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.

An ad that unplugs a flood of nonprofit stupidity

by Jeff Brooks

This effort from the Canadian Red Cross shows how an ad writer can get things hopelessly wrong.

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This ad accuses repressive governments of absent-mindedness

by Jeff Brooks

As with other bad nonprofit ads, the question is this: why resort to abstraction when the truth itself is so powerful?

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Garbage in, garbage out

by Jeff Brooks

Oh dear, oh dear, here’s an award-winning ad that has lost the point entirely. The young people featured make it seem they think fundraising is a bigger enemy than poverty. I’m sure they didn’t mean it – or did they?

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Stupid misconception about the inner lives of children

by Jeff Brooks

According to Jeff Brooks the slogan ‘it’s easy to convince children that killing is a game’ is breathtakingly false and the premise of this ad is an insanely ill-conceived visual metaphor.

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Asking the biggest questions of all

by Andrew Papworth

Do you agree when Andrew Papworth says that the British Humanist Association ad here shows muddled thinking and poor execution?

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What a tangled web we weave when we try to win awards

by Jeff Brooks

Is Jeff Brooks right when he says that these ads are just fishing for awards? SOFII would love to know what you think.

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Telephone fundraising, part 3: designing and delivering a campaign

by Bethan Holloway

The third – and last for the time being – article on telephone fundraising from Bethan Holloway explains how to design and deliver a campaign.

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Five steps to creating corporate partnerships

Innocent drinks

by Remarkable Partnerships

Have you seen the little woolly hats on top of Innocent smoothies and thought that’s brilliant? Or perhaps you’ve bought a packet of Pampers that includes a donation to UNICEF?

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Even for a charity there’s no such thing as a free lunch

Robert Cialdini and his seminal book

by Ken Burnett

At least, not without some reciprocity.

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Donate now - make a difference to the world and feel great about it.

by SOFII

Donate now - make a difference to the world and feel great about it.

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How I wrote it: Cerebral Palsy Alliance’s multimedia, email and video

by Jonathon Grapsas

So far in the ‘how I wrote it’ series, we have focused on the traditional form of campaigning. In other words, packages only using the written word. Here we look at a communication package that uses multimedia, email and video.

Here Jonathon Grapsas talks to Fergal about his work for the charity Cerebral Palsy Alliance. Jonathon is based in Australia where he works for a number of local charities.

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Breve historia del fundraising en España

by Alhelí Quintanilla

La captación de fondos comenzó en España en los años 60, con iniciativas como el Día de la Banderita, los sorteos especiales de Lotería o los mercadillos de beneficencia. Este tipo de fundraising puntual se asociaba sobre todo a iniciativas caritativas impulsadas por la iglesia Católica, principal beneficiaria por tradición de la generosidad de los españoles, que contaba con la ayuda de una legión de voluntarios. Lee mas aquí.

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