The dangers of requests for proposal

by Roger Craver

This week legendary Agitator Roger Craver joins in with his opinion on the ‘request for proposal’. And he’s not pulling any punches about what he believes is ‘...among the Great idiocies of our nonprofit world’. Click here to see more and to find out what he does admire and praise.

Rethinking the way we think

by Charlie Hulme

A review of Dan Pallotta’s TED talk, The way we think about charity is dead wrong.

Reasons to be cheerful: the 2013 Charity Pulse survey

by Frances Hurst

Now from Frances Hurst we learn that fundraisers in the UK have reasons to be cheerful. The recent Charity Pulse survey shows that UK fundraisers have resumed their previous position among the happiest of charity employees.

I wish I’d thought of SOFII

by Charlie Hulme

Charlie Hulme blows SOFII’s trumpet as he berates fundraisers for, among other things, a shocking lack of vocation. But is he right? We couldn’t possibly comment, of course. The views of the author are, quite obviously, solely his own...

New research shows how charities can create remarkable corporate partnerships

by Remarkable Partnerships

Remarkable Partnerships, a new report from Jonathon Andrews shows that when charities and companies partner in a remarkable way they deliver huge impact, have wider reach, create more opportunities and last longer. Read SOFII’s summary here. Then get the full report, free.

Richard Turner’s great story

by Richard Turner

Richard Turner's advice for all fundraisers is to have a great story to tell. And the place to start looking for it is among all the people who benefit from the cause you fundraise for.

The seven elements of proposition: how to get your story across

by John Grain

In this article, fundraising specialist, John Grain tells us of seven critical things to remember when telling your fundraising story. Using this checklist and the simple exercises he suggests, you can make your story compelling, engaging and effective, giving you the very best chance of success.

Building a bridge between the hard and soft side of legacy giving, for you and your donors

by Kimberley MacKenzie

In her thought-provoking article, Kimberley MacKenzie, fundraising director at Ontario Nature, Canada, identifies the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ side of planned giving.

Less pessimism about the fundraising climate but…

by Andrew Papworth

Andrew Papworth reports on the latest Managing in a Downturn and you’ll be pleased to learn that although things are still tough, there is a less pessimism about the fundraising climate. Even better is that individual giving continues to be an important part of fundraising in the UK (and elsewhere too, no doubt).

Five ways to ‘Harry Potterise’ your Internet and direct mail appeals…. and get donors giving when times are tough

by Nicole Schmidt

Nicole Schmidt is convinced that we should all be copying J K Rowling by telling our stories they way she told Harry Potter’s. Ms Rowling, of course, sold millions of books and made a huge amount of money. Will we fundraisers raise millions for our causes if we adopt her techniques?

How would you kick-start your ‘nonprofit’ career as a consultant

by Sudeshna Mukherjee

Do you sincerely want to be a consultant? Don’t know how to go about it? Sudeshna Mukherjee has spoken to several giants from the world of consultancy and gives their valuable insights here.

Practical advice on how to make the most of social media

by Alisha Fernandez Miranda & Alissa Steiner

A practical guide to social media for charities and social enterprises, published as a free service for charities by Unity Trust Bank and Social Misfits Media, London. 

Reviewed for SOFII by PhD researcher Suay Melisa Ozkula.