Pareto Fundraising: Sean’s automated out-of-office email message

by Sean Triner

Sean Triner’s out-of-office bounce-back is brilliant and simple as well as easy to steal, right now.

Ten easy fixes for the design of your donation form

by Beate Sørum

Beate Sorum shares digital how-tos, things to do and not to do and 10 tips to make your online donation form work much better.

Imperial War Museum: Indra Sinha’s Eric Heaton ad, from 1985

by Carolina Herrera

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.

Reader knowledge, real voices, great stories and big points of view

by Elizabeth Loudon

Writer Liz Loudon shares the difference between really writing to move donors, or just typing.

Falling for SOFII again

by Tony Charalambides

It's always great to receive positive feedback from SOFII users and here Tony Charalambides sings our praises and explains why you should fall for SOFII too.

Enabling your board members and other fundraising volunteers

by Simone Joyaux

Do you think you already do all you possibly can to help your board members and other volunteers reach their full potential? Or do you think you could maybe do more? Here’s some great advice from Simone Joyaux on how to be an outstanding ‘enabler’.

Donor-centric but stupid? It’s possible

by Jeff Brooks

Sometimes a stupid nonprofit ad campaign has an odd little grain of smart in it, like this print ad campaign here on SOFII. Do you agree with Jeff Brooks when he says that it doesn’t quite make it, as a way to raise money?

Advertising’s earliest genius and how he can help your advertisements to work better, predictably

by Claude Hopkins

You shouldn’t miss Claude C Hopkins’ new book.

Actually Scientific Advertising was first published 91 years ago, so new it really isn’t. But if its content is new to you, says SOFII’s reviewer, this concise classic can still teach you valuable lessons to improve your communication skills and enhance your career too. Hopkins was, by rather a long way, the highest paid advertising person of his generation. Find out why here

Verity 16: all of the great fundraisers have certain success factors in common.

by Jerold Panas

It is the thread woven through their entire fabric.

SOFII’s August must-reads

by Pamela Grow & Craig Linton

If you rarely get the chance to speak directly to your donors, you will be interested in at least one of this month’s ‘must-reads’. It’s from a highly successful street fundraiser for a major British charity who recruits between 10 and 15 new donors each and every day. And he loves his job. Find out why, here.

The fundraising climate: a consumer confidence update

by Andrew Papworth

Do you agree with Andrew Papworth when he says that fundraisers are going to find it tough for the foreseeable future? Here on SOFII you’ll find his thoughts on the latest consumer confidence survey

Why I struggle to be proud to be a fundraiser.

by Giles Pegram CBE

Fundraisers at the Institute of Fundraising’s national convention in London this week were enthusiastically greeting the theme Proud to be a Fundraiser. But in this latest article on SOFII, celebrated fundraiser Giles Pegram claims that he struggles with the concept. Is he just being provocative? Find out here.