Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 67

The clock is ticking and Giving Tuesday is now just three weeks away. There’s still time to make the most of this de facto start to the nonprofit end-of-year giving season. Here are 6 tips to help you design an effective Giving Tuesday landing page. Whether you choose a simple landing page or a full website, there are some practical things you can do to drive more visitors to your page and increase donations.

In other fundraising news, we have a lot for you in this week’s newsletter. Scroll down for some grassroots marketing basics, nonprofit storytelling tips, and a complete year-end fundraising calendar. Happy reading!

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Great Fundraising Posts

Grassroots Marketing Basics for Nonprofits

Tim Forbes (Soapbox Engage)

Grassroots marketing campaigns can be an effective way for nonprofits to raise awareness about their cause, expand their support base, nad even raise money. They're also a valuable way to mobilize your current supporters to share about your mission with others. This intro guide will help you get the basics of grassroots marketing campaigns and ideas on how to use them for your nonprofit.

Facebook’s Dynamic Creative Feature

Melanie Scholz (Good Works)

While Facebook's dynamic creative feature has been available for a while, many development professionals are only just learning about it. Dynamic creative features on Facebook are part of the Ad Manager suite and, instead of selecting a single image, text, and call-to-action for each ad, dynamic creative allows you to upload several images, videos and text options for a single Facebook ad. Then, the Facebook algorithm uses these options ot find the combination that gets the best response and continues to use that ad combination. The goal is to increase your response rate. This blog gets into the details and how nonprofits can use this tool.

3 Ways Fundraising has Changed for the Better in 2021

Brian Gawor (Ruffalo Noel Levitz)

The pandemic brought a lot of difficult changes in the nonprofit world, but there are some changes that are actually for the better! For example, many nonprofits and development professionals are getting better at engaging donors along the donor journey rather than just collecting the money. The "ask" is now just one small part of the journey and appeals are having a greater impact. Head over to this blog to learn about three ways that fundraising has actually changed for the better because of the pandemic and aftermath.

Skip the Ask and Make It a “Gift Conversation”

Jenn Shefcik (Fired-Up Fundraising)

When you head into a major gift "ask" meeting, are you set up to make a "pitch" with a one-way conversation where you're talking AT the donor? Where is the donor in this process? It's far more effective to put the old talking points and ask strategy aside and have a gift conversation instead. Slow down and engage the donor in a conversation! Jenn shares some steps on how to do just that.

Lead Like You Give a Damn Podcast: The Power of Storytelling in Leadership

Lori Jacobwith (Ignited Fundraising)

Lori was recently a guest on the podcast, Lead Like You Give A Damn where the topic of conversation was the power of storytelling in leadership. While Lori and Dan cover quite a few topics in the podcast episode, Lori takes the time to outline how the changes in work (away from the "clock-in, clock-out" model) makes it even more critical to think about the stories leaders tell within the organization, with the questions they ask, and how they listen. Head over to this blog for a summary and links to the podcast episode!

Non-Profit Storytelling: Your Next Best Step

Vanessa Chase Lockshin (The Storytelling Non-Profit)

Are you trying to figure out how to get a better response from the stories you tell in your nonprofit? Then you definitely want to check out this blog where Vanessa and the experts at The Storytelling Non-Profit share their secrets and specific steps to telling great nonprofit stories. Their goal is to help you get the most out of your nonprofit storytelling efforts by helping you decide where to take your work next.

How to Determine the Right Ask Amount for Each Donor

Amy Eisenstein (Amy Eisenstein)

Did you know that the fourth quarter is a prime time for major gift fundraising? While there's no precise formula that will help you determine how much to ask for in a major gift, Amy offers some guidelines to get you thinking strategically about each major gift ask. Check out the three caricatures that she uses to help determine the right ask amount.

A Complete Year-End Fundraising Campaign Calendar

Sarah Bender (Online Fundraising Today)

Most studies indicate that up to 42% of online giving happens in November and December with the various holidays that emphasize charity, kindness, and giving. If you want to capitalize on this year-end giving boost, it's best to start with a strategic plan. Sarah shares a year-end fundraisign calendar that will help you maximize your efforts in the last 8 to 10 weeks of the year. Even if you've already started planning for this year, check out this blog for wisdom and insight for 2022 year-end giving campaigns!

Can One Person Do Mid-level AND Major Gifts?

Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels (Veritus Group)

Can one person manage both mid and major gifts for a nonprofit? Fundraising experts Richard and Jeff say yes--and many small nonprofits have to structure this way as an entry point to staffing. But, in the long term, having one person do both is not as effective or efficient as having an individual focused on each one separately. Head over to this blog to learn more about why it's better to separate mid and major giving if at all possible.