Dogs Trust
Sponsor a Dog

SOFII says:
Early sponsors were encouraged to visit the 24 dogs featured in the scheme and take them for a walk. This proved so popular that it had to be dropped – the poor pooches were in danger of having their legs walked off. That shows just how powerfully the idea of dog sponsorship captured people’s imaginations. You can imagine that agency creative teams had endless fun devising all the paraphernalia, creating the promotional materials and writing the Valentine’s Day poems (doggerel). Show these ads, mail packs and TV spots to a roomful of even the most cynical fundraisers and you’ll be greeted with cries of ‘awwww!’. The sign of a surefire winner.

The Good Agency says:
Only connect, said EM Forster. Those two words perhaps sum up the greatest proposition a fundraiser can offer. ‘Sponsor a dog’ meets an incredibly strong emotional need in its supporters. Dogs Trust have been brave and single-minded enough to build every word and element of their scheme entirely around that single insight. (Perhaps because they’re dog lovers too.) As you can see, it works.

Amnesty International
Bhopal Medical Appeal

SOFII says:
Though not a fundraiser by profession, copywriter and author Indra Sinha has created some of the most effective and moving advertising campaigns of all time, not just because he’s a great writer but also because he cares passionately about the cause and he’s not afraid to let that passion show.

The Good Agency says:
When Indra’s Amnesty ads were shown at SOFII’s first IWITOT (I Wish I’d Thought Of That) event, a collective gasp went around the room. Followed by a common realisation that it’s been too long since the sector was prepared to be as brave, as honest and direct, as prepared to upset and enrage. These are the work of a passionate fundraiser, communicator and advocate, prepared to treat his reader as an intelligent equal. When will we see work like this again?

RNLI
Legacy Letter

SOFII says:
This letter raised millions. It is a classic example of a direct appeal to supporters for information to help plan for future income. The request is so clearly and honestly put, it was never going to do other than find favour with donors, who responded to it in droves. It must also have persuaded more than a few to get round to doing what they knew they should have done – include a legacy in their Will to that nice, worthwhile organisation, the RNLI.

The Good Agency says:
A triumph of fine writing from the late and very great George Smith. Intelligent, logical, plainly argued, it sets out its stall on common ground with the generation it’s aimed at. Also proof that great legacy fundraising can be incredibly simple – probably the smallest outlay for the biggest return of any entry in this gallery.

Movember

SOFII says:
This fun and lively event encourages men to grow a moustache, raise money for prostate cancer research, and promote awareness and education on men’s health issues. Each year in November (hereafter called Movember), there is a visible rise in the moustachioed male population in countries all over the world, resulting in millions being raised for men’s health awareness and programmes.

But there’s so much more that’s possible with Movember. We would encourage the fundraisers at Movember to build long-term relationships with their supporters.

The Good Agency says:
This is proper supporter-led fundraising, with a team of rank amateurs at the helm. They know nothing about fundraising, except how to create a simple, motivating and incredibly cool idea. Proof? There are people in Shoreditch who literally do Movember all year round.

Amnesty International
Pen Pack

SOFII says:
This is one of a handful of fundraising communications that really broke the mould. It’s famous because it was the first ever pen pack but it is much more than that. It’s a moving, intelligent and beautifully put together case to support one of the world’s great causes. The beauty of it is that everything is relevant and sincere. Nothing is gratuitous. This is the standard to which all direct mail writers and designers should aspire.

The Good Agency says:
Listening to Karin Weatherup tell the story of writing this pack gave us goosebumps, and not the good kind. Visceral fundraising that provokes a physical response by telling the truth and leaving nothing out. And it shows that good DM technique doesn’t have to be gratuitous. In fact, it shouldn’t be.

I CAN
Adopt a Word

SOFII says:
Advertising and copywriting genius, David Ogilvy, said that he only ever had about 20 big ideas – they’re pretty hard to come by. To help anyone recognise a big idea, Ogilvy developed five criteria. 1. Did it make me gasp when I first saw it? 2. Do I wish I had thought of it myself? 3. Is it unique? 4. Does it fit the strategy to perfection? 5. Could it be used for 30 years? The children’s communication charity, I CAN, has developed an e-commerce gift campaign – Adopt a Word – that fits these criteria to perfection.

The Good Agency says:
At its heart, fundraising is all about intangible value – nothing for something, if you like. Whoever thought of Adopt a Word was ready to take that insight as far as they could. And execute it with such charm, wit and effortless cool that you’d have to have a heart of stone not to raise a smile (or buy a word).

Great Ormond Street Hospital
Rubble Mailing

SOFII says:
No wonder Aline Reed of London agency Bluefrog chose this to present at SOFII’s first IWITOT (I Wish I’d Thought of That) event. It has everything: charm, courage, dedication and most of all is brilliantly innovative. How many mailings are there that are kept safe for 70 years? Full marks must also go to Aline for her dogged research in finding out so much about the mailing and the challenges the fundraisers would have faced when trying to organise it, in the middle of a war.

The Good Agency says:
There are too few occasions in fundraising when you can literally put the problem – and the solution – in the supporter’s hand. This is one of them. If you want proof that such an approach can work, this appeal rebuilt a complete children’s hospital, from the ground up, in the middle of a world war. When will you find your matchbox, and what would you put in it?

Motor Neurone Disease Association
John’s Journey

SOFII says:
An early and inspirational example of joined-up thinking and an integrated campaign. But above all, a relentlessly honest and emotional story telling the raw truth about the effect of Motor Neurone Disease on people and their families.

The Good Agency says:
This campaign ran on a single poster site in a single London Underground station. But no-one who saw it will ever forget it. Relentlessly honest. And brave enough to let the person best qualified to tell the story, tell it as only they can.

RSPB
Letter to the Future

SOFII says:
How do you engage people in your cause, grab their attention and encourage them to stand alongside you on an issue of national importance? Not easy, we think. But here’s a brilliant example of a national conservation charity doing just that, very successfully.

The Good Agency says:
We should admit a little bias on this entry. Nevertheless, a stirring emotional manifesto that captured people’s imagination. The most successful political advocacy campaign in the RSPB’s history. A successful warm appeal and a powerful face-to-face and online engagement tool that recruited many new prospects, campaigners and most importantly for fundraisers, members.

Feed the Children
Baby Box

SOFII says:
This is a classic story of product development. The baby box was devised specifically to respond to the need to maintain giving at a time when donor interest was flagging. The idea came from the best possible place – the Feed the Children’s front-line staff. The logic behind the initiative was unarguable and it proved to have lasting public appeal.

The Good Agency says:
Make something real happen. Let someone know I care. Two practical and emotional promises every donor wants to hear. This makes the Baby Box a fantastic proposition and a worthy inclusion in the gallery.