Something to Tweet About: creating great content for social media

by Carlos Miranda & Alissa Steinner

Finally the report that changed someone who was, at best, lukewarm about social media to an almost fan: Something to Tweet About. You will learn how to gather those yearned-for ‘likes’ and maybe turn them into gold.

Reviewed for SOFII by Marie Burnett.

Does your fundraising have enough tension?

by James Read

Why do perfectly sensible people give away their hard-earned money? Tension, claims James Read, it’s the gnawing agitation we feel because of the problem that blocks our vision for a better world. Find out how you can use tension to advance your cause.

Direct mail + spam = win for Montblanc

by Darryl Ohrt

Daryl Ohrt, director of Humingo agency in the USA, shares with SOFII readers a letter he recently received. What he first mistook for just another piece of junk mail, albeit with expensive postage, turned out to be the most imaginative direct mail he’d received for a very long time.

Just the facts on legacy giving

by Mal Warwick

Rumour has it that legacy gifts account for as much as one-third of the philanthropic income of charities in the UK, or at least of the largest ones. Whether or not that’s an accurate estimate, it’s clear to all observers that legacies account for a far larger share of charitable revenue in the British Isles than they do elsewhere.

The inconvenient truth about corporate fundraising

by Sean Triner

Have you ever questioned the corporate/community ‘love-in’ line that we are often fed by a variety of media, fundraising commentators and corporate enterprises themselves? Corporate philanthropy, triple bottom line, corporate social responsibility – call it what you will, I know I do – is not what many crank it up to be.

How to increase your appeal results by up to 40 per cent

by Sean Triner

This multiple bullet point plan is for all fundraisers who want to boost earnings from their next appeal mailing or emailing. Follow these simple steps and you’ll find you can increase your net income substantially, for relatively small effort.

How Twitter can transform your fundraising

by Marc Pitman

Twitter is a great free tool that can transform your fundraising. And in a time of economic uncertainty, a free tool is a welcome help.

Job-speak: a user’s guide

by George Smith

And now from the incomparable George Smith: an expose of all that is nonsense in recruitment ads from charities. Are you guilty of the ‘booming vocative’?

Eleven tips to run a really good creative ideas session

by Lucy Gower

Lucy Gower from the NSPCC, gives you the low-down on how, with a little effort and planning, you can ensure that your creative sessions are truly inspirational.

Make an elevator speech that works

by Tom Ahern

Fundraising and communications professional, Tom Ahern, explains the technique he uses to get fundraisers really thinking about the essence of their pitch.

A creative brief for fundraisers: why it matters, and how it can help you raise more money

by Lisa Sargent

This creative brief comes courtesy of Lisa Sargent, principal at Sargent Communications, LLC in the USA.

What’s in a phone script?

by Joe White

Veteran telephone fundraising specialist, Joe White, critiques three real examples of phone scripts. With as many as 70 per cent of calls ending in failure to secure further commitment, you need to know what you should be doing to increase your chances of success.