I probably don’t need to convince you that fundraising can be one of the most rewarding careers you can choose. Each day, you have the opportunity to connect generous people with fantastic causes, and it can be so fulfilling to see the impact you help create.
But we all know the work can be challenging as well.
You will probably face a lot of rejection, which can test even the most resilient spirits. There may be days where you find yourself stuck in a creative rut. Or maybe you just wish there was someone who could give you some advice that would make your job easier.
If you’ve ever found yourself in a similar position, I’d like to introduce you to SOFII.
SOFII, short for the Showcase of Fundraising Innovation and Inspiration, is a free resource for fundraisers all over the world. We are a tiny charity that was the brainchild of Ken and Marie Burnett, and the content we share is by fundraisers, for fundraisers.
Our users have described our website as a “treasure trove” of content that helps them be at their best. We feature evidence-based case studies of fundraising campaigns that have delivered, including a significant archive of fundraising history. (Friendly warning before you visit the history project: you might find yourself falling down a rabbit hole!). We also offer helpful how-to guides, like this popular thank you letter clinic from Lisa Sargent that remains a favourite over a decade after it was first published. And at least once a year, we host our popular I Wish I’d Thought of That event, which we are proud to make available virtually to fundraisers wherever they live.
If you haven’t discovered SOFII yet, we’d love for you to join our community.
You can register to receive our regular email updates, follow us on Twitter, and/or join our LinkedIn group. Still need convincing? Here’s what one of our users told us in our recent community survey:
“SOFII is inspiring and practical - it really does help me to be the best fundraiser I can be. It helps me follow best practice, stay true to my donors, and also provides really valuable evidence of effective fundraising techniques that I can share with non-fundraising colleagues. SOFII is like having a very wise, older, more experienced colleague always on hand to give useful advice and support - a Yoda of the fundraising world.”
Who doesn’t need more Yodas in their life?!
Our aim is to include content that is relevant for fundraisers – irrespective of the discipline or the geography in which they work. We are fortunate to have a number of articles contributed by Canadians and/or featuring Canadian charities, but we’d love to have more! If you’d like to contribute an article or case study to SOFII, please get in touch by emailing us at carolina@sofii.org.
And remember sharing is caring, so if you’ve already benefitted from SOFII, please invite your colleagues to join us, too. We could all use a BFF.
Meredith Niles is the Chair of SOFII.
