How to advertise for funds off-the-page. Part 2

by Andrew Papworth

It is always important to have a banker advertisement that you know you can rely on. This is an advertisement that has proved itself over time to be consistently reliable. But that alone is not enough. Your banker advertisement will inevitably start to decline at some point, even to become ineffective.

Ad excellence: refreshing and instructive variations on an old theme

by Andrew Papworth

Here is some ad excellence. Two great campaigns reviewed by a master of making messages work hard off-the-page – click here for lots of great tips and copy worth copying.

When you wish upon a star

by Andrew Papworth

You might be surprised to learn that even in this celebrity-obsessed age, UK charities don’t use the famous extensively in their campaigns. If you do have a celebrity you need to use him or her wisely, says Andrew Papworth.

A strange, old-fashioned plea for respect

by George Smith

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.

Making cancer cute

by Jeff Brooks

The ad agency has struck again with this strikingly stupid nonprofit ad. The victim...

World’s shortest stupid nonprofit ad

by Jeff Brooks

Sorry if this series offends. It’s meant to provoke, challenge the blinkered and encourage improvement. And its author Jeff Brooks could have said, the world’s stupidest short nonprofit ad. It’s difficult to see how anyone imagined this ad would be a good idea. Well, actually, it’s difficult to see, period. As Jeff says, ‘Get real…’

How to advertise for funds off-the-page. Part 1

by Andrew Papworth

Papworth’s principles of press advertising

Part 1: How fundraising ads work

Nonprofits and segmenting for effective communication: a new infographic

by Jay Love & Steven Shattuck

Segmenting your communications to donors is a great way to help you keep them. A recent survey highlights how charities are using segmentation – if at all. How does your organisation match up?

How effective are your board members?

by Simone Joyaux

There’s a big difference between the board and its board members. Remember that the board does corporate governance – and that only happens when the board is together at meetings. Corporate governance is a collective act.

Which of our ads will work best, where, when and why?

by John Caples

‘I have seen one mail-order advertisement actually sell not twice as much, not three times as much but nineteen and a half times as much merchandise as another ad for the same product. Both were run in the same publication. Both had photographic illustrations. Both had carefully written copy. The difference was that one used the right appeal and the other used the wrong appeal.’



So said the legendary John Caples. Is that worth knowing? You bet. Read our review of a timeless fundraising classic here.

Reviewed for SOFII by Ken Burnett. 

A true story about perception, taste and priorities

by Marie Burnett

This isn’t actually my story, I received it in one of those emails that periodically do the rounds. You might have too. I was amazed when I read it and immediately went straight to Google to find out if it had really happened.

Doing good with Dundee cakes

by George Smith

If fundraising was left to village fetes, the voluntary sector would be a nicer, if poorer, place.