Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 92

Happy May, Fundraisers! We are now well into spring, my favorite time of the year, and Washington, DC has been absolutely vibrant with new life. I’ve been doing my best to enjoy some time outdoors before DC turns into a swamp for the summer!

This week’s newsletter is packed with great fundraising content. Learn how to break out of organizational silos, test your nonprofit value proposition, or create a system for scoring donor engagement. What are your waiting for? Dig in!

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Great Fundraising Posts

Virtual and Hybrid Summer Fundraising Events

Tim Forbes (Soapbox Engage)

While many nonprofits experience a noticeable decrease in donations during the summer months, this doesn't need to be the case. With the right strategies, you can combat the traditional "summer donation slump" and the added social distancing complexities to get your donors excited about getting involved. This blog takes a dive into some post-pandemic summer fundraising strategies and ideas that actually work!

4 Steps to Build a Powerful Donor Engagement Scorecard

Jackie Conrad (NonProfit PRO)

It's not enough to simply have a great product or mission. Great organizations must be intentional in creating a positive customer experience. Customer experience is how customers perceive their interactions with your nonprofit, which influences their loyalty and likelihood to recommend the organization. In the digital age, a poor experience can be amplified with just a few clicks. Customer engagement and a strong customer experience are critical–even for nonprofits. But how do you apply this reality to the nonprofit world? Keep reading this blog for some helpful insights and practical action steps.

4 A/B Tests to Improve Your Nonprofit Value Proposition

Naymal Mehmood (NextAfter Blog)

How effectively does your nonprofit express its value to potential donors? You may only get one chance to convince someone to click a link or make a donation. How do you make these moments count? Through value propositions! This blog will walk you through four A/B tests that will help improve your nonprofit value propositions. Each A/B test highlights one of the four key elements you can also use to improve your value proposition and increase giving.

Breaking Out of Organizational Silos

Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels (Veritus Group)

When a nonprofit loses sight of the donor and the mission, it results in a broken donor pipeline where donors either go away and stop giving or they reduce their giving over time. Of course, nobody wants that! So, how do you avoid or shed the territorial mindset where you only think about your part of the system of your nonprofit? It starts with re-imagining how your organization's systems and structures are set up. Keep reading for some specific action steps to make this happen!

12 Keys to Conducting Effective Donor Interviews

Jim Langley (MarketSmart)

Curiosity is a fundraiser's greatest asset. Still, it's critical to learn how to ask questions that yield the most insight into donor motivation. A fundraiser can continue to establish rapport and put the prospect at ease by simply saying, "May I ask a few questions to ensure we do all we can to relate our work to causes and purposes that you care about?" Check out this blog where Jim shares the main keys for conducting effective donor interviews!

How You Can Make Your Messages Stand Out

Ann Green (Ann Green)

It's never easy to get your message out and stand out from the crowd. And these days, information overload can feel extra intense. Your nonprofit needs to continue communicating regularly and effectively with your donors. With everything going on in the world, it's possible they'll miss your message, so it's essential to stand out. Check out this blog for some specific action steps you can take to stand out from the crowds and get noticed by your supporters!

Rental Income for Nonprofits: A Viable Fundraising Option

Devon Reeser (Fundraising Letters and Ideas)

Most nonprofits lean on more traditional fundraising methods like dues, raffles, and events to raise money. But it is possible to think outside the box when it comes to funding your nonprofit! Rental income for nonprofits is a very under-explored method of fundraising. Typically called "non-dues revenue," if your organization owns property, there's a money-earning possibility! Keep reading to learn more about how this works and consider whether it's a potential fundraising strategy for your organization!

Highly Relevant Donor Outreach

K. Michael (Fearless Fundraising)

It's common sense that donor prospects are more likely to take a meeting with you if your outreach is relevant to them. Your organization has a wonderful mission, but that's not where we start with most people. More often than not, it has to be about them before it can be about your mission. Relevant outreach answers the "why?" question! Keep reading to learn more and to get more donor meetings!

The Auction Advocate: How to Raise More Money by Telling Better Stories

Lori Jacobwith (Ignited Fundraising)

What if fundraising was as simple as telling better stories to your stakeholders? It really can be that simple. Success in life comes down to communication: what we say. Where and how we say it. This blog and podcast unpack how to use stories to communicate more effectively for fundraising. You'll learn things like why humans can't make a decision without feeling something, how stories are more memorable than facts and figures, and much more.