Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 98

Happy Tuesday, fundraisers!

This newsletter is all about being PREPARED. Tax season may be over but do you need to brush up on types of Form 990s? Did you know that postage rates will increase in July but there are steps you can take now to save on direct mail fundraising? Think it’s too early too early to start thinking about Giving Tuesday? Think again!

Read on for some great tips and strategies that will keep you in your best fundraising shape year round!

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Great Fundraising Posts

The 4 Main Types of Form 990s for Nonprofits (and How to File)

Administrator (Soapbox Engage)

Figuring out tax requirements for nonprofits probably isn't high on your list of things you love to do. But it's necessary to keep your organization running smoothly and maintain your tax-exempt status. That's why knowing the difference between each type of Form 990 is so critical. There are multiple types of Form 990s to choose from, depending on your nonprofit's size. Check out this blog to explore the differences between each tax form type.

5 Tips for Writing Great Giving Tuesday Emails

Vanessa Chase Lockshin (The Storytelling Non-Profit)

It's hard to believe it's already time to start talking about Giving Tuesday again! But savvy development professionals are already looking ahead to year-end giving and even preparing content. This blog explores how to write a successful fundraising email–whether on Giving Tuesday or any other time of the year.

The ABCs of Cooperative Databases

Megan Carder (Heroic Fundraising)

A cooperative database holds information about customers and their transaction histories. Many companies will contribute information to a cooperative database in return for aggregate information on the customers other companies have provided. But how does this apply to nonprofits? This blog unpacks how co-ops work and how nonprofits can take advantage of them for fundraising efforts.

8 Ways to Find Major Donors for Your Small Nonprofit

Sandy Rees (Get Fully Funded)

Your fundraising plan should include a strategy for identifying, cultivating, and asking major donors for large donations. Really, it's the old 80/20 rule–80% of your support comes from about 20% of your donors. But the Fundraising Effectiveness Project shows that 88% of all funds come from 12% of donors. That means if you spend most of your time cultivating the top 12% of your donors, you'll raise more money in a more efficient manner. Keep reading to learn how to put this approach into practice to cultivate major donors.

How to Save on Postage When Rates Increase in July

Summer Gould (NonProfit PRO)

USPS postage rates are set to increase on July 10, 2022. While direct mail fundraising is still an effective strategy, it's worth getting creative to save money on postage. This blog goes over how the rates will change next month and some strategies to save a little money on postage.

At Last, the Not-So-Secret Formula for Raising Major Gifts

Greg Warner (MarketSmart)

What really leads a major donor to decide to make a gift to a nonprofit? There are a number of reasons people choose to give. But to surface a "formula" you can use, you'll need to first recognize that people choose to make gifts because organizations engage their social emotions. This blog takes a dive into what drives people to support nonprofits and how to incorporate that knowledge into your fundraising strategies.

The Secret Formula for Raising Major Gifts: 5 Key Components

Amy Eisenstein (Amy Eisenstein)

If you want to raise major gifts successfully, you need the right combination of knowledge, strategy, persistence, optimism, and courage. Truly great fundraisers combine common sense with industry best practices, and an unwillingness to take "no" for an answer. In this blog, Amy breaks down the formula and zeroes in on what fundraisers can do to increase the chances of success in raising major gifts.

Custom Gift Asks Increase Newsletter Net Revenue by 36%

Steven Screen (The Better Fundraising Company)

Small changes can make big impacts on your nonprofit's fundraising efforts. Recently, one nonprofit changed the reply cards in their newsletters to include customized gift suggestions for each donor. Each donor was asked to give amounts that were based on their previous giving. The result: net revenue went up 36%! Keep reading to learn more about this fundraising strategy.

7 Reasons Why Nonprofits Need to Invest in Technology Now

Paul D'Alessandro (NonProfit PRO)

Nonprofits constantly look for ways to stay competitive in the market. One of the ways they do this is by investing in new technologies. The only problem is that most organizations are slow to adapt to change. The result is they miss out on the opportunities that technology brings. But there are many ways that nonprofits can adopt and incorporate new technologies to stay competitive. This blog presents some of the benefits of incorporating technology into nonprofits.