Opinion pieces
Many of the issues that matter most to fundraisers are far from clear cut. Here, in a series of illustrated feature articles, seasoned practitioners and newcomers alongside leading figures from the world of fundraising are free to give vent to their passionately-held views and opinions. Join the big debates or study the side issues so you can work out your own view on what matters most of all to you, when you’ve had a chance, here, to listen to the arguments.
Rethinking the way we think
by Charlie Hulme
A review of Dan Pallotta’s TED talk, The way we think about charity is dead wrong.
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The dangers of requests for proposal.
by Roger Craver
This week legendary Agitator Roger Craver joins in with his opinion on the ‘request for proposal’. And he’s not pulling any punches about what he believes is ‘…among the Great idiocies of our nonprofit world’. Click here to see more and to find out what he does admire and praise.
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An opportunity grabbed and one wasted
by Andrew Papworth
It seems that when one opportunity is grasped another slips passed. The ‘IF’ campaign has a powerful message, but do you agree with Andrew Papworth when he says that they haven’t managed to get it across?
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‘I have a complaint to make’
by Andrew Papworth
The Fundraising Standards Board in the UK recently published the 2011 complaints report and, according to Andrew Papworth, it makes very interesting reading. This is an article about complaints in the UK. Could it apply to fundraising where you are?
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Does your fundraising have enough tension?
by James Read
Why do perfectly sensible people give away their hard-earned money? Tension, claims James Read, it’s the gnawing agitation we feel because of the problem that blocks our vision for a better world. Find out how you can use tension to advance your cause.
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Magic moments: how small beginnings inspire great causes
by Aline Reed and Ken Burnett
In this article Aline Reed and Ken Burnett describe some great founding moments – how small beginnings can inspire great causes.
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My big mistakes – and what I learned
by Lyndall Stein
When Lyndall Stein’s article on the ANC first appeared on SOFII it prompted the comment: ‘This is a great piece! Wow, the power of fundraisers!’ However, one part of an ANC campaign had a serious flaw. Here Lyndall owns up to that mistake, and others, and tells SOFII users what she learned from them.
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The view from the doormat
by Andrew Papworth
Fundraisers all over the world have been working frantically in recent weeks to get their Christmas mailings out. Have they been wasting their time? Yes, according to Andrew Papworth’s friend Miss Stevens.
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How often in life do you have total satisfaction?
by Lyndall Stein
This remarkable article from Lyndall Stein that describes the fundraising campaign she and other volunteers organised for the African National Congress when South Africa was in the grip of apartheid.
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Commitment. And why it matters more than anything for fundraisers.
by Ken Burnett.
Has the argument about the value of donor commitment finally been brought to an end? Ken Burnett reports on how Roger Craver of the Agitator and his colleague Kevin Schulman have developed a way to calculate your donors’ commitment and, from this, ascribe a commitment score to each of them.
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