Foundations of Fundraising
Brilliant donor care: 15 steps to make sure your organisation gets it right
by Jonathon Grapsas
Before I launch into some tangible ways to improve the way you deal with donors, let me preface this by looking at the current climate. Just how are charities in different parts of the world interacting with donors on a daily basis?
Read moreParkinson’s UK: the Dave the Worm campaign
by SOFII
Dave the Worm (DTW) is a fun and witty character that is enabling Parkinson’s UK to compete in a crowded marketplace by presenting research to donors in an engaging way and giving them a unique opportunity to regularly support new and innovative research.
Read moreArrels Fundació: cardboard hearts for the homeless
by SOFII
Arrels Fundació have come up with an excellent way to wear your heart on your sleeve to raise money and awareness of the growing number of homeless people in Barcelona. It is also easily copied.
Read moreThe National Asthma Campaign: Straws mailing
by SOFII
This revolutionary pack from 1991 features an irresistible involvement device, an easily detachable plastic drinking straw that readers are invited to detach, open and breathe through for less than a minute. It is an imaginative way of involving recipients and enabling them to feel for themselves what it’s like to live with asthma.
Read moreAmnesty International: the letter in the pen pack
by Ken Burnett
Now on SOFII, one of the letters that was sent with the legendary Amnesty pen pack. This moving example of fine writing was written specifically for women and sent to women only.
Read moreWho Gives a Crap: the ‘sit down’
by Sue Kershaw
Who Gives a Crap is a new and innovative organisation and SOFII will be watching to see how this initial, creative and funny campaign develops.
Read moreThe Salvation Army’s ‘self-denial fund’
by Sarah Bond
The Salvation Army’s archive includes fundraising gems from over 150 years ago. In this article Sarah Bond shares an original draft appeal letter from The Salvation Army’s founder General William Booth. She also takes a look the evolution of their ‘self-denial fund’ donation envelopes.
Read moreDo it yourself fundraising
by Marc Pitman
Start-up nonprofits often ask me, ‘How do we raise money?’. The panic of making budget seems to make raising money impossible without knowing someone rich and famous like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet.
Read moreThe British Humanist Association: the atheist bus campaign
by SOFII
This is a perfect match between a brilliant idea that generates real public interest and the technology that can make it easily happen.
Read moreCommon Cause: the birth of modern citizen advocacy.
by Roger Craver
It’s hard to believe that in 1970s America women could not get their own credit cards when they graduated from school unless their husband or father was willing to sign for it.
Read moreUNICEF: the Change for Good® campaign
by SOFII
For more than 15 years UNICEF has raised many, many millions for the world’s poorest children from the simple but brilliant idea of collecting travellers’ unwanted foreign coins.
Read moreThe Girl Effect: starting conversations for change
by SOFII
The Girl Effect organisation has admirably mastered the art of creating short and powerful videos that inspire and move both old and new supporters.
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