Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 73

Whew! Here we are, rounding the final quarter of 2021. I hope you have found some time to rest amidst holiday celebrations, year-end fundraising, and prep for 2022. We’re so close. Hoping you and your loved ones stay healthy, safe, and well-rested.

In our penultimate Fundraising Weekly of 2021, we dive into fundraising tips to end the year strong, major gift challenges for the year ahead, how to master monthly giving, and more. Dig in!

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Great Fundraising Posts

Do Your Volunteers Need to Sign a Waiver?

Daryl McCarl (Soapbox Engage)

Do your volunteers need to sign a waiver? The short answer is, "sometimes." In some cases, it's important for all volunteers to sign a waiver, while other cases might only warrant a few people's signatures on a waiver. To help your nonprofit gain a better understanding of volunteer waivers, this article explores 4 key things all nonprofit organizations should know.

From the Front-lines: More Fundraising Tips to End the Year Strong

Dan Lampa (Veritus Group)

It's not just about ending the year strong–it's also about starting a new year on the right foot and "poised for greater success". Check out this blog post for some very practical ideas and tips that will help you end the fundraising year well and prepare for a strong 2022.

What Major Gift Fundraising Challenges are You Facing for 2022?

Jenn Shefcik (Fired-Up Fundraising)

It can certainly be challenging to bring in major gifts, but what are the specific obstacles you feel are keeping your team from bringing in more major gifts? This blog is actually a survey that you can participate in and help Fired-Up Fundraising create educational content to help you raise more major gifts. Plus, participants will be the first to see the results of the survey adn be entered into a drawing for some free coaching with fundraising guru, Gail Perry!

How to Deal with Disgruntled Donors: Don’t Waste Valuable Complaints

Claire Axelrad (Clairification)

As uncomfortable as it is, when someone takes the time to tell you they're unhappy, that means they care. Take the time to listen so your donors can help you improve. This is a prime opportunity to get inside your donor's head and find out what they really care about! Check out this blog to learn how to use donor complaints to your advantage!

The Biggest Fundraising Failure I've Seen— And What to Learn From It

Jeff Brooks (Future Fundraising Now)

Sometimes we learn more from our failures than we do from our successes. And it's less painful to learn from the mistakes of others than to make our own. So, check out Jeff's blog about one of the biggest fundraising failures so you can learn from their mistakes rather than your own.

The Master of Monthly Giving

Steven Screen (The Better Fundraising Company)

Regardless of whether you're contemplating starting a monthly giving program or you have a thriving one, this blog post is for you. It includes a list of action items you can take to help your program work a little more efficiently and effectively. Either treat this list as a checklist for starting your recurring giving program or an opportunity to do a "systems-check" on your existing program.

Ask Us Anything About Year-End Fundraising

Nathan Hill (NextAfter Blog)

This is a clever blog where Nathan fields questions about year-end fundraising submitted by members and followers. These are probably questions most development professionals ponder around this time of year, so check out this blog to see what kinds of tips, wisdom, and insights Nathan offers about things like using videos in year-end fundraising, homepage takeovers, and year-end postcards.

Just Ask!

Marc A. Pitman (The Fundraising Coach)

You ask a lot of good questions about the right time to make donation appeals, how much to ask for, the status of a donor's relationship with your organization. The common denominator with these kinds of questions is that only the donor knows the answer. So, it's on us as development professionals to ask! Marc offers some tips about how to ask these kinds of questions of your supporters in this blog.

How to Create an Amazing Donation Receipt for Your Donors

Joe Garecht (Joe Garecht Fundraising)

Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference–in life and in fundraising. Donation receipts are one of those "small but mighty" things. When donors make a gift, the donation receipt is one of the first things they see and it sets the tone for how they feel about having made that gift. So, donor stewardship starts with your donation receipt (and thank you note). Check out this blog that includes the four rules for great donation receipts.