recognition technology. This campaign used interactive outdoor digital technology and experiential marketing together with a well-targeted PR campaign.

Similarly, The ALS Foundation Netherlands (Stichting ALS Nederland) was determined to raise funds for medical research on the disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and to raise awareness of the condition. But they had no budget for a large scale campaign. They gave people with ALS a storytelling platform. The result was powerful and moving.

Both of these campaigns were award-winning and effective.

If you’ve got a similar example of a small charity achieving great success with very little spend then please get in touch.

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

Have you got a bucket list?

Perhaps you want to learn another language or take a trip to Paris? Lots of millennials post on social media about their bucket lists. Find out how one organisation persuaded this notoriously disengaged social group to do something amazing.

Then get some tips on applying the lessons from this campaign to baby boomers with a different fundraising product. This is the first of three innovative case studies that inspired an IWITOT at the Institute of Fundraising’s Special Interest Group on Legacies earlier this year.

The legacy officer who just came across this particular campaign went into I-have-to-share-this-with-everyone mode as soon as she saw it. She really wishes she’d thought of this idea for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) whose storytelling is so powerful that it doesn’t need words.

Actions also spoke louder than words in this leafletting campaign with a difference. This innovative and imaginative integrated campaign uses behavioural science, magicians and social media to change public behaviour and to highlight the dangers and raise awareness of pickpocketing across the UK.

I hope you enjoy these campaigns that fundraisers wish they’d thought of and find some inspiration for your own fundraising as they did. If you’d like to share some great ideas I’d love to hear from you.

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

Continuing with last week’s fundraising inspiration from around the world, this week I want to start with an inspiring article from the winner of last year’s I Wish I’d Thought Of That (IWITOT) in London who presented an idea from the USA.

Laura Croudace was inspired by Humans of New York a stunning example of community engagement through social media and a demonstration of the power of storytelling. It is also a model for crowd funding – Laura’s latest fundraising obsession.

And speaking of obsessions, Simone Joyeaux is determined to help nonprofits get their governance right. In her latest article for SOFII she writes about the importance of enabling your volunteers.

This week’s last nugget of inspiring innovation from Spain was also presented at IWITOT London 2015 by Adil Husseini. It is said that two people can look at the same thing and see it differently. This is literally true when adults and children look at this particular poster with a secret message for children.

Have you seen a great fundraising idea that you wish you’d thought of? Please share it with the SOFII community by getting in touch.

I hope we’ve given you some inspiration.

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear  SOFII friend,

It’s been a few weeks since you heard from SOFII and the good news is that not only do I have a beautiful new daughter but we’re back with even more great fundraising content from around the world.

Since we launched our very popular event I Wish I’d Thought Of That (IWITOT) in London in 2012 we’ve repeated the format and helped other fundraising associations to run their own. Indeed, the format has been so popular it’s developed a life of its own! Here’s a great IWITOT focusing on museum membership in the USA that was presented at the Institute of Fundraising Cultural Sector Network Annual Conference in March this year. 

And here’s another IWITOT that was presented at the International Fundraising Congress (IFC) 2015 covering South Africa’s most successful corporate fundraising event. Ever. 

We’ve added three more hand-picked gems from 101fundraising: ‘How to nurture happy fundraisers’, ‘Why I am not a fan of welcome packs’ and ‘A tale of two donors – or the ENORMOUS difference in value between ‘what’ and ‘why’’.

If you’ve got an example of great fundraising that you’d like to share please don’t hesitate to get in touch – we’d love to share your brilliant ideas.

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear  SOFII friend,

This will be the last news from SOFII as we’ll be taking a short break due to my maternity leave. We’ll be back soon with even more great fundraising content. Meanwhile, I’ll leave you with some inspiration from previous generations of fundraisers.

Firstly, veteran fundraiser, Lyndall Stein, shows that you’re never too old to learn some new tricks and passes on some of her own fundraising tips for the young from the old.

And here’s some of the lessons that Ken Burnett learnt as a young man from fundraising legend Harold Sumption. Ken was just 26 years old when he first met Harold who would profoundly influence his understanding of fundraising. In another of our occasional series, 'The most brilliant fundraiser I ever met' we have recollections from Ken, Giles Pegram and Pierre-Bernard Le Bas.

More tips on improving your fundraising in our next article.

If you were one of the unlucky few that missed the recent webinar ‘How to reduce F2F donor attrition in the first 90 days’ co-hosted by SOFII, The Agitator and DonorVoice  - don’t despair, you can still listen to the full webinar. It’s 90 minutes of your schedule that could help keep the F2F golden goose from being a dead duck!

And finally a great case study on insightful use of technology that brings RNLI donors closer to the lifesaving work.  This text service allows donors to donate each time their chosen lifeboat is out saving lives and to receive an alert of launches in real-time. This is perfect bite-sized stewardship content.

We hope you’ll enjoy this bumper edition of news from SOFII. Back soon!

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

There is no question that Harold Sumption is a fundraising legend.

If you haven’t heard of him before then you should. If you have heard of him then you should find some inspiration in his words of wisdom. He was, in Ken Burnett’s view, the first relationship fundraiser, who lived the term long before it was coined. In this addition to SOFII’s Fundraising Legends series, Joanna Culling talks to Ken, who proudly shares the full text of Harold’s only published material – Yesterday’s trail-blazing and pointers for tomorrow.

Harold also inspired much of Ken’s recently updated list on the fundamental foundations of fundraising. Of all the nuggets of essential knowledge buried within all the lists, books and articles ever written, which would be the one list, if room for only one was all there was, that you’d choose to hang directly above your space, your workplace? This is that list.

And finally, continuing this week’s theme of remembering - do you remember playing outside as a child? Did you have a teddy bear’s picnic or make a treehouse? Here’s how a magical garden aimed to encourage contemplation on the preciousness of childhood and what we wish to leave as a legacy for all children.

We hope you enjoy contemplating the past and hope it inspires your future.

Best,

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

This week we’re really honoured to announce the start of an exciting collaboration with fundraisers in China to translate SOFII into Chinese and hopefully add some examples of their own fundraising. We’re kicking off with some observations from Ken Burnett on a recent report Online Fundraising in China, commissioned following Ken’s visit there last year. This summary in English and Chinese shows that on-line digital fundraising has already made great progress in China recently and is likely to show even more potential for growth in the very near future.

And keeping to our international theme we have some more inspiration from two different parts of the world.

• Here is another excellent campaign from St Michael's Foundation in Toronto, Canada. Take a look at how this team of savvy fundraisers took a simple poster and re-purposed it into a successful staff event that raised much-needed funds for their latest capital appeal.
• Don't be afraid to steal an idea. Just make sure you do it right. The Swedish Childhood Cancer Foundation took a concept that fits with their strategy, copied it, and ended up with a stunning campaign that was even better than the original.

Please keep sharing your inspiring fundraising from across the globe.

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

P.S. Our friends at the Resource Alliance are running a FREE virtual conference on digital fundraising called Fundraising Online 2016 #FR016 11-12 May. Keynote speakers are: Anne-Marie Huby, co-founder of JustGiving; Matt Locke founder of Storythings; and Breanna DiGiammarino, Senior Director of Social Innovation at Indiegogo & Annie Rose Favreau, Director of Marketing for Girl Scouts of Western Washington. You can sign up here. 

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Dear SOFII friend,

It's easier to know where you're going if you know where you've been. Discover  how previous generations of fundraisers have engaged with their donors to learn lessons for today’s fundraising in these two examples from the last IWITOT (I Wish I’d Thought Of That) event in London.

The decision to make a will and leave a legacy is often one that takes a long while. Find out how to connect with your supporters and deliver the legacy messages that will help them to make one of the most important gifts of all.

And here’s another opportunity to be inspired by fundraisers of the past. Raffles, art gallery events and benefit concerts are common ways to raise money today – but when Thomas Coram was fundraising for the Foundling Hospital in Georgian London he employed all these methods. In fact, some might say he invented them…

Finally, we’re excited about a new addition to SOFII speaks your language – SOFII auf Deutsch. And it’s all thanks to Michaela Staggl who has been a keen SOFII user for years. ’It has always been so inspiring to read the various articles, so I decided to translate for SOFII to give something back.’

If you’re interested in translating for SOFII or sharing great fundraising ideas then please don’t hesitate to get in touch

Best,

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

It’s never too early to plan your Christmas fundraising campaign and here’s one from St Michael’s Hospital Foundation in Canada to inspire you. This integrated campaign shows how to entice donors to give to bricks and mortar by focusing on compassion and people.

Need some more inspiration? 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 has gone from being a neglected key on our keyboards to one we just can’t afford to ignore?

And finally don’t miss this important webinar hosted by The Agitator, Donor Voice and SOFII. Make no mistake. The current F2F model is greatly flawed — and in some places horribly broken.

Where once the approach of street fundraisers was eagerly received by the public, today’s solicitors are often tagged ‘chuggers’ and public acceptance is on par with that generally accorded muggers.

It doesn’t have to be that way. It’s time to re-set, re-boot and re-imagine this once vaunted channel of acquisition.

I’m signing up for my place now!

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

New: a great legacy campaign from Canada; the Sandra Schmirler Foundation manages to tread that delicate balance between inspiring their supporters with stories about the lives of ordinary families and sharing why legacies are so important.

Just added: three new articles from the best of 101fundraising 2014 – why me, me, me is no, no, no; who do you love and is your welcome as good as it could be?

I hope you enjoy these latest SOFII additions – and happy fundraising too.

All the best

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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 If this message is not displaying correctly, click here to see it on line.

We’re excited to share some great fundraising inspiration with you from recent SOFII’s I Wish I’d Thought Of That (IWITOT) events.

The tiny German town of Wunsiedel has for decades seen crowds of neo-Nazis pass through its streets in annual demonstrations, but this time something was different. The town tricked neo-Nazis into raising thousands of euros for an anti-extremist charity in ‘Germany’s most involuntary charity walk’.

Darüşşafaka – meaning house of kindness – has provided full scholarships to orphans including clothing, accommodation, healthcare and food. But there’s also a lot we can learn about donor care, legacy and high value fundraising from the oldest NGO in Turkey.

Finally, be inspired by the most determined fundraiser of all time. Using an approach not designed for the faint-hearted, William Quarrier went into a room full of wealthy people and walked out with enough money to fund a village for homeless children in Glasgow. But how did he do it? And what can we learn from this fundraising superstar?

We hope you enjoy these nuggets from IWITOT.  Tell us about fundraising ideas that you wish you’d thought of here.

Best,

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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An attempt by an anti-gay group in Australia to ruin an LGBT youth dance, by buying all the tickets and preventing youngsters from attending, backfired spectacularly when they ended up funding the whole event. The organisers, Minus18, upped their original fundraising target from AUS$18,000 to AUS$40,000 and now everyone is going for free!

Small organisations simply don’t have the budget to promote their cause and have to come up with innovative solutions. This inventive campaign in Singapore started with Home for Hope with help from IKEA and demonstrated how you can make your house a home by adopting a dog.

We hope you enjoy these additions to SOFII’s archives and would encourage you to share any case studies that you think will benefit the fundraising community. It’s your SOFII and we’d love to hear from you.

In order to provide fundraisers with SOFII’s amazing service we need to be well fed and funded. You can donate to SOFII here or feed us your stories by sending them here.

Have a great day,

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

The Connection at St Martins ‘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.

And 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.

Happy reading,

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

Having trouble finding volunteers for your charity? If yes, then please go to this great case history. Its splendid use of video shows that people really do want to help others less fortunate – you just have to give them a way to do it.

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.

I hope you enjoy SOFII’s new case histories – don’t forget to visit – or revisit – some of the hundreds already there.

Best wishes

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

The ‘Humbert’ appeal from Humber River Hospital is unashamedly corny, in a good way, and flies in the face of more traditional and stuffy appeal letters. It has been amazingly successful and raised lots of money for much-needed equipment.

When scandal hit one charity in China all the others in the country were tainted and faced widespread public mistrust. Yet one well-known journalist was brave enough to start a bold campaign to change the lives of malnourished school children. This breakthrough innovation has helped restore trust in charities in China and raised enough funds to feed thousands of hungry children.

Enjoy! And if you have a good fundraising story to share, please let me know.

Best wishes,

Carolina

PS watch out for SOFII’s first Chinese language exhibits, coming soon.

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Dear SOFII friend,

Six-year-old Jack wanted to raise £100 for The Royal Hospital for Sick Children to say thank you to them for looking after his brother. His brilliant idea – which he thought of entirely by himself – did what all fundraisers want to do. He touched the hearts of everyone who saw it.

Another success story from non-professional fundraisers, this time two young men, though not quite as young as little Jack. Tough Mudder is a challenge that includes fire, ice and electric shock obstacles and is more about camaraderie and team spirit than being the best. So far it has raised £5 million across the globe.

All best wishes

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

With this lovely, brand spanking new year it’s time to ring the changes in the way we raise money. Rather than just looking at our donors’ financial capital says Richard Turner, we could be using their social capital to make fundraising so much better for them and our causes.

This week we have also added three more articles from the splendid 101fundraising - the best of 2014 - here, now, on SOFII.

As always, happy fundraising,

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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Dear SOFII friend,

When Robbie Rae started working as a fundraising copywriter at the turn of the millennium, he felt that true masters of direct mail had perfected the art in all its forms. Despite that, he thought that it was time to change the orthodoxy. Click here to discover how he wrote a hugely successful pack that did just that.

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!’

All best wishes for a happy, healthy and successful 2016,

Carolina

SOFII project manager.

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