How I use SOFII: to take advantage of coming second

by Margaux Smith

Find out how enthusiastic new fundraising magpie Margaux Smith uses SOFII to learn from those who’ve been treading the fundraising boards for many a year.

How I use SOFII: Ryna Sherazi, Nepal’s lone fundraiser

by Ryna Sherazi

One of the reasons we started SOFII was to help fundraisers working in countries without a tradition of raising money for charities. Here, Ryna Sherazi, tells us how the way she uses SOFII has changed since she moved from the UK to Nepal.

‘The Last Word’: how copywriters can change the world

by Indra Sinha

A brilliant addition to the showcase of fine writing from acclaimed copywriter and author Indra Sinha.

15 things I would do if I were the new head of donor development, part 2

by Ken Burnett

These 15 strategies aren’t the only things I’d do. They may not even be the most urgent things I’d do, or even the most important. But they are the things I’d do that I think would have the most lasting impact, that would make the most difference to converting my imaginary donor development department from the under-funded, misunderstood appendage to the fundraising function that I found on joining the organization, into the finely honed, high-earning core activity that I’d like to leave behind me when, in the fullness of time, I move on to pastures new (you have to indulge me a little here, in this fantasy).

Sample thank-you letters for you to swipe

by Lisa Sargent

Next to your fundraising appeals, your thank-you letter is the most important communication that a donor receives. So shouldn’t it sparkle with sincerity?

Why your charity (still) needs better thank-you letters

by Lisa Sargent

So you’ve heard that, thanks to Lee Saunders, SOFII will champion the renaissance of the charity thank-you letter. Renaissance, you say? A lofty word, that, for the humble thank-you letter. 

But if you aim to raise money for good causes, the thank-you letter is still among your mightiest tools.

15 things I would do if I were the new head of donor development, part 1

by Ken Burnett

This list came about when a US journal for fundraisers asked me to imagine I’d just started in a new job, with a clean slate and sufficient resources to set about transforming the donor development function. It’s included here to help anyone in an even vaguely similar situation. And to help me set out my philosophy of donor development.

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!