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.

The Wishing Well Appeal for Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital

by SOFII

It's difficult to do justice to a capital campaign as wide, and complex. This is a condensed summary of a major capital campaign which, at the time, was the largest appeal ever mounted in the UK.

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How I wrote it: the ActionAid iguana letter

by Fergal Byrne & Aline Reed

Are you sitting down to write your next appeal? In this article, Aline Reed takes you through a letter she wrote in 2005. It was part of ActionAid UK’s long-running mid-value donor programme. Aline explains her approach to writing stories that move donors to action, and offers hints and tips that will help you to do the same. 

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British Red Cross: the £7.7 billion appeal that changed British fundraising forever

by SOFII

The Duke of Gloucester’s Red Cross and St John Appeal Fund is the largest charitable fund in the history of British fundraising, raising the equivalent of £7.7 billion. This monumental exhibit should be read by all.

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Reverse Book Club cold acquisition pack: Books change lives

by SOFII

Book Aid International’s latest donor acquisition mailing package, created by them with UK marketing and communications agency Catalyst.

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How I wrote it: the Sharp HospiceCare conversion letter

by Fergal Byrne & Tom Ahern

In the first of this SOFII series of interviews with leading fundraising writers, Fergal Byrne talks to Tom Ahern about a letter he wrote in 2002 for Sharp HospiceCare. Here Tom tells Fergal how he wrote this letter, explains his approach and takes us through the letter step by step.

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Book Aid International: the Reverse Book Club

by SOFII

This medium level structured monthly giving scheme is a good example of a fundraising product that has been specifically designed to fit the needs of donors to a very particular and specific cause.

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Farm Africa: a thank-you letter and gift

Farm Africa thank you letter and coffee beans.

by SOFII

This is just a very nice thank-you letter that is easy to copy, though perhaps it would be best not to do so directly, but rather to adapt the idea behind it in a way that’s distinctive, individual and personal to your cause.

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Dr Barnardo’s Homes: four fundraising greats from the distant past

by SOFII

Dr Thomas Barnardo was one of the Victorian era's great philanthropists. These archive examples of his personal fundraising style and efforts are a unique treasure for the body of fundraising knowledge and best practice.

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The early Christian Church: Paul the apostle motivates his church’s donors – c. 56 AD

Painting of St Paul

by SOFII

This could be the first ever appeal for regular, committed donors. In the early days of the Christian church the missionary Paul asked his supporters in the city of Corinth to set aside a small portion of their income regularly, to sustain victims of a famine and then later to support good works generally.

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Greenpeace Australia Pacific: the welcome process

by SOFII

Think objectively about the experience a new donor has within the first few months of joining your organisation. Greenpeace Australia Pacific has developed a new and simplified process to ensure that new donors receive clear communications that both thank and further engage them. The result is that they’re reducing the number of donors who leave within the first three months.

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Australian Conservation Foundation: end of year appeal

by SOFII

By changing the way that donors were asked for support, ACF was able to triple income and response with this mailing. It is a brilliant example of a credible, compelling and engaging direct mail piece to a warm audience.

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British Heart Foundation: the ‘calculate the cost of heart disease’ mailing

by SOFII

This is irresistible. How could any cost-conscious businessman or woman resist playing with this gadget to get an idea of what heart disease is costing his or her bottom line each year?

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