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23 pages tagged with Fine writing:
- A letter that parades fine thoughts with fine language You’ll see a letter here that George Smith thought one of the best he’d ever read. No, he didn’t write it. But he wished he had.
- A strange, old-fashioned plea for respect In this latest article George Smith doesn’t mean that all fundraising is nice and all advertising nasty. He does mean that advertising is generally pretty silly and that fundraising is pretty damned important. And we fundraisers would do well to dwell on the difference.
- Amnesty International: the letter in the pen pack 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.
- Common Cause Citizen’s Committee: major donor upgrade The letter and the rather interesting reply form get to the point, asking for money on the letter’s first page.
- Copywriting and design strategies for better donor newsletters: a before and after success story Fundraising copywriter Lisa Sargent and designer Sandie Collette, of S.Collette Design, discuss how copywriting and design go hand-in-hand to make a Dublin-based charity's newsletter overhaul a success. Discover the strategies that helped make it happen in this case study of a nonprofit newsletter.
- Deerfield Academy: Bruce Barton’s fundraising letters from 1960, letter 22 It has been a pleasure and a privilege to bring you all these letters from that master of direct mail letter-writing, Bruce Barton. But, as the infamous ‘they’ say, ‘all good things must come to an end’. Yes, this is the last SOFII has. But, of course, as they also say, ‘the glass is half full’, so maybe there are more out there that will find their way to SOFII.
- Deerfield Academy: Bruce Barton’s fundraising letters from the 1940s, letters 1 and 2 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.
- Deerfield Academy: the Bruce Barton classic long copy letter from 1925 that pulled a 100 per cent response 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.
- Dr Barnardo’s Homes: four fundraising greats from the distant past Dr Thomas Barnardo was one of the Victorian era's great philanthropists. These archive examples of his personal fundraising style and efforts are a unique treasure for the body of fundraising knowledge and best practice.
- Dr Barnardo’s Homes: how the death of Carrots led to a powerful slogan, from 1866 The death of a lonely young boy led Dr Barnardo to declare that the children’s homes that bore his name should never, ever close their doors to any child. A great example of fine writing combined with sincerity.
- Great Ormond Street Hospital: Christmas mailing from 1941 This direct mail appeal from 1941 has everything. Charm, courage, dedication and, perhaps most importantly, it is brilliantly innovative too. Plus, how many mailings have been preserved for 70 years and then end up being sold? Find out more in this great case study.
- How I wrote it: the NSPCC’s Simple pack When Robbie Rae started working as a fundraising copywriter at the turn of the millennium, he felt that true masters of direct mail had perfected the art in all its form. Despite that, he thought that it was time to change the orthodoxy. Click here to discover how he wrote a hugely successful pack that did just that.
- Imperial War Museum: Indra Sinha’s Eric Heaton ad, from 1985 This is a classic press ad from advertising legend Indra Sinha that helped mend a leaky roof. It’ll have you in tears too, as it shows you how to tell a good story.
- In search of baubles Now, as part of SOFII’s continued commitment to fine writing we further celebrate the brilliance, wit and wisdom of George Smith with a series of articles taken from his last book, Up Smith Creek. We start with a seasonal article that first appeared in Professional Fundraising magazine in February, 1997 – and it’s just as relevant today.
- Infantile musings: on the relationship between children and their grandparents You’ll see a softer side of ace-curmudgeon George Smith when he announces he is about to become a grandfather. Though that doesn’t stop him from wondering why charities don’t make more of such joyous events. He says you should look at the greeting-cards industry, which rarely feels the cold wind of recession.
- Reader knowledge, real voices, great stories and big points of view Writer Liz Loudon shares the difference between really writing to move donors, or just typing.
- Sharing the unspeakable: the ultimate donation 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.
- SOFII stars: great fundraising writers We’ve once again delved into our archive to bring you a collection of inspirational SOFII Stars, this time focusing on great fundraising writers. From the great George Smith to advertising legend David Ogilvy via Indra Sinha and Karin Weatherup, we’ve gathered the best fundraising writers together to share their unique insights and advice.
- Synecdoche, synecdoche…we all fall down George again takes up the baton for fine writing. Or does he when he encourages you, the fundraiser, to grab the word ‘synecdoche’.? What in the name of sanity is that?
- The first big lesson in fundraising copy Margaux Smith, a new and enthusiastic fundraising copywriter, tells us how hard she struggled at first. Her love of fundraising compelled her to persevere until at last she heard: ‘Perfect!’ She must have felt just great.
- What’s next in fundraising? SOFII and The Agitator joined forces with Revolutionise to identify, foster and develop new journalistic talent in fundraising. We offered five free places for the 2014 Annual Lectures to aspiring fundraising writers, who submitted a short piece on ‘what’s next in fundraising?’ Here’s one of the winning entries…
- Womankind Worldwide: donor recruitment mailing This high quality direct mail package cleverly involves donors in delivering support and practical encouragement to a real individual.
- Words count: Why fundraisers have to change what they say and how they say it Over the last decade, the direct marketing industry has been smitten by data base gurus who have touted the segmentation of donor files as a process akin to the magical mystery tour.
