Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 238

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers!

In times of uncertainty, advocacy is more important than ever. Whether your organization is new to advocacy or already active, now is the time to mobilize your supporters. Join us this Thursday to discover how the Soapbox Engage Actions app can amplify your voice and ensure your constituents are heard.

As you navigate these challenges, we’ve gathered expert insights to help you adapt and thrive. Keep scrolling for curated fundraising content related to nonprofit growth, major donors, and fundraising in uncertain times.

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Great Fundraising Posts

4 Nonprofit Growth Hurdles and How to Surmount Them

Soapbox Engage (Soapbox Engage)

No matter where your nonprofit is in its journey, you’ll likely hit hurdles that can disrupt your progress toward your goals. Proactive preparation is the best way to prevent and overcome setbacks. This blog post shares four common challenges that harm nonprofits and how to persevere through them to the finish line.

9 Reasons Your Nonprofit Newsletter Doesn’t Raise Money

Jeff Brooks (Future Fundraising Now)

Raising money is not the primary purpose of a donor newsletter. However, an effective one will raise net revenue. For some organizations, they are just as effective as appeals at unlocking donor generosity. If that’s not the case for you, check out this blog post which shares nine common mistakes you may be making with your donor newsletter.

Managing Your Operating Reserves During and After an Emergency

Carrie Watkins (The ENGAGE Blog)

A strong operating reserve in a time of crisis helps everyone focus on helping the people who need to be helped. But it’s not a blank check. If you expend all your operating reserves, you can put your organization in a pinch going forward. With the right strategies, your nonprofit organization can draw from your operating reserves during an emergency without putting future operations at risk. In this blog post, Carrie talks about those strategies.

Combine Grants and Capital Campaigns for a Perfect Partnership and Sustainable Revenue

Jack Jarmon (NonProfitPro)

Grants and capital campaigns are rarely seen as linked activities within a nonprofit’s strategic financial plan. This is a missed opportunity and ignores a tremendous opening for nonprofits due to the way today’s funders want to make an impact. Together, grants and capital campaigns are a “force multiplier".” Learn more about how to utilize them together in this blog post.

How to Win More Major Gifts by Understanding the Donor Hero Journey

Greg Warner (Market Smart)

According to a lifetime of research by award-winning researcher Dr. Russell James, the desire to do something great in their lives is the primary motivator for why people give. There are numerous secondary reasons that motivate major gifts, but at the core, what drives donors is the desire to advance their own personal hero narrative. This blog post shares how you can help lead them through the donor’s hero journey to get more major gifts.

Beyond Identification: 3 Tips for Qualifying Donor Prospects

Sarah Tedesco (Greater Giving)

If you’ve engaged in major donor fundraising before, you know that conducting prospect research is an essential step in identifying the best candidates for high-impact giving. However, gathering data is just the beginning of the process. You also need to analyze that information to help you qualify prospective donors. This guide features three tips for qualifying donor prospects so you can make your cultivation and solicitation processes more efficient and effective.

5 Revenue Streams to Strengthen Nonprofit Sustainability

John Killoran (Ann Green’s Nonprofit Blog)

It’s important for your nonprofit organization to diversify your revenue sources. This is especially important now because of the current chaos of eliminating (and then not eliminating, at least for now) federal grant funding. This post by John Killoran covers a variety of revenue sources to help you diversify your funding.

5 Reasons the Myth of “Donor Fatigue” Persists

Steven Screen (The Better Fundraising Co.)

Does the idea of “donor fatigue” impact your fundraising behavior? Well, Steven Screen asserts that donor fatigue doesn’t exist. And yet, the fear of it causes hundreds of thousands of nonprofits to raise less money and do less good. He shares five reasons why the myth persists in this blog post.

Post-Event Follow-Up to Foster Long-Term Donor Relationships

Pamela Grow (Pamela Grow)

Nonprofit events are a powerful way to showcase your mission and raise critical funds. These events are usually unforgettable experiences for your attendees. However, many organizations make the mistake of letting all that energy fizzle out when the event ends. Post-event follow-up is an opportunity to deepen relationships, show gratitude, and keep the conversation going, turning one-time participants into lifelong supporters.This blog post shares actionable best practices for crafting an effective follow-up plan.