Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 27

Winter has officially arrived in DC. How is this measured? The speed by which the city shuts down at even the whisper of snow on a local Reddit forum.

While the National Zoo's pandas celebrated by doing their own version of body sledding yesterday, our fundraising community was busy at work with more knowledge sharing. Grab a cup of hot chocolate, east coast folks, and enjoy a round of thought-provoking content!

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Great Fundraising Posts

6 Fundraising Ideas for Cancer Research and Treatment

Tim Forbes (Soapbox Engage)

Cancer is horrible--no matter who is suffering from the illness. Unfortunately for many cancer fighters, the overwhelmingly expensive treatment, and medical costs often deliver a second wallop. This is where fundraising can help. Whether you’re raising money to meet financial needs and cover medical costs or you’re helping fund research and innovation in the fight against cancer, this blog has some great (and effective) fundraising ideas!

Why Is There A Clog In Your Donor Pipeline

Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels (Veritus Group)

Nonprofits always seem to be on the hunt for new major donors. Typically they do this by sending their hard-working fundraisers out to look for those generous partners elsewhere rather than seeing major donors moving up their donor pipeline, giving bigger and bigger gifts over time. The reason most nonprofits don’t look inward for new major donors is that there’s often a “clog” in the donor pipeline. Keep reading this blog to learn what causes these “clogs” and how to help donors move from becoming mid-level to major donors.

Why Nonprofits Need to Utilize Donor Data

F Duke Haddad (NonProfit PRO)

Understanding donor data should be one of the top priorities for fundraisers and nonprofits. Gathering comprehensive, relevant, and accurate data will help you identify the best fundraising strategies to reach your donors. Head over to this blog to read about four essential things fundraisers should know about donor data.

Things You Wish Your Board Knew About Fundraising

Jeff Brooks (Moceanic)

Your board is very influential and important to the overall health and direction of your nonprofit. What they know (or don’t know) can mean the difference between making decisions that take your nonprofit to new heights or impeding your growth and fundraising success. In this blog, some nonprofit leaders and fundraisers share what they wish their board members knew and understood about fundraising. This will help you better educate and equip your board members.

Is Your Fundraising All Out of Love?

Jeff Brooks (Future Fundraising Now)

Fundraising is really about love, but many nonprofits edit “love” out of their messages. However, doing this means you’re missing the core of why you’re asking for donations and what motivates people to give in the first place! After all, asking and giving will always be activities of the heart… no matter how professional or “ask” is. Keep reading to learn why you should incorporate love into your next appeal letter.

How to Convert Social Media Fans and Followers Into Donors and Long-Term Supporters

Julia Claire Campbell (Marketing for the Modern Nonprofit)

Are you spending time creating social media posts but wondering exactly what your nonprofit is getting out of them? Even if you’re only putting up one or two quick posts a week, you probably want to know what that small effort is worth. Julie and the experts over at Marketing for the Modern Nonprofit point out that in order to turn your social media followers into supporters, you must first build trust. Head over to this blog to learn three ways you can build trusting relationships between your nonprofit and your social media followers?

Are the Rich Motivated to Give Differently?

Claire Axelrad (Clairification)

While it’s tempting to believe the wealthy are motivated differently to donate money, the truth is they’re just like us. It’s important for fundraisers to remember that major donors are, first and foremost, just people. In this blog, Claire tells us how to connect with wealthy donors and invite them to be the change they want to see in the world.

Make Your Legacy Donors’ Stories Part of Your Planned Giving Campaign

Jolene Miklas (Heroic Fundraising)

Inviting people to support your nonprofit through a will, trust, or other bequest is offering them an opportunity to be a lasting part of your mission. Rather than making planned giving campaigns feel cold or complicated, consider showcasing your legacy donors’ stories! Your legacy donors want to change the world through generosity and compassion. Why not highlight those true motivations in your next planned giving campaign? This blog has some great insights on why this approach is so valuable.

Virtual Solicitation Done Right: How to Ask for Donations Via Zoom

Amy Eisenstein (Amy Eisenstein)

Are you still hesitant to ask for donations virtually and remotely? Some nonprofits reported putting off fundraising campaigns for an entire year, waiting to be able to visit with donors in person. Virtual solicitation is certainly different than in-person fundraising, but this blog has some great insights about why you should be soliciting your donors virtually (both now and in the future) and how to do it well.