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.
‘I have a complaint to make’
by Andrew Papworth
The Fundraising Standards Board in the UK recently published the 2011 complaints report and, according to Andrew Papworth, it makes very interesting reading. This is an article about complaints in the UK. Could it apply to fundraising where you are?
Read moreLEGGE HEADS ARMS BODY: top ten secrets of headlines that pull
by Ken Burnett
If you are raising funds in any public medium your responses will directly relate to the effectiveness of your headline. A good headline can easily double or triple your response, and a great one can do even better – up to 17 times better, some say.
Read moreNine tips for effective e-mails
by Nick Allen
E-mail may seem boring, what with Google Earth, Web 2.0, Twitter, widgets, and badges, but it’s still the workhorse of online fundraising and communications.
Read moreIs your newsletter great donor relationship-building, or an unwise self-indulgence?
by Tom Ahern & Sean Triner
Almost all nonprofits produce a newsletter and send it out with their warm appeals. But should they?
Read moreTen tips to spur the creative grant proposal-writing process
by Pamela Grow
Pamela says: ‘Your final step should be a gracious letter to the foundation, thanking them for their time and their thorough review of your proposal. You’d be surprised at how few organisations take the time to thank the foundation.’
Read moreHow I wrote it: why I owe my career to a sea turtle
by Fergal Byrne
The direct marketing agency, Lautman & Company had hired Richard Armstong to write what he anticipated to be a routine fundraising package for the Center for Environmental Education. It seems there was a problem developing on the beaches of Florida; bright lights from beachfront properties were distracting hatchling sea turtles on their way to the ocean, reducing their chances of survival. In response, the Center for Environmental Education created the Sea Turtle Rescue Fund.
Read moreIn-memoriam donation thank-you letter samples
by Lisa Sargent
These letters are part of Lisa Sargent’s thank-you letter clinic: How to write lively memorial donation thank-you letters.
Read moreDo it yourself fundraising
by Marc Pitman
Start-up nonprofits often ask me, ‘How do we raise money?’. The panic of making budget seems to make raising money impossible without knowing someone rich and famous like Bill Gates or Warren Buffet.
Read moreSupporter surveys: what do your supporters really think?, part 2
by Jonathon Grapsas
The second part of a three-part analysis of the benefits of annual supporter surveys.
Read moreHow to be an effective client
by Ken Burnett
SOFII’s co-founder Ken Burnett, introduces this showcase and explains why he thinks it’s not just important but critical, that fundraisers have a place to go where they can learn how to be an effective client. The reason for this? To ensure that not so much as a penny of donor’s faithfully given money is wasted. SOFII can be that place.
Read moreA debt to the master: the Ogilvy effect
by Ken Burnett
Part two of SOFII’s tribute to ‘the pope of advertising’, David Ogilvy.
Read moreDavid Ogilvy: A profile of the ‘father of advertising’
by Christiana Stergiou
While the thought of another ‘must read’ book for fundraisers might overwhelm, you really should read this book, especially if you want to hire, or are currently working with an agency, want to apply for a job, have to write copy or are using …
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