In lieu of flowers: how to write lively memorial donation thank-you letters

by Lisa Sargent

Are your in-memoriam donation thank-you letters destined for donor oblivion?

This copywriting clinic looks to help you rescue them from a fate worse than, well… death.

How to write a better newsletter

by John Grain

In this article, John Grain tells us in simple terms what a good newsletter should be. If you want some solid, practical advice about writing a better newsletter, you need to read this.

St Dunstan’s: help blind heroes interactive acquisition campaign.

by SOFII

By combining a commanding and touching story with an interactive grit 'reaction test', they have managed to design a campaign that will both move and interest people.

Ontario Nature: ‘Ruby the hummingbird’ mailing

by SOFII

This unusual example of direct mail tells a complex, moving story in an imaginative and very engaging way.

Jewish Care: the Post-it note campaign

by SOFII

The ideas that look most obvious and the execution that looks so easy and straightforward of course rarely are. There’s no such thing as simple creativity. But here is a great idea executed with flair so as to be instantly clear and appealing.

Harvard 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.

CHATS: the Norooz letter, in Farsi

by SOFII

It’s an ancient truism of fundraising that if you want to communicate with donors you must speak to them in their language, not yours. Here’s a small example that paid off in practice.

Blue Cross: a brand refresh

by SOFII

This charity’s brand refresh is different from many others because it puts supporters and their deep love and concern for pets first. It’s designed to meet fundraising objectives as well as brand awareness.

St Michael’s Hospital Foundation: the 2010/11 annual report to donors

by SOFII

The St Michael’s Hospital Foundation view their hard-working and very appealing annual report as an opportunity to showcase the accomplishments of the past year and honour their generous donors. It shows them that their donations have been wisely spent and have made a real difference to the patients cared for at St. Michael’s.

Help the Aged: ‘you have this gift’ direct mail pack

by SOFII

Both the text on the envelope and the incentive in this classic direct mail pack from the 1980s have been copied frequently.

How I wrote it: Jules Brown talks about the Women’s Aid fundraising letter

by Fergal Byrne & Jules Brown

In Fergal Byrne’s seventh interview with leading fundraising copywriters, Jules Brown from New Zealand explains why he begins with a case study. ‘I immerse myself in the case study. For me, it forms the guts of what fundraising direct mail is all about.’ Click here to see the powerful case history he used in the featured letter that he wrote for Women’s Aid in Ireland.

Greater London Fund for the Blind: Christmas card and thank-you card tests

by SOFII

Some people were so pleased with their thank-you cards that they rang GLFB to say so. SOFII is sure that when the next batch of mailings land on their doormats the one from GLFB will spark off a fond memory and, therefore, picked up first.