The main areas of fundraising

Rhode Island Foundation: why less can be more with the annual report, particularly when it comes to legacies

by SOFII

To send or not to send? If you ask your donors if they want to receive your annual report, why do you think they don’t reply? It could be inertia, ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’. Maybe they think they'll be saving you time and money, they’re nice, considerate people after all. By the same token intertia will stop them going to your website to view your report online – and you will never know. If you send a printed copy, you know they have it and might they not be more likely to look at it, if it’s there in their hands? The stories here from Tom Ahern and the Rhode Island Foundatio show the power of the printed word.

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How I wrote it: Alan Sharpe’s War Child fundraising letter.

by Fergal Byrne & Alan Sharpe

In this, the sixth of a series of interviews with leading fundraising writers, Alan Sharpe talks with Fergal Byrne about a fundraising letter written for Canadian charity War Child in 2011. During this conversation, Alan reveals the thinking that went into his letter and what really matters in making a letter a success.

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Grassroots International: their distinctive annual report

Montage

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.

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Interval House: the gratitude report

report cover

by SOFII

This great report is hot off the press, so SOFII is looking forward to hearing what the readers think about their gratitude report.

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Send a Cow: thank-you drive

by SOFII

The team at Send a Cow are passionate about saying thank you to their supporters.

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I like to MO-ve it funny dance, Movember testicular cancer awareness

by SOFII

Latest addition to our favourite ads feature is from the Everyman campaign. It’s fun, clever and grabs attention to a serious, sensitive subject.

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Plan UK: ‘plan your story’ innovative new video and Facebook app

by SOFII

Have Plan UK changed fundraising by launching this new app?

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Cinema stunt by Carlsberg

by SOFII

We don’t want to encourage bad behaviour but this ad is funny and in a simple way shows how we shouldn’t be too ready to jump to conclusions. Is there a lesson for fundraisers here too?

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The Zimbabwe Association’s emergency appeal

by SOFII

How chance played a large part in raising £10,000 in just one month. Lyndall 'primed the pump' by donating £500 of her own money.

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Capital Area United Way: a well-captioned photo is worth 1,000 words

by SOFII

By re-designing their website and including a special online photo documentary Capital Area United Way found a way to tell their story and proved that a picture really can tell a thousand words.

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Is Asian charity different from Western charity?

by SOFII

Looking for some insight into fundraising in Asia? Mitchell Hinz has some advice.

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Give as you Live™.

by SOFII

A free fundraising mechanism that could unlock a potential £1.25 billion of unrestricted income for charities in the UK alone sounds too good to be true. The brains behind Give as you Live think not, read how you can get in on the action.

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