Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 009

Do not adjust your phone's clock. Do not reset your calendar. It's really Wednesday (I think), and I'm rolling out this newsletter a day late because...it's just been that kind of a week. The transition from the great outdoors to the city can do that to you.

Oh, and that debate.

Let's get us all grounded in some solid fundraising tactics and strategies to get us through the middle of the week, shall we? Welcome to another delivery of community knowledge sharing!

You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today!

Great Fundraising Posts

5 Marketing Strategies Every Nonprofit Should Implement

Tim Forbes (Soapbox Engage)

The pandemic has impacted so much, but many things remain unchanged. Some “best practices” are still just that. Even in the midst of the pandemic (and perhaps especially in these uncertain times), it’s wise to invest in your marketing strategies to continue growing your support base. This blog post offers five simple but effective steps you can take to improve your visibility and marketing effectiveness.

3 Tips for Pandemic-Proofing Your Digital Campaigns

Alison Turmelle (Good Works)

Can you believe year-end fundraising is just around the corner? (Some of you may have already begun!) We’re also heading into the sixth month of COVID-related restrictions and impacts, which still leaves us figuring out how to plan for the unknowns. This blog has three great tips to help you prepare well for digital year-end fundraising.

Setting Donor Revenue Goals In Light of COVID

Jeff Schreifels (Veritus Group)

It’s already been quite a ride this year. Between worries about the stock market, more COVID shut-downs, and other socio-political events, many development professionals fear the impacts on giving predictions. Will people be more conservative with their giving? Be more generous in light of recent events? Unless you’ve been having regular conversations with your supporters, it’s almost impossible to know! But… that’s the key. Having that conversation does close the information gap and help you plan more accurately. This blog has some tips about how to have that sensitive conversation with your current donors!

A Small Goal and A Small Vision Won’t Cut It In This Environment

Gail Perry (Fired Up Fundraising)

This is a challenging environment for nonprofits. It’s not enough to just batten down the hatches and adopt a “survival” mindset. Rather, this blog offers a compelling reason every nonprofit should take a strong stand for a new, expanded, compelling vision. You’ll need a bigger goal and vision if you want to thrive in the current (and future) world--both financially and programmatically. Keep reading over at the blog for practical insights on what this could look like for your organization.

Planning and Decision Making In Uncertain Times (An Online Briefing)

Margie Fleming Glennon (The Chronicle of Philanthropy)

Organizations and their boards can be proactive to find ways to prepare for a variety of 2021 fundraising scenarios. This hybrid blog and video features expert advice from fundraising professionals, including insights about how they recommend that nonprofits plan for a variety of fundraising environment possibilities.

A Monthly Giving How-To: Visualize Your Goal

Erica Waasdorp (Nonprofit PRO)

There’s something powerful about writing down your goals. Monthly giving goals don’t need to be very large or lofty, they just need to be bigger than your current status quo. While this blog isn’t long, it does have some simple, yet effective tips to help you write your fundraising goals.

What Noam Chomsky Taught Me About Colorless Green Fundraising

Jeff Brooks (Future Fundraising Now)

More than 60 years ago, Noam Chomsky wrote a sentence that was grammatically correct, but had no real meaning. He was trying to prove a point--sentences don’t matter unless they carry an idea effectively. Many fundraisers create beautifully edited content which means nothing to donors. This short blog has some great insight into balancing grammar and syntax for maximum impact.

10 Tips For Creating A Highly Effective Planned Giving Appeal

Marc A. Pitman (The Fundraising Coach)

Planned giving appeals are a bit of a different animal than your typical direct mail fundraising appeals that focus on persuading readers to take immediate action. This guest blog post from the planned giving expert, Marc Pitman, offers insight into how you should structure your planned giving requests for maximum impact.

Power of Storytelling: Over $1 million raised in four days!

Pamela Grow (Pamela Grow Consulting)

Many of us have come to love the short, powerful “Humans of New York” stories from the photographer, Brandon Stanton. In addition to being creative and insightful, the vignettes carry some valuable lessons we development professionals can apply to our own fundraising writing! Pamela Grow highlights a few of her favorite Humans of New York stories and shares how you can improve your own storytelling.

Even Good Fundraisers Have Bad Days

Amy Eisenstein (Empowering Your Nonprofit--And You)

We all have bad days… even the most seasoned development professional! Do you have a strategy in place to help you process, recover, and learn from those less-than-ideal experiences? Amy Einstein shares about one of her recent “bad days” and offers some tips on how you can help mitigate your rough days.