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.

Albert Street Methodist Sunday School: the foot of pennies from the 1930s

by SOFII

A small yet colourful part of England’s fundraising heritage had been discovered in a Methodist chapel about to be demolished. As their finder explains, these fun feet of pennies are engagement devices designed to make collecting for charity easy and so to hook neophytes into the habit of giving.

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ISRT thank-you and welcome letter

by SOFII

ISRT produced a ‘welcome pack on a single page’. This low cost example of donor relationship development shows fundraising creativity at its simplest and best. Every fundraising organisation could and should aspire to have a thank-you programme and materials at least as good as this.

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WWF Canada: new donor questionnaire

by SOFII

This questionnaire, though a separate and distinctive part of WWF’s new donor welcome process, is an integral part of it. Great donor development in practice, and easy to emulate.

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HomeFront’s virtual gala: ‘Don’t Save the Date. Just Save the World.’

The invitation leaflet.

by SOFII

The offer is simple: for your next charity fundraiser, save money and hassle and stay at home. You save on catering and save the planet, just by staying at home.

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WWF Hungary: ‘Don’t let Danube’s wildlife be destroyed’ campaign

by SOFII

The ‘Don’t let the Danube’s wildlife be destroyed’ campaign aimed to collect donations for the protection of the Danube River, from the employees of WWF’s partner companies.

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Operation Raleigh: toilet paper mailing

Roll of toilet paper

by SOFII

Truly, the best fundraising is almost invariably the most simple and most direct. This mailing also successfully shows the value of writing ‘from the field’, in a distinctive way.

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Botton Village: giving donors choices

by SOFII

Until Botton Village started offering its donors choices with the simple form shown opposite, donors everywhere were almost invariably not given any say in how they might be communicated with.

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Mencap: Christmas appeal

by SOFII

This is a colourful, well-designed appeal that makes very good use of an attractive and appropriate involvement device to raise more money – and make donors feel good.

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RSPCA New South Wales: project Guardian Angel

by SOFII

This is a charming appeal with wonderful photography and a great one-off proposition. Milo (that’s him opposite) could have been adopted several times over just by the SOFII office alone!

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Nature Conservancy of Canada: Legacy mailing

by SOFII

Step into our archive as David Love shares how Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) accessed the ‘pot of gold at the end of the fundraiser’s rainbow’ with a classically straightforward but very appealing legacy piece. Without doubt, this carefully and sensitively crafted pack will have raised funds very effectively for the cause and the organisation that created it.

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