Foundations of Fundraising
Deerfield Academy: Bruce Barton’s fundraising letters from 1946/47, letters 6, 7 and 8
by SOFII
Featured here are letters six, seven and eight from the 21 letters in this SOFII series, three more fine examples of the fundraising letter-writer's art from an age gone by.
Read moreDeerfield Academy: Bruce Barton’s fundraising letters from 1945, letters 3, 4 and 5
by SOFII
These letters are masterful examples of wrapping up serious information in easy conversational style. Find letters three, four and five here.
Read moreA profile of Mal Warwick: America’s genial guru of fundraising direct mail
by Christiana Stergiou
What we at SOFII have to say about this guy.
Read moreDeerfield Academy: Bruce Barton’s fundraising letters from the 1940s, letters 1 and 2
by SOFII
Written between 1944 and 1960, the 22 letters in this series reputedly raised over US$2 million. Serious direct mail copywriters will study these letters carefully and will profit accordingly.
Read moreDeerfield Academy: the Bruce Barton classic long copy letter from 1925 that pulled a 100 per cent response
by Carolina Herrera
He sounds like the racy detective hero from a 1930s crime thriller. But Bruce Barton is something else, for sure – a great copywriter and communicator.
Read moreThe Fundraising Cycle: the shortest book on fundraising, ever
by Redmond Mullin
Great tips on all you need to make fundraising complete.
Read moreWe can boost donor retention. But only if we get smart
by Chuck Longfield
Chuck Longfield created a SOFII classic with his last interview Data is Gold, providing SOFII readers with free access to real fundraising gems hidden within their donor files. Today SOFII enthusiastically adds part two, an in-depth conversation with Chuck that draws out five more golden nuggets of smartness.
Read moreAn earlier incarnation of NSPCC’s The Children’s Friend
by Ken Burnett
Managing trustee, Ken Burnett, shares with SOFII readers how the idea for the original NSPCC supporter magazine The Children’s Friend was born. In this revealing article, Ken gives us a glimpse into how NSPCC’s most significant donor communication was developed and how it became something of a family affair – SOFII’s not just thrown together you know!
Read moreThe Salvation Army: the ‘for God’s sake care, give us a pound’ campaign
by SOFII
In this campaign the Salvation Army revealed the urgent need of people who had fallen off the edge of society. Their shocking photographic campaign sought to jolt people into action with the hope of raising £1 million.
Read morePresentation: 19 ways nonprofit organisations can use social media to connect with donors
by Tim Bete
This presentation from Tim Bete, fundraising director at St. Mary Development Corporation USA, will get you thinking about how you use social media and offers some great advice on how to make the most of this free marketing tool.
Read morePhilanthropy in ancient times: some early examples from the Mediterranean
by Sarah Bond
In this new addition to the SOFII history project we look at the early beginnings of charity. We uncover the origin of the word ‘philanthropy’ and how the philosophy of philanthropy permeated the lives of ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans on every level of their daily lives.
Read moreLessons for fundraisers from yesterday’s cigarette advertising: instructive campaign images from the 1930s, 40s and 50s
by Ken Burnett
This article has been on SOFII for some time, but I have a feeling we didn’t actually tell anyone. We hang our heads in shame and urge you to check out some astonishing cigarette adverts – and what campaigners and fundraisers can learn from them.
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