Why you should stop f***ing about with your logo and stick to fundraising instead
A few weeks ago, I presented Rogare's inaugural Critical Fundraising lecture at Kingston University. My topic was charity rebranding. It's an area of work I've long been interested in. I love great brands, and as a result, I tend to track what happens after a...
A once in a lifetime Christmas Appeal (we hope)
With Christmas appeals in full development, Bluefrog Account Director, Katherine Howe shares the thinking behind one particular Bluefrog appeal. I hope you find it interesting... As a fundraising Account Director, this time of year is normally full of questions like: Are the dogs allowed to wear...
Crisis fundraising: What you can learn from the past to shape your response to the Coronavirus emergency.
Everything is different. And that means that many carefully formulated strategies and mailing plans need to be reviewed and rebuilt to take into account the impact of the Coronavirus crisis. It's a tough position to be in. But we are not alone. Fundraisers have lived...
The A to Z of writing fundraising appeals (Part 3)
Here comes the final part of Steve Lynch’s guide to writing great fundraising copy. If you’ve missed the earlier posts, you can find part one here and part two here. We kick off today with M. M is for Monkey Do you notice anything odd...
The A to Z of writing fundraising appeals (part 2)
It's time for part two of the fundraising copy writing guide from Bluefrogger, Steve Lynch. As before, remember that this is a little tongue in cheek but packed full of great advice. Part one is here if you missed the previous post. Today, we are...
The A to Z of writing fundraising appeals
I thought I'd share a copy writing guide put together by Bluefrog writing ace, Steve Lynch. Slightly tongue in cheek, it offers a host of tips derived from years of writing hundreds of fantastic charity appeals. His advice should raise a few smiles and hopefully...
Sex sells, but can it help raise money?
Friendly advice for some of my more sensitive readers – the following contains adult themes and language. Last summer, we were sitting on the roof of Bluefrog towers brainstorming ideas for a new digital product for a pitch for the International HIV/AIDS Alliance. For those...
Fundraising advice from Snoopy
Anyone who grew up reading Peanuts, will probably remember the strips where Snoopy is sitting on top of his kennel, about to start writing his first novel. He rarely got beyond the first paragraph, which always seemed to start with the sentence, "It was a...
Five idea killers and how you beat them
Tom Fishburne, The Marketoonist, has just released a video presentation that looks at some of the problems you might face when trying to turn a great idea into a finished product. At just over half an hour, the video is a little long, but half...
The battle of the sans-serif versus the serif font
If your communications director won't allow the use of a serif font in an appeal letter because the brand guidelines demand you use sans-serif Frutiger, here's a piece of research that might help you win them round. Daniel Oppenheimer and two colleagues, Connor Diemand-Yauman and...
The Essentials
Crack the Code to Regular Giving: Insights, Strategies, and a Special Giveaway!
‘Tis Halloween. Keep to the light and beware the Four Fundraisers of the Apocalypse!
Why do people give? The Donor Participation Project with Louis Diez.
A guide to fundraising on the back of a postcard
What does the latest research tell us about the state of fundraising?