OUR LATEST ARTICLES
Are you in our top ten?
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My favourite TV ads
by Frances Hurst
This month, Frances Hurst, co-founder of Birdsong Charity Consulting, has chosen her top adverts…all from the 1980’s.
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Technology and storytelling: seeking support with multiple channels.
by Richard McPherson
This article by Richard McPherson, questions how well fundraisers have transferred the power of storytelling and communication to direct mail, phone calls and emails. What do you think?
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Promote SOFII: help your fellow fundraisers and keep SOFII free
SOFII was created with the aim of empowering fundraisers worldwide with practical knowledge that would enable them to fundraise effectively for the causes they care about.
Our service is free so people all around the world can benefit. But we need your help to reach more people.
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Are you having trouble with the SOFII site?
Are you experiencing problems with the SOFII site? Visit our troubleshooting page for a solution.
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A profile of Steve Thomas: The fundraising pioneer in Canada.
by Paula Attfield
We’re very pleased to be adding Steve Thomas to our showcase of great and good fundraisers. He's been described as both the ‘Guru’ and the ‘Godfather’ of Canadian fundraising.
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Tutorial 31 – make me an offer I can’t resist.
by Jerry Huntsinger
The problem with nonprofit mail is that often letters ask for a donation, but fail to make an offer.
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Tutorial 30 – how to pass judgment on a fundraising letter.
by Jerry Huntsinger
For the attention of those who are responsible for approving fundraising letters: this tutorial is for you.
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What do you think of SOFII’s three-part website donate buttons?
Three buttons, or one? Or two, four or more? How should we use website giving to engage donors?
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Top twelve tips for pattern breaking.
by Lucy Gower
In this article, innovation manager, Lucy Gower shares her practical tips and lessons on how to increase your inspiration and widen your connections. Why not take note and break some of your established patterns in the new year?
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Violent video explodes nonprofit’s reputation.
by Jeff Brooks
Jeff Brooks identifies not just a bad advert but, in his view, an evil one. He argues that this aberration has done lasting damage to the charity’s cause and reputation. Agree or disagree – what do you think?
A number of people have asked if I planned to feature this short film produced for climate change charity 10:10 in this bad nonprofit ad showcase.
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The best developments of 2010.
by Lucy Innophoria
In her fourth post for SOFII, Lucy reflects on the coolest developments of 2010: apps, interactions and gaming and their impact on the fundraising sector. Could you use them in your next campaign?
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Fundraising simplified - the real approach to asking for a gift.
by Marc A. Pitman
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Updates in 2013
You can find SOFII's email updates in 2013 here.
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A special end-of-year message, just for you
Will you help us make SOFII even better in 2011?
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SOFII announces the return of the thank-you letter clinic.
by Lisa Sargent
New thank-you letter clinic to champion a renaissance in
charity thank-you letters, starting with Lee Saunders –
and YOU.
It all started when veteran fundraiser and SOFII user Lee Saunders kindly sent SOFII a packet of charity thank-you letters he’d written for charities in Western Australia.
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Why your charity (still) needs better thank-you letters.
by Lisa Sargent
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From beggars to buskers: what can modern charities learn from street artists?
by Steven Dodds and Claire Jones
Authors Steven Dodds and Claire Jones from the DMS agency argue that charities need to change their approach and transform their offerings in order to survive. Thought provoking, we think.
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Disaster fundraising at its worst.
by Jeff Brooks
After the earthquake in Haiti, it didn’t take long for the bad fundraising messages to crawl out of the woodwork. Here's an example of run-amok abstractionism, from the People of The United Methodist Church. I’m guessing that they had some help from an ad agency on this one. Who else could have screwed up such a simple and compelling message?
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Fundraising Principles and Practice.
by Roewen Wishart
‘A comprehensive selection of knowledge that is both readable and well structured’. See if you agree with Roewen Wishart’s thorough review of this book. Be sure to let us know.
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My top 10 TV ads.
by Elly Woolston
In this showcase, you will find adverts that have inspired, amused and engaged the public… which is something we should all be doing to our donors on a regular basis. Take a look and see what fundraising lessons you could learn.
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Augmented reality: the latest craze to hit the world of flashmobs.
by Lucy Innophoria
In our third post from the world of innophoria, Lucy tells us about the latest craze to hit the fundraising sector, augmented reality. Take a look to find out exactly what it is, where it’s being used and how it can help to improve your fundraising.
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Top ten techniques for fresh thinking.
by Lucy Gower
In this article, Lucy explains how you can come up with fresh ideas and creative thinking. Whoever would have thought that putting yourself in the shoes of Homer Simpson could be so rewarding!
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Tutorial 28 - is it time to get rid of ‘dear friend’?
Is there a better way to get off to a good start when writing a form letter? Here are some alternatives you may wish to consider. I’ll leave it to you to decide whether any or all of them are good, bad, or just plain ridiculous.
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Tutorial 29 - slash your letter writing time in half.
I’m assuming that you are already familiar with the basic mechanical techniques for creating a fundraising letter. On the other hand, if you don’t know the first thing about writing a fundraising letter, read on anyway. I’ll show you how easy it is and how much fun you can have doing it.
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