The Fundraiser’s Toolbox

You know that fundraising is hard work. To be successful you need to be well equipped to take on all its challenges. At SOFII, we thought you might like some help. So we’ve put together this fundraiser’s toolbox that we’ll be filling with essential examples, formats, articles, case studies, ideas and tips that we think every fundraiser should know about.

Tutorial 53: principles of testing

by Jerry Huntsinger

This tutorial from Jerry Huntsinger gives you the principles of testing that will save you from drowning in an ocean of facts.

Read more

Tutorial 54: how to survive by the law of probability

by Jerry Huntsinger

It would be so easy to be successful in direct mail fundraising if all you had to do was come up with one winning package and then send it to your house list for the next 10 years. But, surviving in the fundraising world is so much more complicated...

Read more

Tutorial 55: how to get your outer envelope ripped open!

by Jerry Huntsinger

This tutorial from Jerry Huntsinger will show you how to get your donors to rip open your envelope in anticipation of your vital message inside.

Read more

Tutorial 56: strategy for the small organisation.

by Jerry Huntsinger

Are you trying to raise money for a small charity? Worried that you can’t compete with the ‘big boys’? Then head over to this latest tutorial from that other eminent fundraiser Jerry Huntsinger and you will find that you actually have some advantages over larger organisations – who might also find something useful.

Read more

Opinion: an ethical, principled approach to donors and fundraising. Part 2.

by John Burton

How the World Land Trust approached its fundraising strategy, and which forms it avoided to remain, in its opinion, more ethical and principled.

Read more

Tutorial 57: stand in your donor’s shoes

by Jerry Huntsinger

Someone somewhere is waiting for your mail. She could be a legacy prospect. Have you excluded her from your mailing list because she gave so little last time – even though she’s been making donations for years?

Read more

Appendix 3: Criticising other charities - World Land Trust’s approach.

by John Burton

John Burton discusses criticising other environmental charities’ fundraising strategies in an appendix to his articles on the World Land Trust’s approach.

Read more

An ethical, principled approach to donors and fundraising: a strategy case study from World Land Trust

by John Burton

In this first part of three, CEO John Burton of the World Land Trust outlines his organisation’s fundraising ethos and how this has helped them grow and make an impact on the environment.

Read more

The BADASSforGOOD podcast. Episode five: not all fundraising campaigns are created equal

by R. Trent Thompson

‘Inconsistency creates poor donor engagement experiences.’ With his usual dry delivery and sharp, concise analysis, R.Trent Thompson returns with episode five of the BADASSforGOOD podcast to demonstrate why not all fundraising campaigns are created equal.

Read more

The BADASSforGOOD podcast. Episode four: pretty is more than skin deep

by R. Trent Thompson

It's a welcome return for R.Trent Thompson and his thought-provoking BADASSforGOOD podcast. In episode four he explains why pretty and professional are overrated qualities in fundraising campaigns.

Read more

The BADASSforGOOD podcast. First episodes: snackable brand and marketing insights

by R. Trent Thompson

Welcome to R. Trent Thompson's BADASSforGOOD podasts: concise, insightful ideas on how to manage your brand and marketing from an award-winning specialist.

Read more

My first weeks as a fundraiser: where do I start?

by Ken Burnett

SOFII presents ‘My first weeks as a fundraiser’: a series to guide you through the start of your fundraising career. We hope to create a treasure trove linking you to the best of what’s on SOFII when it comes to the essentials of fundraising, aka everything you need to get your feet under the table. 

Read more