Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 64

Happy Fundraising Tuesday! Recently, my team created a new Slack channel for sharing the music that we listen to throughout the work day. It’s really been keeping me going lately! What kinds of music or artists do you like to listen to while you work? Or if you’re like me and sometimes find music distracting, you may want to check out myNoise. This site (another recommendation from one of my awesome coworkers) has seemingly endless ambient noise tracks.

But enough of my tangent! We’ve got some great stuff for you in this week’s newsletter, particularly when it comes to donor relations. Read on to learn about donor renewals, secrets to keeping your donors, and those things your donors wish you would do more of. Enjoy!

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Great Fundraising Posts

4 Pillars for Thanksgiving Fundraising Success

Tim Forbes (Soapbox Engage)

Thanksgiving is the unofficial start of the holiday season and year-end giving rush. About 50% of nonprofits receive most of their annual donations during the last three months of the year. It's critical to have a solid year-end fundraising plan, and what better time to kick that campaign off than with Thanksgiving! This blog has four pillars of Thanksgiving fundraising and some creative Thanksgiving-themed fundraiser ideas.

Do You Demonstrate These Competencies as a Nonprofit Leader?

Wayne Elsey (NonProfit PRO)

High quality leadership matters now more than ever in the nonprofit sector. There are many critical decisions that will directly impact nonprofits for many years to come and nonprofit leaders must have the skills, knowledge, and resources to navigate the onslaught of complex issues that require them to be agile and open to change. With so much happening, changing the landscape of the nonprofit sector practically overnight, it's critical for organization leaders to have five basic competencies. Head over to this blog to learn more about these competencies.

Donor Renewals: The Easiest Gifts to Close for Your Year-End Campaign

Gail Perry (Fired-Up Fundraising)

Perhaps the easiest gifts you'll find this year will come from donor renewals right from your own donor files. Focusing on yoru current donors can be very profitable because they already "voted" with their money for your cause once and many might just be waiting for a warm invitation to re-join the cause this year. Head over to this blog do learn more about how to make great donor renewal asks.

How to Make Time for Major Gifts When You’re a Small Shop

Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels (Veritus Group)

If you're a small nonprofit, it can be tough to feel like you've got enough time for a major gifts program. The amount of time you can devote to major gifts will determine how many qualified donors you can have in your portfolio in a balanced way. In this blog, Richard and Jeff outline their strategy for determining how many qualified donors that organizations can reasonably handle in their portfolios. It's a practical approach to making time for major gifts.

How to Think Strategically at Your Non-Profit

Joe Garecht (Joe Garecht Fundraising)

Unfortunately there aren't unlimited time money, people-power and other resources for your nonprofit. That's why strategy and planning is so critical so you can accomplish your goals without burning out your team or running out of resources. Thinking strategically means moving with purpose and making thoughtful decisions rather than throwing things at the wall to see what sticks. This blog has some practical steps to help you get more done with the resources you have.

The Secrets to Keeping Your Donors

Julia Claire Campbell (Marketing For the Modern Nonprofit)

Many people look to nonprofits to offer hope in a discouraging world. That's why it's so important to accurately show your donors and followers the difference you make. In this blog-podcast combination, Lynne Wester shares about what she class the "gospel of gratitude" to help nonprofits serve those who make the work possible. Showing gratitude helps us truly value people, further inclusivity, and much more!

What to Do if Your Event Doesn’t Reach Your Goal This Year

Lori Jacobwith (Ignited Fundraising)

Hybrid fundraising events continue to be popular this year as we navigate the ongoing pandemic. Last year there was the advantage of excitement and newness of hybrid events. This year, on the other hand, many nonprofits are encountering online meeting fatigue and having a difficult time reaching their goals for various fundraising events. Assuming you've handled all the pre-event activities well, Lori offers some practical steps you can take to adjust your strategy and work toward your fundraising goals.

16 Things Your Donors Wish You'd Do

Jeff Brooks (Future Fundraising)

Do you ever wonder exactly what your donors want from you? Sometimes they're very clear about their desires and expectations. Other times it feels like a bit of a mystery. In his traditional "short and sweet" style, Jeff offers 16 things donors wish you would do. Perhaps not surprising, most of them are easy to do and pretty reasonable! And the great news is that if you meet even a handful of the desires off this list, you'll stand head-and-shoulders above many other nonprofits.

How Email Increases How Much Your Direct Mail Raises

Steven Screen (The Better Fundraising Company)

How do you think of email? Savvy nonprofits use email to win the hearts of donors between other types of communication like printed appeals and newsletters. Email is a great place to tell stories, report back to donors about gifts they've made, ask for a donor's preference, and other things. When a nonprofit becomes a familiar voice in a donor's inbox, you'll move onto their "automatic recall" list and you'll raise more money with those printed appeals. Keep reading to learn how to leverage email well between direct mail campaigns.