Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 37

Even as a long-time nerd, I don’t think I ever expected to see an analogy between nonprofit fundraising and The Avengers! But that’s the beauty of this community, right? There is always so much information circulating about fundraising— be it strategies and tips, case studies, trend predictions, you name it. Some fundraising content may be hyper specific to a type of organization or the community they serve. Some content or principles might be broad enough to apply to an org of any size or mission. Some strategies may seem ancient and enduring, some cutting edge.

But no matter the material, there are always new (often fun!) ways of looking at things. On a personal note, I have found in my life that shifting perspective, especially when confronting a question or issue, is always valuable and often is what yields a solution. It’s fun to shift perspective for the sake of practice or curiosity, as well as necessity. This week’s newsletter content has reminded me of just that!

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Great Fundraising Posts

How to Write Event Descriptions for Your Fundraisers and Nonprofit Events

Tim Forbes (Soapbox Engage)

Writing an event description that attracts a lot of people can be challenging, but it doesn’t need to be a frustrating process. With a bit of understanding of your ideal audience and what details to highlight, you’ll be able to write an event description that has people lined up out the door! This blog offers six great tips for writing great event descriptions.

How to Stand Out in the Inbox – Email Marketing Mastery for Nonprofits

Julia Claire Campbell (Marketing for the Modern Nonprofit)

Email is still a relevant and effective means of communicating with current and potential donors. But your nonprofit needs a strategic plan to get the most out of your donor emails. This webinar will cover essential topics like how often to email your donor lists, how to write subject lines that boost open rates, specific ways to make your nonprofit website an email capturing asset, and much more! Head over to the event page to get all the details and register!

6 Ways Fundraisers are Like Marvel Studio’s The Avengers

Amy Eisenstein (Amy Eisenstein)

As a development professional, do you feel like a superhero of your nonprofit? You should! In this fun and uplifting blog, Amy shares her top reasons that fundraisers should see themselves (and be considered) as superheroes of the nonprofit world.

You're Probably Not Sending Enough Direct Mail

Jeff Brooks (Future Fundraising Now)

How many direct mail appeal letters do you send each year for your nonprofit? Despite the chronic fear of donor fatigue and over-communication, Jeff asserts that most development professionals really aren’t sending enough direct mail. So what’s the “sweet spot” or perfect number of letters your organization should send each year? Head over to this blog to get all the details and learn how to pick the right number for your fundraising efforts.

Focusing on Donor Acquisition: 60 Seconds to Success

Shad Hanselman (Ruffalo Noel Levitz)

Donor acquisition can be a long, costly, and sometimes painful process. With many nonprofits still operating on restricted budgets, many nonprofits are being very careful with how they go about attracting and acquiring new donors these days. This blog offers three quick videos with easy strategies for cost-effective donor acquisition.

The Problem with Planned Giving Reporting

Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels (Veritus Group)

Often, planned giving results and reports are misleading for a variety of reasons. For that reason, it can be very helpful to review actual completed reports from time to time to determine the actual value of gifts and how productive the planned giving staff are overall. This blog offers some very helpful insights (and examples) for reviewing your planned gift reports and ensuring they’re as accurate and helpful as possible, while giving credit where credit is due!

We Grow Too Soon Old, and Too Late Smart

Roger Craver (DonorVoice)

This blog asks a critical--and potentially gut-wrenching question: “Why focus on acquiring new donors if you don’t have any plans in place to keep them?” One of the best strategies to “keep” your donors is actually through recurring giving programs. Yet, many nonprofits aren’t prioritizing their monthly or recurring giving programs! In this blog, the author unpacks why there’s no excuse for ignoring recurring giving programs.

Is This the Year to Trash That Annual Report?

Jeff Brooks (Moceanic)

Gasp! This blog actually proposes that your nonprofit skip the annual report! Why? Because they almost always have nothing to do with donors and they consume valuable time, money, and other resources with very little (if any) return. But what to do instead? Jeff proposes a “Gratitude Report.” Head over to this blog to hear about his dreadful experiences with annual reports and how to shift to a much more effective solution.

Donor Stewardship: 4 Tips to Build Relationships Remotely

iATS Payments (iATS Payments)

It’s so easy to get caught up in attracting new donors and forget to care for your current supporters. Donor care (also called Donor Stewardship) is an essential part of running an effective, sustainable nonprofit. Head over to this blog for an excellent quick guide that will help you enhance your donor stewardship strategies using remote strategies!