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.

Is Asian charity different from Western charity?

by SOFII

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

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.

University of Washington: ‘stuff the bus’ campaign.

by SOFII

‘Stuff the bus’ campaigns are fundraising events all over North America, each organised entirely by volunteers in their local towns with great success.

Dr Barnardo’s Homes: how the death of Carrots led to a powerful slogan, from 1866

by SOFII

The death of a lonely young boy led Dr Barnardo to declare that the children’s homes that bore his name should never, ever close their doors to any child. A great example of fine writing combined with sincerity.

Culver Academies: by example campaign

by SOFII

It’s not often SOFII gets to showcase an alumni fundraising campaign and this one is an absolute cracker. This campaign managed to exceed their (already ambitious) target, not once but twice.

WaterAid’s plastic bag mailing

by SOFII

Every day in developing countries thousands of women (mainly) face the difficult task of fetching and carrying water from its source to their homes. It’s a gruelling daily duty most donors would find very hard to imagine. Could this concept be applied imaginatively to a fundraising appeal? Of course it could!

How I wrote it: the Starlight Children’s Foundation emergency appeal

by Fergal Byrne & Sean Triner

In this, the fourth of a series of interviews with leading fundraising writers, Sean Triner talks with Fergal Byrne about a fundraising appeal letter he wrote on spec for the Starlight Children’s Foundation, Australia, in 2009. In this conversation Sean tells Fergal how he wrote the letter and what really matters in making sure this kind of letter is a success.

Deerfield Academy: Bruce Barton’s fundraising letters from 1960, letter 22

by SOFII

It has been a pleasure and a privilege to bring you all these letters from that master of direct mail letter-writing, Bruce Barton. But, as the infamous ‘they’ say, ‘all good things must come to an end’. Yes, this is the last SOFII has. But, of course, as they also say, ‘the glass is half full’, so maybe there are more out there that will find their way to SOFII.

Deerfield Academy: Bruce Barton’s fundraising letters from 1957 and 1958, letters 20 and 21

by SOFII

Bruce Barton’s letters are all about the donors’ achievements, so are welcome news packed with flattery and tales of selflessness and fine motives.

Deerfield Academy: Bruce Barton’s fundraising letters from 1956 and 1957, letters 18 and 19

by SOFII

There’s no trickery in these letters, no artifice, no phoney PSs. Just direct, honest talking put in such an endearing and charming way as to become irresistible for those recipients who share the writer’s enthusiasm for Deerfield Academy and his passionate belief that it should give the best education possible to its students.

Why your charity (still) needs better thank-you letters

by Lisa Sargent

So you’ve heard that, thanks to Lee Saunders, SOFII will champion the renaissance of the charity thank-you letter. Renaissance, you say? A lofty word, that, for the humble thank-you letter. 

But if you aim to raise money for good causes, the thank-you letter is still among your mightiest tools.