Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 69

It may be a short work week for some of us, but it certainly isn’t any less busy! In fact, as a fundraiser, this week may bring one of the heaviest workloads you experience all year. With Giving Tuesday just ONE week from today, make sure you double check all your fundraising to do lists. Then, most importantly, check in with yourself and your rest. You’re a rockstar, and I’m rooting for you!

I’m excited to share more great content this week. Read on for advice on retaining donors after virtual events, important reminders for expressing donor gratitude during the holidays, and a webinar about making better fundraising asks. Cheers!

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Great Fundraising Posts

How to Retain and Engage Donors After a Virtual Event

Tim Forbes (Soapbox Engage)

When you crunch the numbers, it's actually more cost-effective to focus on keeping your current donors than it is to constantly bring in new donors. This is true for virtual fundraising events, too. That's why this blog takes a deep dive into donor retention after virtual events. While there's still much to learn in the world of virtual fundraising, some best practices and strategies still ring true.

3 Steps to Make the Most of Your Best Hours of Every Day

Jeff Brooks (Moceanic)

Did you know that most people have about four good hours of proper brainwork each day? Knowing and working with this truth will change your work life. But most of us have far more than four hours' worth of work each day. Jeff offers three steps that will help you set up your day to make the most of your best four hours.

Do You Really Need a Win?

Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels (Veritus Group)

Being driven to get "wins" can lead fundraisers to attempt going after the money with the donor and not building the relationship. There are many reasons you may feel like you need a "win" this year for your nonprofit. It's important to pause and take note of when you're being driven to find the "win" and how that might be impacting your donor relationships. When you focus on cultivating healthy relationships, the money will follow.

13 Tasks to do Now to Plan for Fundraising Success

Sandy Rees (Get Fully Funded)

Reaching your fundraising goals requires planning and preparation for fundraising success. But for most people, planning for fundraising isn't a very easy or natural process. In this blog, Sandy proposes creating a plan for fundraising, even if it means pushing pause during the busy holiday season and putting some thoughts on paper about what you want to do and accomplish in the next few months. Keep reading to get valuable wisdom and practical steps to help you plan for fundraising success.

How to Make Better Fundraising Asks (WEBINAR)

Joe Garecht (Joe Garecht Fundraising)

Fundraising expert, Joe Geracht is spilling his wisdom, insights, and secrets about how to make compelling fundraising asks in his upcoming webinar on Nov. 23. He'll focus primarily on making excellent asks over the phone, in person, and on Zoom or other virtual settings and Joe will take time to answer your specific questions. Even if you can't make the live event, pre-registrants will receive a recording of this webinar.

Expressing Gratitude to Donors and Volunteers at the Holidays

Amy Eisenstein (Amy Eisenstein)

Thanksgiving is here and it's a great reminder that nonprofits need to be especially thankful this time of year. But it's not always easy to feel or express gratitude, especially when things aren't going exactly to plan. But gratitude is an essential part of a fundraiser's job--and a key to a happy life. This blog has some practical insights about how to cultivate a mindset of gratitude and some ideas on how to express that gratitude to your supporters.

The Gap and the Gift

Steven Screen (The Better Fundraising Company)

Thoughtful, savvy development professionals understand that donors don't know as much about your cause or beneficiaries as you do. There's a bit of a gap between you and your organization and your donors since they don't have expert-level knowledge or understanding of your work and they're not likely to close that gap themselves. So, it's up to you as a fundraiser to take on the work of crossing the gap. Head over to this blog to keep reading about how to to do just that in a helpful, strategic, and positive way.

5 Signs You Need to Revamp Your Nonprofit Website

Julia Claire Campbell (Marketing for the Modern Nonprofit)

When was the last time you spruced up--or all-out updated--your nonprofit website? Perhaps you designed and launched your website several years ago and it's a bit outdated. After all, what was effective five or ten years ago usually doesn't completely align with current standards and best practices. That can negatively impact engagement metrics. Head over to this blog to see if your website is guilty of any of the five signs Julia lists that would point to needing a new website.

Never Underestimate the Power of Stewardship

F. Duke Haddad (NonPRofit PRO)

Trust is the cornerstone of donor stewardship. It's critical to express gratitude for donations, communicate with donors about how their gifts will be used, share insights about your organization's work, and from time to time, ask for additional gifts. Understand your donors and seek to meet their needs and desires. If you steward donors well, you'll have a meaningful long-term relationship in which everyone benefits. Keep reading to learn how to cultivate great stewardship practices in your nonprofit.