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We can boost donor retention. But only if we get smart

by Chuck Longfield

Chuck Longfield created a SOFII classic with his last interview Data is Gold, providing SOFII readers with free access to real fundraising gems hidden within their donor files. Today SOFII enthusiastically adds part two, an in-depth conversation with Chuck that draws out five more golden nuggets of smartness.

George Smith: working with suppliers, part two

by George Smith

Are more people working during their journey to and from the office? George Smith thinks so and says it’s because we spend too much time in meetings.. In the second part of his article on working with suppliers, he shows how to manage those meetings, how to handle the approval process and how charities can achieve a mutually beneficial relationship with suppliers.

Twelve suggestions – and a bit more – to help you write effectively

by George Smith

No one ever felt more keenly about the English language than George Orwell. He was an enemy of cant in any form and particularly waspish about the abuse of English by politicians, bureaucrats and those in power generally. No one has ever rivalled the glittering common sense George Orwell offers us in Politics and the English Language, an essay written as long ago as 1946. I am happy to quote from it extensively because its succinctness has never been bettered.

The Obama effect

by Jonathon Grapsas

Six lessons from President Obama’s fundraising team to help fuel growth in your organisation.

How to write a better thank-you letter (and why it matters)

by Lisa Sargent

‘Dear Friend,’ the thank-you letter began... and it broke my heart. Don’t they know my name? I wondered. (It was on the cheque I sent them, after all.)

SOFII announces the return of the thank-you letter clinic

by Lisa Sargent

New thank-you letter clinic to champion a renaissance in charity thank-you letters, starting with Lee Saunders – and YOU.

It all started when veteran fundraiser and SOFII user Lee Saunders kindly sent SOFII a packet of charity thank-you letters he’d written for charities in Western Australia.

An earlier incarnation of NSPCC’s The Children’s Friend

by Ken Burnett

Managing trustee, Ken Burnett, shares with SOFII readers how the idea for the original NSPCC supporter magazine The Children’s Friend was born. In this revealing article, Ken gives us a glimpse into how NSPCC’s most significant donor communication was developed and how it became something of a family affair – SOFII’s not just thrown together you know!

Supporter insights: what are they, why bother with them and how to uncover them?

by Kevin Waudby

In this thought-provoking article, Kevin Waudby shows how great supporter insight can help differentiate your charity from your competitors and be the difference between a supporter giving to your cause instead of theirs.

George Smith: Working with suppliers, part one

by George Smith

A more serious article than ‘So you seriously want to be a client?, George says that if we really want to be creative in fundraising we have to know how to get help from suppliers.