Foundations of Fundraising
Oxfam pledged gifts
by Matthew Sherrington
Now here’s a challenge for you. How would you raise money if you didn’t have all the innovations we have today? No direct mail, no telephone, no face to face… Click here to discover how Oxfam, back in the 1960s, collected 300,000 regular pledged gifts without such aids.
Read moreHey Mr Fundraiser: stop asking your board members to trespass
by Simone Joyaux
Always outspoken, Simone Joyaux doesn’t let us down this week when she tells a reluctant board member: ‘If you’re not willing to do the work, get off our board. Go away’. But she also gives sound advice on how to get the very best from our boards.
Read moreOperation Homefront: The Card
by SOFII
We are always dishing out our business cards that don’t really say very much, so it’s great to see this wonderfully simple and innovative idea that gr…
Read moreSharing the unspeakable: the ultimate donation
by Ken Burnett
The ultimate donation: When his family faced an unspeakable tragedy Ken Kesey, author of the classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, found the strength and courage to write about it in intimate, personal terms, so creating a most moving, raw and inspirational piece of fine writing, a story so striking it’s sure to stay with you.
Read moreCreate a menu of choices for board members
by Simone Joyaux
More tips from Simone Joyaux on not only how to get your board involved in your fundraising, but to get them to love it.
Read moreChildren’s Medical Research Institute: the video that broke the Internet’s heart
by SOFII
Click here to see the video from Australia’s Children’s Medical Research Institute that ‘broke the Internet’s heart’.
Read moreInvolving your board and board members in fund development, part three
by Simone Joyaux
Your board members reluctance to take part in your fundraising could be down to plain fear. In Simone Uncensored this week you'll find some useful tips on how to show them that it is a great, fulfilling thing to do – nothing to be scared of at all.
Read moreRethink Mental Illness ‘find Mike’
by SOFII
Here is the story of Jonny Benjamin's search to find 'Mike', one of the bystanders as he climbed onto Waterloo Bridge in an attempt to kill himself. Only Mike didn't stand by, he walked up to Jonny, talked to him and, most of all, he listened. Click here to see how Rethink Mental Illness put their brand in second place and helped to find Jonny's hero. It was a brave decision and one that brought many rewards.
Read moreThe ALS (USA) ‘ice bucket’ challenge
by SOFII
You may be sick of hearing about the ice bucket challenge. You may even think it has no relevance to your own organisation. But find out the special characteristics that made it the biggest fundraising idea of 2014.
Once upon a time…Oxfam and Remember Me
by Aline Reed
Aline isn’t too sure if the technology used in this great way to use stories to sell goods in Oxfam shops wasn’t a little too sophisticated. Anybody out there have any further information?
Read moreBBC Television: the 1966 documentary, Cathy Come Home
by SOFII
Cathy Come Home, the powerful story about a young family’s slide into homelessness and poverty was a defining moment in 1960s television. The controversy it created led to public outrage at the state of housing in Britain and to the launch of several charities, including Shelter. Here you will see the deeply moving final scene, presented by Chris Barraclough at last year’s IWITOT.
Read moreMusings of a direct response fundraiser no. 2: finding the ‘sweet spot’
by Jonathon Grapsas
Our job as fundraisers is to find the sweet spot: an amount that is appropriate to that donor at that time. In his second article on the musings of a direct response fundraiser Jonathon Grapsas shows exactly how to do it.
Read more
