The main areas of fundraising
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.
Read moreHow 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.
Read moreGreater 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.
Read moreRhode 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.
Read moreHow 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.
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 moreInterval House: the gratitude report
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.
Read moreSend a Cow: thank-you drive
by SOFII
The team at Send a Cow are passionate about saying thank you to their supporters.
Read moreI 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.
Read morePlan UK: ‘plan your story’ innovative new video and Facebook app
by SOFII
Have Plan UK changed fundraising by launching this new app?
Read moreCinema 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?
Read moreThe 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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