Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 63

Mid October is here and I am sure you are already deep in the whirlwind that is year-end fundraising. Take a deep breath. You’re going to make it. I don’t usually point to resources that aren’t free to the nonprofit community…but I can’t in good conscience pass up the opportunity to tell you about one of our affordable solutions that can help lighten your workload through this busy season. :)

The Soapbox Engage Donations app allows you to build an unlimited number of beautiful, mobile-friendly donation forms to accept online gifts. Real-time donation form integration with your database also greatly cuts down on overhead, and stores critical donor data for easy relationships down the road. If this sounds like just the kind of tool you need, learn more here or start a free trial.

If it’s not in your budget? No fear! I’ll keep sending weekly fundraising content that will help you optimize your time and maximize your results! Happy fundraising!

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Great Fundraising Posts

9 Ways to Improve Your Nonprofit Email Subject Lines

Tim Forbes (Soapbox Engage)

When you spend time and energy writing an excellent fundraising email, don't overlook the power of a great email subject line. Most of us receive dozens or hundreds of emails each day. That means it's more important than ever to write appeal email subject lines that stand out and draw readers in, especially during the busy year-end fundraising season. This blog has some tips and insights from industry experts to help you write great subject lines for your next appeal campaigns.

3 Critically Important Ways of Measuring Fundraising Success

Amy Eisenstein (Amy Eisenstein)

The most obvious way to measure fundraising success is in dollars raised. But when your boss and board only focus on the money coming in, they're likely missing important pieces of the picture, and that could result in serious consequences. This blog examines three critical ways of measuring fundraising success.

Make This the Year You Segment Your Donors

Ann Green (Ann Green)

Do you send all your donors the same appeal and thank you letters? Do you wonder if you're raising all the money you could? There may be a correlation between the two questions. Segmenting your donor communications helps you connect more personally to your supporters and help with retention. After all, donor stewardship is usually easier and more cost-effective than trying to find new donors. This blog will help you segment your donors for your next appeal campaign.

Donor-Centricity and Boundaries

Steven Screen (The Better Fundraising Company)

The principle of donor centricity is that you meet a potential or current donor where they are before you ask them to do anything. An organization's level of donor-centricity depends both on how much it adopts the approach and on how many resources are available. But organizations should also maintain healthy boundaries in their donor-centric approach. Steven unpacks some strategies of how to develop healthy boundaries while also building strong relationships with donors and supporters.

How to Leverage Matching Gifts in Capital Campaigns

Aly Sterling (Aly Sterling Philanthropy)

Matching gift campaigns can have the potential to take any capital campaign to the next level. With matching gifts, your team can double incoming donations. If you're not sure where to start, this blog offers four easy ways to incorporate matching gifts into your upcoming capital campaign.

7 Reasons Your Fundraising Direct Mail Appeal Failed

Jeff Brooks (Future Fundraising Now)

There are many failed appeals out there and they can offer some great insights and opportunities to learn. This blog is a short and sweet summary of seven common characteristics of unsuccessful direct mail fundraising campaigns. Spoiler alert: the top reason for a direct mail campaign to fail is that the organization didn't make a clear enough "ask." It's necessary to come right out and say, "Please give…" if you want people to make a financial gift.

Nonprofit Advocacy: 4 Strategies You Should Consider

Guest Author (Get Fully Funded)

Nonprofit advocacy campaigns give your supporters a new way to get involved in advancing your mission through grassroots efforts. These advocacy campaigns require focused planning and the right tools. But effectively run campaigns, even those that have limited political success, can solidify your connections to long-term and recurring supporters. This blog includes some advocacy best practices and how to strategically apply them in your next campaign.

Understanding the Research Behind Social Giving: 4 Keys

Kelly Velasquez-Hague (NextAfter)

Social giving and engaging can take a lot of different forms for your donors and supporters. Attending fundraising events like an auction or participating in a charity 5K or contributing to a giving day campaign are all examples of different kinds of social giving and engagement. You've probably hosted some of these fundraising campaigns for your organization It can be really helpful to understand some of the research behind social giving to improve the results of your fundraising efforts. This blog discusses a few significant findings and explores motivations and data around three main categories of social givers.