The main areas of fundraising
Fundraising in the First World War: fighting the good fight
by Tony Charalambides
Fundraising and charitable volunteering is a rather under-reported component of Britain’s war effort during the First World Ward, says Tony Charalambides, but it had an enormous impact on its outcome.
Read moreNSPCC’s thank-you mailing
by SOFII
This bright, colourful direct mail pack is a winner all of itself. With the delightful, powerful booklet as well it couldn’t fail to inspire donors to send their own messages and, indeed, send in another donation to the cause they love.
Read moreUnited Way for Southeast Michigan (UWSEM): lessons from a $27.1 million corporate gift
by Marie Burnett
United Way successfully shifted their fundraising model from transactional to relational and from obligation giving to inspired giving. In the process they turned around a five year trend of decreasing contributions from workforce campaigns with the largest donation to a single project.
Read moreWaterAid: The Big Dig
by Reuben Turner
A very fine example of how storytelling, done right, can change the world. Isn’t the infographic just great? (SOFII loves the crossed legs). This campaign is fun, innovative, engaging, emotional (imagine how you’d feel with no toilet…) and highly effective as, inevitably, real storytelling in real time was bound to be. Altogether brilliant.
Read moreForcing or forging a relationship? Part 1: understanding your donors
by Charlie Hulme
This, the first of a three-part feature by Charlie Hulme, managing director, DonorVoice UK, kicks off an important new series for SOFII. Based upon evidence and experience rather than theory and opinion, Charlie’s first article spells out the crucial necessity of really understanding what your donors want from their relationship with you and your cause.
Read moreTen easy fixes for the design of your donation form
by Beate Sørum
Beate Sorum shares digital how-tos, things to do and not to do and 10 tips to make your online donation form work much better.
Read moreWhat kind of experience does your donor encounter when making an online gift?
by Pamela Grow
Pamela Grow shares some easy lessons you can steal and pitfalls you can avoid from the best, and worst, of donor experiences.
Imperial War Museum: Indra Sinha’s Eric Heaton ad, from 1985
by Carolina Herrera
This is a classic press ad from advertising legend Indra Sinha that helped mend a leaky roof. It’ll have you in tears too, as it shows you how to tell a good story.
Read moreReader knowledge, real voices, great stories and big points of view
by Elizabeth Loudon
Writer Liz Loudon shares the difference between really writing to move donors, or just typing.
Read moreSOFII: the BIG questions
by SOFII
How do we make donors feel really special? And how do they want to see us?
Read moreVoices for Justice newsletter, from Human Rights Watch, USA
by SOFII
This package is an excellent example of a legacy society newsletter, with its special focus on the mission-based activities that constitute true donor motivation.
Read moreLiving Legacy Society newsletter, from the Union of Concerned Scientists, USA
by SOFII
This newsletter represents the culmination of nearly a decade of successful direct marketing efforts by Mal Warwick Associates and the staff of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
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