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.

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

Dr Christopher Davidson shows the superb front cover of the calendar.

by SOFII

Another excellent mail appeal from the University of Leeds that carries on the successful theme of alumni sharing their experiences and memories of their time at the University.

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The Royal Flying Doctor Service, Victoria: direct mail to buy a jet

pack shot

by SOFII

This award-winning mailing certainly caught the eye of donors – donations received soared passed their target. The newsletter must have been especially good – 750 people gave again even though they hadn't been asked.

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University of Leeds: direct mail cash appeal to alumni

The letter and reply form.

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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Everything you need to know about the annual appeal letter. Made easy.

by Jay Love & Tom Ahern

In one simple infographic Tom Ahern and Jay Love tell you everything you need to know about the annual appeal letter.

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Canadian Diabetes Association: Diabetes Summer Surge Campaign

Home page

by SOFII

This exhibit is an excellent example of how you can maximise the potential of your existing donors in an impressively short amount of time.

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Audubon Society of Rhode Island: special recognition of long-time donors

the Audubon Society’s special recognition pack for their long-term members.

by SOFII

The Audubon Society of Rhode Island’s superb care for their donors and courage in their approach have produced results that will be the envy of charitable organisations everywhere.

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University of Leeds: the memories appeal

The landing page of the website.

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: the ‘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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SolarAid: ‘spread the light’ campaign

by SOFII

Have we all been so busy looking for ways to recruit donors that we are missing something obvious? This exhibit from a fairly new charity, SolarAid, has used the passion their donors feel for the cause to recruit their friends, neighbours and family to become donors to Solar Aid themselves.

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How I wrote it: the Amnesty pen letter

by Fergal Byrne & Karin Weatherup

In this, the ninth in a series of interviews with leading fundraising writers, Karin Weatherup talks to Fergal Byrne about the legendary Amnesty pen letter she wrote for Amnesty International – the pack was Amnesty UK’s banker for 10 years or more and was copied or adapted by many Amnesty International sections around the world.

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