Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 299

Happy Tuesday, fundraisers!

As April rolls on, this week’s roundup is all about moving beyond the basics and building deeper momentum. From smarter donor segmentation and stronger monthly donor retention to turning your annual fund into a major gifts pipeline, these pieces focus on creating relationships that grow over time.

You’ll also find guidance on preparing for bigger moments ahead, including capital campaigns and planning successful gala events, along with thoughtful reminders that the questions we ask and the opportunities we offer can shape the results we get.

Dive in!

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Great Fundraising Posts

How to Plan a Nonprofit Gala: A Complete Checklist for 2026

Soapbox Engage (Soapbox Engage)

A successful nonprofit gala is built over months of deliberate planning. The organizations that consistently raise the most money treat their gala like a production, not just a party. This checklist covers everything your team needs to execute a gala from the first committee meeting to post-event thank you notes.

Connection Starts Where Most Segmentation Stops

Kevin Schulman (The Agitator)

Segmenting is a great way to be able to connect with your donors about their specific interests. But unfortunately, the common segmentation methods are often generic and actually lead to less connection. In this blog post, Kevin cautions against popular methods of segmentation and suggests an alternate path forward.

Keep Your Monthly Donors with Plenty of Donor Love

Jeff Brooks (Moceanic)

Monthly donors are a great way to bring consistent revenue to your organization. And while you may think that once they have set their donations, they don’t need as much love—think again. It is important to keep giving your monthly donors a lot of appreciation for how they support your organization. In this blog post, Jeff offers some tips on how to do that.

Nonprofit Donor Solicitation: How Caution May Be Costing You Donations

Amanda L. Cole (NonProfitPRO)

Do you tend to worry about over-soliciting donors? Do you pull back on outreach due to concerns about donor fatigue, economic uncertainty, and crowded inboxes? If so, you’re certainly not alone. But new data suggests that caution may be going too far. In this blog post, Amanda highlights how your caution may be causing you to leave significant support on the table, and what to do instead.

Is Your Nonprofit Ready for a Capital Campaign?

Gail Perry (Gail Perry Group)

Capital campaigns are exciting opportunities for you to grow your organization and take leaps towards fulfilling your mission. But how do you know when you’re ready? This blog post offers important readiness markers to help you determine if your organization is truly prepared for a capital campaign.

How to Turn Your Annual Fund Into a Major Gifts Pipeline

Joe Garecht (Garecht Fundraising Associates)

You may be treating your annual fund as a missed opportunity. It is not merely a revenue generator. Done right, it is one of the best sources of major donor prospects your nonprofit will ever have. If you want to learn how to use your annual fund as a pipeline for major gifts, check out this blog post.

5 Ways to Segment Donors for More Effective Fundraising

Hannah Davis (The Fundraising Coach)

As we’ve already highlighted, there are right and wrong ways to segment! When done well, segmentation can lead to excellent donor engagement. In this blog post, Hannah offers more tips on how you can segment your donors to improve your fundraising.

How Tactical Fundraising Questions Can Generate Bad Answers

Jeff Brooks (Future Fundraising Now)

There are a lot of questions your nonprofit may be asking when you assess your strategy, like “how often should we be mailing our donors?” or “should we be posting more on social media?” But these questions are not going to help you in the long run. In this blog post, Jeff offers the type of questions you should be asking to help your fundraising strategy.

How to Offer More Enticing Volunteering Opportunities

Kyle Payton (The ENGAGE Blog)

Volunteers are a great way to keep your organization thriving. if you find that your nonprofit’s volunteer opportunities are no longer drawing the interest they used to, it’s time to reframe and adjust your volunteer management strategy. This blog post explores how you can design volunteer roles that provide mutual value, enticing supporters while securing aid for your organization.