Tough Mudder

by Michelle Chambers

A success story from non-professional fundraisers, this time two young men.

Tough Mudder is a challenge that includes fire, ice and electric shock obstacles and is more about camaraderie and team spirit than being the best. So far it has raised £5 million across the globe.

Creating extraordinary experiences for donors

by Simone Joyaux

SOFII’s expert on board development, Simone Joyaux, takes us on a different journey. Don’t just give your donors what they think they want, she says, give them something outside their wildest dreams, give them something that makes them go ‘WOW!’

How I wrote it: the NSPCC’s Simple pack

by Robbie Rae

When Robbie Rae started working as a fundraising copywriter at the turn of the millennium, he felt that true masters of direct mail had perfected the art in all its form. Despite that, he thought that it was time to change the orthodoxy. Click here to discover how he wrote a hugely successful pack that did just that.

Emory University’s Blue Pig Campaign

by SOFII

Emory University started the Blue Pig Campaign to encourage its undergraduate students to give to the university and foster good links for alumni fundraising by using a Facebook account and Twitter profile.

Donor-centred fundraising – are you prepared to take a leap of faith?

by Jackie Fowler

Giving donors choices and allowing supporters to opt out of fundraising appeals are hotly debated topics in the UK right now. But one well-known UK charity has been practising both of these supposed heresies for nearly 30 years now. 

San Francisco Zoo’s ‘adopt-an-animal’ campaign

by SOFII

Many charities have seasonal appeals: Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day… Would you be brave enough to take a swerve from the traditional? Yes? Then go to Tycely Williams’ story of the San Francisco Zoo’s offer of a gift, but not to a loved one – that’s too predictable – you can send a hissing cockroach to a nasty ex.

Press ads can still deliver the goods

by Andrew Papworth

These days it seems that press advertising has been sidelined and disregarded as yesterday’s medium. But, says Andrew Papworth, properly used the press can still be extremely potent. If you have enough skill and determination you can create a very special and deep relationship with the reader.

Let’s keep in touch… What happened next

by Rachel Hunnybun

Rachel Hunnybun used to receive wonderful communications from a charity she supports, some even moved her to tears. Now they have become mediocre and dull. What on earth went wrong? Do you think it’s because they lost sight of their values when staff moved on?

StreetDoctors: helping victims of crime

by SOFII

When two young medical students were talking to a group of 11 to 16 year olds they were shocked to learn that either the youngsters, or someone they knew, had been shot or stabbed. That shock led to Streetdoctors, a charity that has fundraising embedded across the entire organisation.

It’s the picture not the frame

by Lyndall Stein

‘When I saw the three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, I was petrified. [He] ... was lying lifeless face down in the surf, in his red t-shirt and dark blue shorts folded to his waist. The only thing I could do was to make his outcry heard.’ Nilufer Demir, photographer, on why she released the photo.

But was she right? Read Lyndall Stein on why we fundraisers shouldn’t shrink from the challenge of using powerful images to change the world.

What you need in your backpack. Essential preparation for grant applications

by Jo Garner

Are you settling down to write that all-important grant application? You’ll need to make sure that your fundraising ‘backpack’ is full of the essentials if you are to succeed, says Jo Garner. You’ll find them here on SOFII.

Let’s keep in touch

by Rachel Hunnybun

Does your organisation miss simple opportunities to talk to your donors? Click here to see what happened when Rachel Hunnybun contacted her favourite charities to tell them she had moved home.