Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 28

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. For some, this may be a made-up holiday designed to sell cards and chocolates. But I like to think of it as an opportunity to practice gratitude in all areas of my life.

What about the nonprofit community do you cherish? How have you been expressing appreciation for your donors lately? Which of your coworkers could use some encouragement right now? There's lots of little ways to show love, and it goes a long way in a season like this. So cozy up with your favorite warm beverage and enjoy this week's thoughtful fundraising content!

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Great Fundraising Posts

Fraternity Fundraising: 4 Effective Greek Life Fundraisers

Tim Forbes (Soapbox Engage)

Fraternities and sororities do a lot of fundraising for philanthropies and service projects. It can be challenging to come up with creative fundraising ideas that people will actually want to attend. This blog has some fun, effective fundraisers that will help any fraternity or sorority reach its fundraising goals (whether you’re looking for in-person, virtual, or hybrid options).

7 Tips for Nonprofit Video Marketing and Production

Dena Weigel Bell (Greater Giving)

In 2016, an overwhelming 6 billion nonprofit videos were viewed. Perhaps more notable, of those viewers, 57% went on to make a donation. So, video content is an important (and effective) fundraising and marketing strategy for nonprofits of any size. It allows you to expand your storytelling and is a great tool to engage current and potential donors. Head over to this blog to get some great tips and insights about the best ways to incorporate videos into your nonprofit fundraising.

Superpowers of Successful Major Gift Fundraisers

Anne Guillen (Fired-Up Fundraising)

You’ve probably noticed that some fundraisers are just more successful than others at bringing in the “big bucks.” The good news is the skills and talents needed to do that can be learned! Ann Guillen unpacks some of these “secret” traits and give some insights about how to build them yourself so you can be a superhero major gift fundraiser, too!

Working With A Fundraising Consultant

F. Duke Haddad (NonProfit PRO)

Working with a fundraising consultant can be very beneficial for your nonprofit, but it can also be a challenging process. Not all consultants are the same and each one has her own strengths and areas of expertise. This blog has some great insights into how to effectively work with a fundraising consultant so your nonprofit can reach your loftiest fundraising goals.

9 Things Your Nonprofit Needs to Know About Monthly Donations

Claire Axelrad (Clairification)

Do you have a monthly giving program? This blog has some great insight into why monthly giving programs are beneficial for nonprofits and how you can create systems to grow your revenue, boost donor satisfaction and retention, and get the most out of your monthly donation programs. It’s a great way to increase your fundraising revenue!

Bernie’s Magic Mittens and Abusing Your Donor

Roger Craver (The Agitator)

By now, you’ve probably seen one of the countless memes bouncing around the internet with the photo of Bernie Sanders at the inauguration. The author of this blog offers a creative (and humorous) connection between this Bernie Sanders pic and donor abuse. Yes, you read that correctly! It’s more important than ever to make sure we’re building healthy relationships with our donors and not irritating or abusing them.

Donor Decreases Giving--What Do You Say?

Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels (Veritus Group)

It happens to every nonprofit or development professional. A donor decides to decrease their giving. It’s easy to immediately start wondering what you did wrong, but there are actually some better, more important things to do in these situations! In this blog, Richard and Jeff outline one of the most effective ways to navigate these situations.

Learn the Secrets of the World’s Best Fundraising Letters

Joe Garecht (Joe Garecht Fundraising)

If you’re like most nonprofits, you probably use fundraising letters and emails as part of your fundraising strategy. Joe has looked at thousands (or hundreds of thousands) of donor letters over the years to see what works and identify best practices when it comes to getting the most out of your fundraising letters! This blog has some excellent, practical tips and tricks you can implement immediately!

Create A Photobank This Year

Mary Cahalane (Hands On Fundraising)

There’s a lot of truth in the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Most of us are visual learners and a powerful image can capture our hearts quickly. Every nonprofit can benefit from using high quality photos in your storytelling and fundraising. This blog has some great tips on how to build a “bank” of excellent photos throughout the year so you can be a great storyteller and take your fundraising to the next level.