The main areas of fundraising
RNLI: ‘stand behind these men’ press ad
by SOFII
The message is simple and direct – it tells who the RNLI is, what it does, and gets straight to the point by asking what the reader will contribute. It also uses a photograph of a crew member at the top of the page – a tradition that continues today.
Read moreGreenpeace International: the reinvention of face-to-face fundraising
by SOFII
Across the world the approach Greenpeace developed for direct dialogue changed the way fundraising organisations recruit new monthly direct debit donors. Raising millions, perhaps billions of pounds in the process.
Read moreUNICEF India: the ‘tele-facing’ campaign
by SOFII
This novel approach to re-qualifying potential major donors sits between telephone and face-to-face fundraising. It is an example of how telephone fundraising and face-to-face fundraising are evolving and being adapted in India to take account of the country’s large population and distinctive business culture – with quite impressive results.
Read moreGreenpeace India: SMS lead generation
by SOFII
Face-to-face fundraising everywhere faces the same problems of high cancellation rates and low retention. This innovative, adventurous approach to pre-qualifying leads for F2F is particularly interesting in that it was first developed and tested in India. The SMS lead generation campaign is a filter mechanism designed to source ‘warm prospects’.
Read moreFarm Africa: ‘ask for what you need’
by SOFII
How do you ask a maojor donor for $50,000 when she’s at the other end of a telephone line and you’re in a very noisy tapas bar? Do you make ‘the ask’ in the worst possible surroundings? The lesson from this case study is that as long as ‘the ask’ is right, it doesn’t matter where you are.
Read moreWoman’s Royal Voluntary Service: face-to-face postcard
by SOFII
This is a wonderful example of outstanding stewardship. It shows that developing a strong relationship with the donor at the earliest possible stage can significantly affect loyalty and reduce attrition in a notoriously difficult and challenging type of donor recruitment.
Read moreThe Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade: minute regarding the need for fundraising from 1788
by SOFII
This piece offers a unique insight into how, 220 years ago, funds were raised to help fight one of the greatest social evils of all time. In its formality, the 114-word single sentence of this solicitation has a distinctly quaint character.
Read moreHabitat for Humanity International: Hungary mailing
by SOFII
Find out how a dream came true for Hungarian expatriate who used brilliant direct mail to help build homes for his fellow countrymen and women. Creatively, this pack gives a ‘behind the curtain’ view of what one man can do – the pack feels like Mr Lorincz may have really contributed to the folder and map.
Read moreRSPCA’s pile of dead dogs advertisement
by SOFII
Some time around the turn of the 1980s Britain’s leading animal welfare charity, the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), produced a striking and controversial poster that positioned it as a campaigning organisation too.
Read moreRCSB: Bhopal emergency appeal
by SOFII
Created in less than two hours, this ad went on to raise more than 20 times its total costs in just a few days, to become a classic example of disaster appeal advertising. More than £420,000 was raised and most of it directly attributable to the press advertisements.
Read moreMédecins sans Frontières: ‘field partners’
by SOFII
Without doubt all fundraisers want regular givers and lots of them. This is a great example of how to convert your existing supporters from random one-off gifts to planned regular giving, and how charities can change the giving behaviour of existing supporters.
Read moreThe early Christian Church: St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians
by SOFII
This may not be the world’s earliest ever recorded mention of fundraising but it could well be the first ever example of a fundraising director exhorting his troops to achieve their targets. Or, do you know different?
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