FUNDRAISING FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE AND 20 BEST PRACTICES IN DONOR COMMUNICATIONS

Here's our latest selection of blogs and articles written by others that we really enjoyed - featuring 'tap dogs', a celebrity returning from the dead to lead a fundraising campaign, and a unique and powerful way to re-imagine charity overhead costs...

Curtis Klotz: A Graphic Re-visioning of Nonprofit Overhead
Published by Nonprofits Assistance Fund
We've previously shared our frustration about the focus on charity overheads, and Thomas Muirhead's excellent TEDx talk highlights how harmful it can be. So we were delighted to read this article encouraging charities to take a different and powerful visual approach to articulating how and why they spend their money. Operating efficiently is important, but it's time to stop apologising for investing in the core and the quality of our organisations...

Aimee Meade: Tap dogs: four-legged charity fundraisers with a difference
Published by The Guardian
This week we made our annual trip to SOFII's sold-out IWITOT event and returned with some inspiring new fundraising ideas. We'll be blogging on this soon but, in the meantime, here's our favourite idea of the day, which saw the Blue Cross turn two dogs into irresistible walking donation magnets! Contactless donations are the future and, with handsets costing less than £100, even smaller charities can start thinking creatively about how to make this part of their fundraising efforts.

Rob Hayter: Five ways your brain stops you choosing the right candidate
Published by LinkedIn Pulse
You know all those rational, impartial decisions you make? Well they're not actually so impartial after all. Courtesy of the charity recruitment agency TPP, here's how cognitive bias can make us jump to decisions too quickly, defend our decisions over-zealously and unconsciously ignore any evidence to the contrary. This particular article explains how cognitive bias can harm a staff recruitment process, but it's a thought-provoking read with much wider implications.

Tom Ahern: 20 Questions: Free downloadable test re: best practices in donor communications
Published by Ahern Donor Communications
How long will an average donor give to a specific charity? What’s the best length for a fundraising letter? What works best for fundraising - stats or stories? This invaluable guide answers these questions plus 17 more, backed up by evidence and the views of top fundraisers from around the world. Kudos to Tom Ahern - and everyone who contributed - for making this freely available to all. Now fill your boots.

Emma Halls: Prostate Cancer Research Fund: fundraising from beyond the grave
Published by SOFII
Inspired by IWITOT, we were taking a cheeky look through SOFII's archive of fundraising campaigns and came across this innovative gem. Check out how Prostate Cancer Research Fund brought back Bob Monkhouse from the dead to raise a huge amount of awareness and support for their cause. This is a really innovative combination of the celebrity factor, humour and technology - enjoy the video!