Good fundraising is about more than just showing need
I've found a short film of a story that's often attributed to David Ogilvy. David was on his way to work and he saw a blind man sitting on the pavement with a sign that said… I am blind. Beneath the sign was a hat…
Why donors don’t want to hear from you
A report has just been published that adds to the growing body of evidence that shows many charities are still getting something wrong when it comes to donor communications. The study, commissioned by the REaD Group, asked 1,500 UK adults about their attitudes to charity…
Charity ads from the archives
I recently signed up to Pinterest and soon realised that it was a great way to put my archive of charity advertisements online. It goes back to the beginning of the last century and features ads from Save The Children (UK and USA), Oxfam, The…
What’s wrong with charity advertising?
Howard Gossage is my favourite Mad Man. If I have an advertising hero, it's probably him. Howard didn't particularly enjoy coming up with ways to sell more cars and airline tickets, he was just rather good at it. What interested him most was making the…
Reinventing the collection box
I've always thought that we have a great deal to learn from the humble collection box. Even with something as simple as a container with a hole in the top, testing shows that design, copy, and positioning will have a major influence over how much…
What can you do to make your ad go viral?
One thing that the Kony 2012 phenomenon has created is a renewed interest in viral advertising amongst charities. Seth Godin and Jeff Brooks have some words of advice on your chances of achieving the same sort of impact as Invisible Children, but if you are…
The day George Smith showed me the finger
I've not always been the all knowing guru that I shamelessly pretend to be on this blog. It may be hard to believe, but I was once a fundraising cretin who thought that putting a good appeal together was simply down to listening to your…
Value Vs cost
I'm rather proud to say that I'm a Colonel. Not just any Colonel. I am a Kentucky Colonel. For people who don't live in Kentucky, let me explain in a little more detail. "A commission for a Kentucky Colonel is given by the Governor and…
Online donors have letter boxes too
Here's another couple of charts that Damian O'Broin from Ask Direct and I shared at IOF London on our international mystery shopping exercise. It gives a few more insights in to how charities are integrating email and postal communications. One of our most surprising findings…
Who sends your emails?
Along with Damian O'Broin of the rather good Irish fundraising agency, Ask Direct, I presented some findings taken from a massive international mystery shopping exercise (270 charities in six countries) at IOF London yesterday. I'm going to post the full presentation online, but I thought…
