FP212 THE PLAN: how child sponsorship helped save children in Spain’s civil war.
This is the remarkable, moving story of how the best fundraising proposition in the world was launched, more than 70 years ago, by a group of young adventurers caught up in a terrifying conflict.
EF215 GiveIndia’s electronic newsletter
How an online philanthropy marketplace communicates inspiration and reassurance to donors the world over.
CR214 ActionAid’s virtual Christmas gift collection
Find out how the charity Christmas trading market has been revitalised by the arrival of ‘gifts that keep on giving’.
LS207 and 216 Great legacy (bequest) marketing materials
from The Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the Catholic Children’s Society.
Prostate Cancer’s campaign from beyond the grave – In this remarkable exhibit PCRF resurrected a deceased British comedian and arranged for him to present the case for tackling the disease that killed him.
MCC’s instructive and informative annual report – Murray Culshaw Consulting is a legend in Indian fundraising. Here the agency’s own annual report is deployed as an object lesson in how to communicate effectively via the printed page.
Chilean Bible Society’s mobile phone texting campaign – An innovative use of mobile phone texting coupled with an appropriate involvement device marks Chile’s first example of creative fundraising on SOFII.
Take away an idea with bite!
New editorial features, just added
Nick Allen’s top tips for effective email.
Rich Fox explains a new role for the telephone in bequest marketing.
Pamela Grow’s top tips on how to structure a grant proposal.
Bob Levy’s rant about why we must take more care with our words.
Robert Weiner’s revelations on finding the perfect database.
Welcome to SOFII, your free, instructive fundraising resource and archive
This is just a brief glimpse of a small part of all the good stuff for fundraisers that you can find now, for free, on SOFII. To really enjoy the best of the best follow the instructions and links below.
In addition to its Google-powered search facility, SOFII now has its own site map. It’s basic, but it works. So now you shouldn’t get lost on SOFII – unless of course you want to lose yourself among all the innovative, instructive fundraising that’s there for the taking.
Plus, we’ve also created a ‘SOFII needs’ page, which shows the wide range of things that you can do to help SOFII, such as introducing our free site to some of your friends, helping us by donating your fundraising expertise to raise money for SOFII and so on.
Also, just gone up on SOFII is the chance to meet our first five SOFII ambassadors.
There’s some exciting new editorial and several new exhibits too.
And please look out for SOFII’s session at the International Fundraising Congress in the Netherlands, Wednesday 15th October at 5.30 pm. We’re just finalising the presentation and it’s going to be GREAT!
To get access to all the free stuff on SOFII, you just have to register. And registration’s easy as well as free – see below.
Once you have registered with SOFII, you'll see these little blue and white rectangles on twenty or more of SOFII's more than 100 detailed exhibits of the world’s best fundraising.
Some of SOFII’s top 20, in no particular order
FF171 Greenpeace – the reinvention of face-to-face fundraising
This is history, the full story of how Greenpeace broke the mould to transform its fundraising fortunes and present the world with a new way of recruiting monthly electronic donors in huge numbers. More on SOFII...
C126 UNICEF’s first ever Christmas card, 1946
This is the product that launched fundraising in UNICEF more than six decades ago. Times have changed and international fundraising organisations such as UNICEF have learned much as they've grown and developed and have raised $millions to help people in need. Most fundraisers sell cards of one kind or another. UNICEF was one of the first to do it on a global scale. More on SOFII...
PP65 Feed the Children’s baby box for Bosnia
Even in the midst of a tragic civil war it is possible to find the right circumstances to develop an imaginative and involving monthly giving product. Many organisations have copied this or been inspired by it to try monthly giving. More on SOFII...
IB58 The ActionAid insert with built-in reply envelope and coupon
This truly is a ground-breaking innovation, and not just because it was SOFII’s first video exhibit. Before this promotion appeared in the early 1980s, loose inserts were the poor relation of the fundraiser’s repertoire. The arrival of new technology led to a new format that not only gave donors much more information than most press ads, it also carried a ready-made reply envelope. So a new fundraising format was born. More on SOFII...
PO120 Help the Aged’s ‘make a blind man see’ press advertisement
Is this the best fundraising proposition of all time? The simple but classic HTA press ad looks deceptively ‘professionally amateur’ but is in reality the work of one of the true ‘greats’ of direct response fundraising. Has your cause got such a clear and compelling proposition? If not, why not? More on SOFII...
TW64 Station WDCN, Nashville – a sparkling thank you to a donor
This is 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. An inspirational example of ‘putting on ‘the donor’s shoes’ and finding them quite comfortable. More on SOFII...
LM87 WWF integrated legacy marketing campaign
WWF has potential legators asking ‘Are more men guilty of intestacy than adultery?’ The question may be light-hearted, but it showed that the subject of will-making can be raised and that the language used can be simple and everyday. WWF then responded with a detailed, clearly-explained free guide, to help potential donors to navigate the process. More on SOFII...
PO32 The Amnesty International press ads, 1980s
This series of seven whole page press advertisements changed the political landscape of Britain. Find out how, now. And while doing that, perhaps ask yourself how the urgency and rightness of your cause could stir the conscience of a nation. More on SOFII...
FA16 Dr Barnardo’s four historic exhibits from the
1880s and 1930s
Pre- Second World War segment testing plus data collection, member-get member initiatives and brilliant direct mail from when Jack the Ripper was around. Sadly few modern direct mail appeals are this personal or anywhere near so passionate and sincere. Enthusiasts for good fundraising are advised to study some of these early fundraising initiatives, for they show how you might improve your own. More on SOFII...
Plus eleven other classics and lots more editorial and exhibits too. But first, there’s a small and easy step. You have to register.
One small step
Just click here to email Carolina at SOFII with ‘please register me’ in the subject line and your name and organisation address or any other appropriate detail in the email, for example if you are a student or volunteer. Registration is quick, free and easy. Carolina will send you the passwords you need so you can soon you can be enjoying all that's waiting for you, on SOFII.
What’s new on SOFII?
The warm glow of success. All these great fundraising campaigns changed the fundraising world. For good.
Once you have registered you can click on here to see some of the questions all fundraisers ask. Here you can find links to all 170+ SOFII exhibits.
And you'll be able to click onto what's new on SOFII now.