Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 99

Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! Before you know it, you’ll be swept up in year-end fundraising prep! Take a moment to sit back and strategize. This week’s newsletter focuses on the big picture. Prioritizing storytelling over metrics. Focusing on your donor’s emotional connection to a campaign. Understanding major gifts systems. Maintaining your donor pipeline. Here’s what you should understand before you dig in to the details of that next big fundraising push!

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Great Fundraising Posts

How Are Peer-to-Peer Fundraising and Crowdfunding Different?

Missy Singh (Soapbox Engage)

Both Peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding are effective fundraising strategies. Because they're so similar, many people use the terms interchangeably, but they are actually two different strategies that can help nonprofits reach their fundraising and networking goals. This article dives into five key differences between peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding. Understanding the differences can help you leverage the right tool for your goals and context.

Stories Are More Important Than Metrics

Kevin Fitzpatrick (MarketSmart)

In this short and sweet blog post, Kevin shares a specific example of what happens when you let stories lead the way and allow your donors to become a part of the story rather than leading with metrics, numbers, and statistics. Sure, metrics are important. But they're not what causes someone to give sacrificially.

What is Your Donor’s Emotional Connection?

Jenn Shefcik (Fired-Up Fundraising)

Laying out the right strategy for a major gift ask can be quite complex: there are so many different factors to consider. There are so many things to consider, from family giving history to data and wealth screenings. But what about the donor's emotional connection? After all the data, historical analysis, and deliberation, the critical question is "what is their emotional connection?" How does the person FEEL about your organization and your work? What is the powerful emotional connection to the mission? Keep reading to dig into how to help your donor make an emotional connection with your cause.

How Your Nonprofit Can Keep Things Simple

Ann Green (Ann Green)

Keeping things simple doesn't have to mean a bare-bones existence. There's a Swedish term called Lagom, meaning everything in moderation or not too much, not too little. Keeping things simple is also important for your nonprofit. In this blog, Ann explores what "Lagom" can look like for your nonprofit, especially since your donors are trying to find balance, too.

Are You Ready for a Capital Campaign? 5 Questions to Consider

Elizabeth Abel (NonProfit PRO)

Capital campaigns are one of the most effective ways to galvanize transformational support for a nonprofit's community. One of the most common questions nonprofits consider is how to know when it's the right time to launch a capital campaign. It can be difficult to know the right time to launch a capital campaign. Head over to this blog for five questions that will help guide your fundraising efforts and determine whether you're ready for a capital campaign.

Three Reasons You Should Occasionally Let Your Fundraiser Try Something New

Steven Screen (The Better Fundraising Company)

If you have any kind of "say" or influence over the fundraising strategy, content, and language at your nonprofit, then it's ok to let your fundraisers try new things sometimes–even some ideas you don't like! Why? For starters, if a savvy fundraiser doesn't get to try new things from time to time, they'll likely get bored and leave. But there are actually other reasons to give your development professionals a bit of freedom to experiment. Keep reading this blog to learn about some benefits of experimenting with fundraising strategies.

Major Gifts Systems

K. Michael (Fearless Fundraising)

While every single gift is meaningful and those small gifts do add up, it's usually the major gifts that move the needle. The major gifts are the ones that can take your nonprofit to new places. How much time and money do you spend pursuing small and mid-sized gifts? And are you as intentional and systematic when it comes to your major gift program? You can be! This blog dives into the processes and procedures that will help you develop a pipeline of major donors.

No Pipeline, No Future: Caring for and Feeding Your Donor Pipeline

Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels (Veritus Group)

A nonprofit's fundraising future depends on its donor pipeline. Feeding and caring for this pipeline is critical. The fundraising experts at Veritus have identified eight steps to properly care for adn feed a donor pipeline. Check out this blog to dive into these steps and evaluate your current pipeline care strategies.

The Slow and Boring Path to Fundraising Success: 7 Ways to Win Big

Jeff Brooks (Moceanic)

So many nonprofits have their thoughts and dreams focused on a fundraising strategy that will catapult them into a dominating position. But breakthroughs are rare— there are only so many "ice bucket challenges" or "LiveStrong" bracelet campaigns. Most of us will never experience a really big breakthrough. Fortunately, there's another path to success: the slow and boring path. It's not as much fun or fast, but it's a lot more likely to get your nonprofit where you need it to go. And there are surprising and wonderful "secret bonuses" for those who follow this slow and boring path. Check out this blog to learn how to stay on this steady, predictable path to fundraising success.