Hilda’s suitcase: when’s the right time to discuss leaving a legacy?

by Norma Cameron

Step into SOFII’s archive to explore more insights on legacy giving. We think you’ll love this charming and personal story from Norma Cameron, in Canada, who learned a very important lesson about gift planning from her mum.

The great donor exodus, and what to do about it. A three-part series from Jay Love

by Jay Love

Jay Love’s revealing infographics have been setting American fundraisers alight recently, with good reason. Why do donors head for the exit? How does our sector’s attrition compare with customers of for-profit businesses? Do larger donors leave sooner? How many donors could you keep, if you just did some things differently?

Now on SOFII, widely respected data specialist and entrepreneur Jay Love explores these seemingly permanent hot topics with two generous helpings of practical advice all fundraisers could follow.

How to find your inner writer

by Elizabeth Loudon

One of the best tips to find your inner writer is to steal one. So says Elizabeth Loudon here. You’ll also find other ideas and advice to help you force your inner writer into the open and write great letters that your donors will keep responding to for years.

Hello! Testing! Testing! Testing!

by Andrew Papworth

Andrew Papworth says that testing is a vital part of good fundraising.

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.

Brilliant donor care: 15 steps to make sure your organisation gets it right

by Jonathon Grapsas

Before I launch into some tangible ways to improve the way you deal with donors, let me preface this by looking at the current climate. Just how are charities in different parts of the world interacting with donors on a daily basis?

Nonprofit stories that inspire

by Larry Wilson

‘Do you have any idea what an M-16 rifle does to a child at close range?’

Nine 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.

Is 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?

Ten 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.’

In-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.

Do 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.