Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 61

Greetings wonderful Fundraising Weekly subscribers! I hope you have eased into your work week and are perhaps enjoying some nice weather wherever you are located. It has finally started to cool off in Washington, DC!

When curating this newsletter each week, I try to select a wide range of content to appeal to fundraisers of all levels and needs. This week, we have everything from fundraising 101 to more focused content like building donor relationships through volunteering. But my question for you is: What content do you find most helpful? Are there subjects that you wish you’d see more of? Let’s make this the best newsletter for you!

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

Great Fundraising Posts

5 Fresh Fundraising Ideas for Fall

Tim Forbes (Soapbox Engage)

Are you looking for some fresh ways to spice up your fall fundraising calendar? Autumn is a great time for fundraising events, but it's essential to offer distinctive experiences that stand out from all the other fall activities and get onto your participants' calendars. Whether you're looking to add large events or switch up your fall fundraising, this blog offers some clever and unconventional ideas!

4 Types of Questions to Help You Avoid Awkward Donor Conversations

Karen Kendrick (Veritus Group)

Have you ever found yourself in an especially awkward conversation with a current or potential donor because you didn't spend the time preparing? It's uncomfortable for everyone when you're stumbling around the conversation, talking too much or not asking meaningful questions. This blog offers some questions and topics to explore with your donors and strategies to ensure you have high-quality conversations with each donor.

How to Create Digital Supporter Communities on Social Media

Guest Author (Get Fully Funded)

Over the past year and a half, we've been interacting through computers and attending virtual events and giving digitally. That means there have been few opportunities for supporters to speak directly with your nonprofit or people who share similar philanthropic interests. It's critical to figure out how to cultivate these relationships to ensure your supporters maintain a strong connection to your community and cause. This blog explores how to create digital supporter communities.

Fundraising 101: Understand the Basics of Fundraising so You Can Fund Your Dream

Sandy Rees (Get Fully Funded)

The first lesson of fundraising 101 is that fundraising isn't about begging. Its about learning to focus on the people you want to help with the money, not the money itself, or the process of asking. Fundraising is about inviting people to be part of something valuable and bigger than themselves. Head over to this blog to learn (or refresh your understanding) about this fundamental part of fundraising before heading into the busy year-end fundraising season.

Are You on Their Automatic Recall List?

Steven Screen (The Better Fundraising Company)

Automatic recall is the ability of a donor to immediately recall your organization. It's a product of the relevance of your messages and the number of times they've heard your message. This is a major reason for communicating with your donors more frequently. Head over to this blog to learn more about how to be on your donors' "automatic recall" list.

Building Donor Relationships through Volunteering: 5 Tips

Aly Sterling (Aly Sterling Philanthropy)

Nonprofits usually rely on a range of donor retention strategies to maintain long-term support. You've probably reached out to lapsed donors, connected via digital platforms, and even met one-on-one to get to know them better. But have you considered inviting your donors to volunteer? This allows supporters to see first-hand the impact of their donations and better understand the necessity of your cause. This blog offers strategies and tips to help you engage donors and lapsed donors in volunteer opportunities.

Messaging in the New Landscape: Why Simple Storytelling is Not Enough (Webinar)

Gail Perry (Fired-Up Fundraising)

Are you looking for winning tactics to navigate the post-pandemic fundraising scene? This blog unpacks whether nonprofits should really tell their donors about the current financial state using case studies. Additionally, consider attending the October 5 webinar With Gail Perry and Beth Ann Locke designed to help you navigate the new fundraising landscape and ace your year-end financial goals.

Get Your Hands Dirty

Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels (Veritus Group)

It's critical to get your hands dirty and maintain first-hand knowledge of your nonprofit's mission and day-to-day work so it can inform and drive your fundraising efforts. If you're not immersed in the need and work tha your organization addresses, you cannot be effective as a fundraiser. Richard and Jeff share their wisdom about how to stay connected to the mission as a development professional.

Charting Your Major Donors’ Journey — And Why it Matters

Anne Stefanyk (NonProfit PRO)

You surely already know the value and importance of major donors. Having a dedicated and data-driven strategy to engage and build relationships with major donors is critical to your fundraising success. But just because you identify your major donors doesn't mean they're ready for your outreach. Enhancing your major donors' journey is a valuable way to ensure you reach out and ask for a gift at the right time. This blog will help you assess and improve your donor journeys.