Foundations of Fundraising

Finding the perfect fundraising database in an imperfect world

by Robert Weiner

Searching for a donor database for your organisation can be a daunting task. It can be difficult to know where to start, what functions and features you're really going to need, and where to look for affordable options.

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How to write a better newsletter

by John Grain

In this article, John Grain tells us in simple terms what a good newsletter should be. If you want some solid, practical advice about writing a better newsletter, you need to read this.

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Harvard University: how Harvard got its name. Major gift fundraising in the seventeenth century.

by SOFII

The examples in this exhibit are almost 400 years old, yet it would seem that we are still making the same mistakes today when it comes to major gift fundraising.

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Investing in testing - part 1

by Ken Burnett

Has the rigorous testing regime that used to pervade in every seriously ambitious charity been allowed to slip in your organisation? Are your trustees afflicted with the ‘lowest possible acquisition cost’ mentality? You must test properly, says Ken Burnett, otherwise your prospects for innovation are reduced to a matter of random chance.

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SOFII stars: the world’s best fundraising direct mail.

by SOFII

Check out some of the world's best fundraising direct mail. A priceless swipe file: 2000 years of fundraising direct mail. From all the direct marketing gems on SOFII, from the ancient to the bang-up-to-date, here's a selection of great fundraising direct mail, to inspire you. Enjoy!

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Help the Aged: ‘you have this gift’ direct mail pack

Letter

by SOFII

Both the text on the envelope and the incentive in this classic direct mail pack from the 1980s have been copied frequently.

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Hope not hopeless

by Charlie Hulme

Back in 2010, the plight of 33 miners in Chile was an international sensation. We were all gripped by the suspense: would the rescue attempt succeed, would they survive…? It wiped from our newspapers and television screens the devastating floods in Pakistan, described by the UN as the greatest humanitarian crisisin recent history. How could this happen? Charlie Hulme explains in his second article on storytelling.

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David Ogilvy’s secret weapon

by SOFII

Few people more deserve the term ‘giant of fundraising’ than David Ogilvy. Here, in a fragment of film from days gone by, Ogilvy passes on a single gem from his glittering experiences. Those who heed his words will prosper.

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The pearly kings and queens and their fantastic fundraising

by Mark Astarita

In May there was the biggest coronation of pearly kings and queens in over a hundred years. If you’re wondering what on earth the pearlies are, then click here to find out all about them.

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A tribute to George Smith, 4th March 2012

by Ken Burnett

SOFII pays tribute to George Smith, fundraising guru and communicator par excellence, who died on Friday 2nd March.

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Plan UK: ‘plan your story’ innovative new video and Facebook app

by SOFII

Have Plan UK changed fundraising by launching this new app?

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Fifty ideas that could transform how the public views street and door-to-door fundraising.

by Ken Burnett

In Agatha Christie’s classic Murder on the Orient Express an assortment of passengers are marooned with a murderer on a train stuck in a Yugoslavian snowdrift, with only little Hercule Poirot to help them work out what’s really going on.

The story seems to me an analogy for how we fundraisers might work ourselves out of the fix we find ourselves in, with our equivalent of being stuck fast in snow – the negative view the public has for our most successful method of acquiring new donors in volume, face-to-face fundraising on the street (F2F) or door-to-door (D2D).

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