The main areas of fundraising
RNLI: Britain’s first-ever street collection, 1891
by Carolina Herrera
An appalling loss of life in 1886 leads to the invention of a fundraising classic that's still raising millions today. A horrific double tragedy brought about Britain’s first-ever street collection for a charitable cause. It was a significant milestone in the history of voluntary action in the UK and elsewhere.
Read moreHabitat for Humanity: money back guarantee
by SOFII
Would a money-back guarantee help your direct mail? Habitat for Humanity tried it, and the results were as interesting and instructive as were their reasons for doing it.
Read moreISRT thank-you and welcome letter
by SOFII
ISRT produced a ‘welcome pack on a single page’. This low cost example of donor relationship development shows fundraising creativity at its simplest and best. Every fundraising organisation could and should aspire to have a thank-you programme and materials at least as good as this.
Read moreActionAid: the inserts with built-in reply mechanism
by SOFII
This promotion raised £millions and won almost every direct marketing award going. It also helped propel a new and little known organisation called ActionAid into the list of Britain's top 20 charities. Action Aid created a new format, which was then copied by dozens, perhaps hundreds of other organisations.
Read moreOxfam’s press ads from the 1950s and 60s
by SOFII
These press advertisements really did change the course of fundraising in Britain. They helped Oxfam to grow into a substantial international charity. Though they might seem crude and simplistic now, these ads very effectively alerted the post-war British public to considerable humanitarian needs abroad.
Read moreWWF Canada: welcome pack for new donors
by SOFII
Learn how to engage and retain your donors from this early example of a donor-centred welcome pack. This is a very good and highly copyable example of the genre. And, most noteworthy perhaps is that this pack has been structured and written around what the donor would want, not what the organisation wants.
Read moreSoil Association: membership development
by SOFII
This instructive exhibit shows how it is possible to target different types of member by carefully segmenting donor files and structuring membership offers according to the different donor groups found on the Soil Association’s database. But you need to really understand your donors.
Read moreWWF Canada: new donor questionnaire
by SOFII
This questionnaire, though a separate and distinctive part of WWF’s new donor welcome process, is an integral part of it. Great donor development in practice, and easy to emulate.
Read moreNSPCC: the Little Book of Change
by SOFII
A brilliant example of stewardship at its best, the NSPCC’s Little Book of Change is a superbly-chosen high value thank you for major donors and volunteers alike. The Little Book of Change was designed to bring to life a range of outcomes for children that had previously been presented in a statistical report. Individual stories of children and families are shown through letters, poems, stories, magazine articles and drawings. This approach could be utilised by any organisation to make its key stakeholders feel part of what the organisation is trying to achieve and to secure their help in the long-term.
Read moreRNLI: the legacy letter
by SOFII
This is a classic example of a direct appeal to supporters, asking for information that will help plan future income. The candid, plain-speaking, respectful copy reminds supporters that RNLI relies heavily on legacies to fund their work. You can read the whole thing here.
Read moreStation WDCN, Nashville, USA: special ‘thank you’ to a donor
by SOFII
A fundraiser really listening to her donor, thinking on her feet and responding in an entirely appropriate and personal manner with a communication that any donor would be delighted to receive.
Read moreGreat Ormond Street Hospital: legacy marketing 1856
by SOFII
Why is it that the giving and receipt of legacies figured strongly in Victorian literature, yet is largely absent today? The announcement in the annual report of The Hospital for Sick Children (later Great Ormond Street Hospital) appeared just four years after the hospital was founded, but it was already obvious that gifts of legacies would be very important to the health and development of the hospital.
Read more
