The main areas of fundraising
How I wrote it: the Sharp HospiceCare conversion letter
by Fergal Byrne & Tom Ahern
In the first of this SOFII series of interviews with leading fundraising writers, Fergal Byrne talks to Tom Ahern about a letter he wrote in 2002 for Sharp HospiceCare. Here Tom tells Fergal how he wrote this letter, explains his approach and takes us through the letter step by step.
Read moreLongstowe Church, Cambridgeshire, UK: restoration appeal
by Anthony Clay
‘Recession? What recession? It all goes to show that good fundraising still works, recession or not.’ How a tiny congregation in rural England raised the huge sum needed to restore their splendid church.
Read moreThe Bruce Barton letters: 22 classic direct mail appeals
by Ken Burnett
If you are new to SOFII, or an old hand, please have a look at some great fundraising letters you’ll love. Written by Bruce Barton over many years, they are priceless examples of the craft of writing fundraising letters.
Read moreYMCA: ‘soft sell’ legacy advertising
by SOFII
In the mid 1980's, the YMCA offered a free legacy information service to generate a list of potential prospects...
Read moreBook Aid International: the Reverse Book Club
by SOFII
This medium level structured monthly giving scheme is a good example of a fundraising product that has been specifically designed to fit the needs of donors to a very particular and specific cause.
Read moreThe Oxfamily box
by SOFII
Sometimes the simple ideas work best. Oxfam's neat device for involving families in the fight against poverty at Christmas time raised a lot of money and also helped families to put their own good fortune into perspective.
Read moreNSPCC: the Centenary Appeal, setting the gold standard in major campaign fundraising, from 1984
by SOFII
There are few really transformational moments in fundraising history and this exhibit sets out to capture one of them. The NSPCC’s Centenary Appeal campaign in 1984 propelled fundraising practice in the UK and Europe forward in one giant leap.
Read moreGreenpeace UK: their cycle of renewal and reactivation mailings – the inertia mailing
by SOFII
The last in this series of renewal and reactivation appeals is the cleverest, we feel. It introduces supporters who have resisted all the other requests in the cycle to the concept of a new and very dangerous threat to the already threatened environment: the donor's own inertia.
Read moreRNLI: ‘He’ll face…All we ask of you’ press insert
by SOFII
Stained with the passage of time and perhaps more than a little carelessness, the face looking out at the reader from this single sheet insert has nevertheless lost nothing of its strength and power to impress. The simple direct proposition makes this one of the classic fundraising offers of all time.
Read moreFriends of the Earth: carbon calculator
by SOFII
An enterprising and topical involvement idea, interestingly executed. FoE's carbon footprint calculator will be irresistible for many people and is right on message for the charity. This exhibit should encourage other campaigning and social change organisations to search for similar ways of engaging supporters.
Read moreDobrota Foundation: ‘everyone can be a philanthropist’ campaign
by SOFII
This massively ambitious multi-media campaign generated results that speak for themselves. It shows what can be achieved with vision and commitment, even in an emerging market.
Read moreRex Dog Shelter: ‘A pet is not a toy’ campaign
by SOFII
This is a ‘percentage’ campaign, one of Hungary’s first multi-media campaigns aimed at getting the public to sign over their one per cent entitlement. Many organisations have now successfully followed the Rex Foundation’s lead, with good results.
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