Major donors showcase
Major donors: all you need to become a truly successful major donor fundraiser
This showcase is produced in partnership with I.G. Advisors.
Major donor fundraising is one of the most important but delicate areas of the fundraiser's profession. This showcase will equip you with all the tools you need to become a truly successful major donor fundraiser.
Click here for the full contents and index for SOFII’s major donors showcase.
The Foundling Hospital appeal, 1728-1745
by Tobin Aldrich
Another opportunity to be inspired by fundraisers of the past. Raffles, art gallery events and benefit concerts are common ways to raise money today – but when Thomas Coram was fundraising for the Foundling Hospital in Georgian London he employed all these methods. In fact, some might say he invented them…
Read moreWilliam Quarrier – the most determined fundraiser of all time?
by Simon Burne
Be inspired by the most determined fundraiser of all time. Using an approach not designed for the faint-hearted, William Quarrier went into a room full of wealthy people and walked out with enough money to fund a village for homeless children in Glasgow. But how did he do it? And what can we learn from this fundraising superstar?
Read moreThe Darüşşafaka Society: a unique offer for special donors
by Gunes Yildirim
Darüşşafaka – meaning house of kindness – has provided full scholarships to orphans including clothing, accommodation, healthcare and food. But there’s also a lot we can learn about donor care, legacy and high value fundraising from the oldest NGO in Turkey.
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home: ‘secret suppers’
by SOFII
Battersea Dogs & Cats Home struck gold with a marvellous and original idea to show their urgent need to wealthy donors.
Read moreSOS Children’s Villages Belgium: a corporate partnership aimed at six people
by SOFII
An ingenious idea from SOS Children’s Villages that went for the ‘one per cent’ with this newspaper ad. It has superb and courageous targeting – just six people – is, challenging, innovative and was very successful.
Read moreConfessions of an unethical nine-year-old fundraiser
by Norma Cameron
One of the golden rules of successful fundraising is that before asking others to give, you should first donate yourself. Norma Cameron shows how the memory of one major gift you gave will give you comfort and confidence to be a better fundraiser. Here she tells the rather scary tale of her fundraising epiphany, inspired by something as simple as a collecting box.
Read moreThe Städel Museum, Frankfurt: inspiring a city to fundraise
by SOFII
The donors who gave millions to the Städel Museum said it was not ‘just a museum’, but rather that they felt like part of a big family.
Read moreHarvard University: how Harvard got its name. Major gift fundraising in the seventeenth century.
by SOFII
The examples in this exhibit are almost 400 years old, yet it would seem that we are still making the same mistakes today when it comes to major gift fundraising.
Read moreGrassroots International: their distinctive annual report
by SOFII
Grassroots Interenational’s staff diligently take photos during field visits and now they have a wide choice of images to use in their annual report. They also use donor profiles to support their message, so GRI donors are interested and highly involved.
Read moreIs Asian charity different from Western charity?
by SOFII
Looking for some insight into fundraising in Asia? Mitchell Hinz has some advice.
Read moreDeerfield Academy: the Bruce Barton classic long copy letter from 1925 that pulled a 100 per cent response
by Carolina Herrera
He sounds like the racy detective hero from a 1930s crime thriller. But Bruce Barton is something else, for sure – a great copywriter and communicator.
Read moreFund for a Free South Africa: high value mailing
by SOFII
Apart from its historical value this colourful, beautifully-crafted direct mail appeal package, designed to create maximum impact from a carefully targeted group.
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