The SOFII history project
Welcome to the SOFII history project! To be a great fundraiser you need to be aware of what has come before and there is no better place to explore our collective past than here. Have you heard of the first ever major donor dinner from 970 BC? Have you read the wise words of Moses Maimonedes, who explored the eight levels of giving 800 years ago? Are you aware of the ground-breaking campaigns from the Victorian era? All these treasures and many more can be found in the SOFII history project. Dive in to learn the valuable lessons of fundraisers past. You can find:
Take a trip in SOFII’s time machine: the SOFII history project - introduction and contents
Part 1: treasures from fundraising’s history here.
Part 2: the all-time fundraising greats here.
And Part 3: the legends of fundraising here.
Five insights for fundraisers from the British Red Cross Museum of Kindness
by Mark Phillips
We’ve been meaning to get this gem on SOFII for a while, and we hope you love this bit of fundraising history as much as we do. In this article Mark Phillips shares what he saw on his visit to the British Red Cross Museum of Kindness and shares what fundraisers can learn from their exhibition of wonderful things.
Read moreInternational Committee of the Red Cross: Helping victims of the Turkish-Greek conflict
by ICRC
Discover how efforts by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) proved decisive in helping the victims of a brutal conflict.
Read moreChoctaw Nation of Oklahoma and Ireland: ‘Pay it forward’ campaign
by Marie Quirke
When coronavirus hit and began to impact on the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, the people of Ireland stepped up to help. They repaid a gift from 173 years earlier by supporting the Choctaw Nation’s superb viral fundraising campaign.
Read moreGeorge Harrison–Ravi Shankar Special Emergency Relief Fund: ‘Bangla Desh’ single
by SOFII
We bring you the under appreciated story of what just might have been the world’s first-ever charity pop song, courtesy of an ex-Beatle. Dive to learn more from this piece of our fundraising history – and listen to George Harrison’s song!
Read moreA medieval ‘course’ in writing an appeal
by Mark Phillips
Do you think appeal writing is a recent science? Think again. In this article, Mark Phillips of Bluefrog Fundraising takes you all the way back to the Middle Ages.
Read moreA timeline of modern British philanthropy
by Rhodri Davies
In this fascinating article Rhodri Davies, head of CAF‘s think tank ‘Giving Thought’, runs through a brief but insightful history of British giving.
Read moreThe SOFII history project: introduction and contents
by SOFII
Being a great fundraiser means knowing your history, and learning from it. This introduction helps you to explore SOFII’s collection of historical fundraising brilliance. Enjoy!
Read moreCrowdfunding: A lesson from World War II
by Roger Craver
The Spitfire was a single-seat, short-range, high-performance interceptor. But Britain faced an early and major problem with this impressive fighter plane – where to get the money to pay for the thousands that were required. The solution was fundraising.
Read moreThe SOFII history project part one: treasures from fundraising’s history
by SOFII
Welcome to part one of SOFII’s history project. Dive in to explore the best campaigns from antiquity to the 20th century.
Read moreThe SOFII history project part two: the all-time fundraising greats
by Joe Burnett
Do you want to learn from the very best in the fundraising business? This is the section for you as we explore the greatest ever campaigns, events and pioneering thinkers.
Read moreThe SOFII history project part three: the legends of fundraising
by Joe Burnett
Meet the women and men who transformed, improved and revolutionised fundraising.
Read moreEihei Dogen: fundraising letter from 1235
by SOFII
This letter, sent in the year 1235, may be the oldest fundraising letter on record. It’s certainly the oldest we know of. It is also an extraordinarily competent appeal. The letter identifies the different types of people that the writer, a famous Buddhist sage, wishes to address. It doesn’t just describe the need that donors can meet, it also recognises the benefits that donors might receive when they respond.
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