The direct mail, door drops and household deliveries showcase

Congratulations! You’ve just found the world’s best and biggest collection of fundraising direct mail, right here on sofii.org. There are more than 160 detailed case histories and articles here for you to learn from, crib from, adapt or copy. And lots more besides. Enjoy!

Click here for the full contents and index for SOFII’s direct mail showcase. 

The summary report of the Commission on the Donor Experience into direct mail fundraising can be found here.

CPAR: ‘plant a tree in Ethiopia’ mailing

by SOFII

Ethiopia has to be one of the most difficult fundraising markets in the world. Yet this pack produced results that most more sophisticated fundraisers can only dream of.

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Ryton Gardens: recyclable mailing

by SOFII

Ryton Garden’s famous recyclable mailing is one of the best ever examples of the benefits fundraisers can realise when they show that they really understand their donors.

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RSPB: Letter to the future

by SOFII

How do you engage people in your cause, grab their attention and encourage them to stand alongside you on an issue of national importance? Not easy, we think. But here’s a brilliant example of a national conservation charity doing just that, very successfully.

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Greenpeace’s optimistic tick-box suggestion: the ‘Stop Thorp’ campaign court case mailing

by Carolina Herrera

This exhibit works on many levels. At first glance the reply form opposite looks innocuous enough but really it’s a brilliant illustration of how, in times of need, donors will respond warmly to help a cause when it is clearly in trouble.

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Friends of the Earth: the Bee Cause

by SOFII

This extremely important campaign from Friends of the Earth perfectly integrates fundraising and genuine participation, through beautifully produced and interesting involvement devices, both online and offline.

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United Negro College Fund: David Ogilvy’s letter

by SOFII

Go back in time to meet one of the commuters who, in 1968, found this superb letter from David Ogilvy on the seat of the train taking him home to his comfortable New York suburb.

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University of Leeds: The calendar appeal

by SOFII

This excellent mail appeal was a success thanks to a very smart theme where alumni shared their experiences and memories of their time at the University of Leeds. To check out the calendar and full creative, click read more.

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The Royal Flying Doctor Service: ‘Buy a jet’ direct mail

pack shot

by SOFII

This award-winning mailing certainly caught the eye of donors – donations poured in and income soared passed the target. A subsequent newsletter must have been especially good too, because 750 people gave again even though they hadn’t been asked!

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University of Leeds: direct mail cash appeal to alumni

by SOFII

The direct mail appeal that raised more in 12 weeks than the University had raised in their previous eight years of sending mail appeals.

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University of Leeds: the memories appeal

by SOFII

This multi-channel ‘prospecting’ campaign from the University of Leeds enabled them to reach former students who had drifted away from their former university and exceeded its target by 56 per cent.

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WSPA: ‘Big bear build’ and ‘big bear rescue’ appeals

The big bear build pack.

by SOFII

This campaign clearly showed donors that they were highly valued by WSPA and that their support was making a difference. Having been on a journey with WSPA rescuing the captive bears since 2006, the donors were able to see the influence they had made as well as the change they could make possible now.

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Action on Hearing Loss: put a gift in your will

by SOFII

Action on Hearing Loss has calculated that this legacy campaign is likely to generate around £2 million in the future.

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