Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 34

Well, we’re officially on the other side of the Spring Equinox. That along with the continued rollout of vaccines to communities around the world has me feeling pretty optimistic for the coming months. I don’t think I’m alone in that feeling either.

Studies have shown that hope and positive moods can increase helping behaviors, like volunteering, assisting coworkers, and donating! Ride this positivity into your next fundraising campaign! Take some free knowledge from your community of fundraising professionals, and dive headfirst into the week with me.

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Great Fundraising Posts

6 Fall Fundraising Ideas for All Nonprofits

Tim Forbes (Soapbox Engage)

Many nonprofits consider autumn the “calm before the year-end fundraising storm.” Even though your team may be distracted by planning for your year-end giving campaigns, there is actually a lot of potential for successful fall fundraising events and opportunities. Head over to this blog for some fun, festive fall fundraising ideas for the whole family.

Navigating the Current Climate One Year Later

Ann Green (Ann Green)

In addition to a global pandemic, 2020 brought an economic downturn, political turmoil, racial reckoning, and much more. We’re still enduring the fallout of many of these challenges, and some things might never return to normal. While nonprofits can’t ignore everything going on, it’s also critical to keep pressing forward, providing essential services for the community. Ann Green shares some encouragement and insights into how nonprofits can find the balance of moving forward without ignoring realities.

The Right Way to Win Back Lapsed Donors

Jeff Brooks (Future Fundraising Now)

It’s almost always less expensive to win back lapsed donors than it is to raise up new donors. Still, it’s not always easy to know exactly how to win back those lapsed donors. Head over to this blog where Jeff offers some straightforward ideas and suggests to help you reactivate those donors who haven’t given in the last year or so.

Tracking Performance: 6 Fundraising Data Points You Need

The Fundraising Coach (The Fundraising Coach)

Having good information is the key to fundraising success. By analyzing quality donor data, you can learn a lot about their motivation, giving behavior, and other critical details to help you segment your donors, create targeted marketing, stewardship, and more. Head over to this blog to get some insights about the most important data points that will boost your fundraising success.

Does Your Nonprofit Have Backup Plans?

Erica Waasdorp (NonProfit PRO)

This past year, you probably had to turn to a Plan B or C… or even D in your fundraising. Monthly donors can often offer a sense of security in ongoing fundraising revenue--especially for organizations that depend on major fundraising events for a large portion of their budget. This blog offers some reasons nonprofits should have a backup plan for fundraising (including a strong base of monthly supporters).

How To Send A Nonprofit Appeal and Get Results

Sandy Rees (Get Fully Funded)

Despite all the technological advances, direct mail is certainly not a “dead” fundraising strategy. But, sending an effective appeal letter requires a bit of skill and know-how. In this blog, fundraising guru, Sandy Rees, shares some expert tips and tricks on how to plan and send an excellent appeal letter that actually gets results.

Of Course You Can Ask Too Much (but you almost certainly aren’t)

Steven Screen (The Better Fundraising Co.)

Have you ever been in a donor meeting and wondered if you were asking for too much? Many development professionals cite that as a fear that holds them back from raising more money. In this blog, Steven argues that the belief they’re asking too much is a core belief in too many organizations and he wants to help change that! Head over to this blog to read some stories and advice to help you begin challenging your fear of asking for too much.

How To Handle A Bully

Mary Cahalane (Hands-On Fundraising)

There’s a surprising rise in the number of stories and reports of bullying within nonprofits recently. Nonprofits are not immune from it… in fact, in some circumstances it might be a greater risk than in corporations and for-profit businesses. Mary Cahalane wades into this difficult conversation and offers some tips and insights on how to recognize and prevent bullying within your nonprofit organization.

Development Directors Who Stay Longer Raise More Money

Amy Eisenstein (Amy Eisenstein)

It probably comes as no surprise to you that development professionals who stay longer tend to be more effective and raise more money. Fundraising--and especially major gift fundraising--is build on strong relationships that take time to develop. The longer you keep a development professional, the more likely they are to really develop a bond with the donors and volunteers. This blog offers some tips and insights to help you entice high quality development professionals to stick around for the long term so your organization can build a strong fundraising foundation.