Soapbox Engage Blog

As a nonprofit professional, you understand that organizations like yours host events for a variety of reasons, including fundraising, supporter engagement, and donor appreciation. Nonprofits can also host events that have another purpose: advocacy, or spreading awareness of a cause or issue related to your organization’s mission.

Although rallies are the most common and specific awareness events, there are other types of advocacy events you can run, such as hosting an educational event like a webinar or panel to help your community better understand the cause you’re advocating for. Plus, some fundraising events have advocacy as a secondary purpose, especially if they leverage peer-to-peer campaigns to grow your organization’s network.

Issue 137

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! In exactly one month I’ll be heading to Denver for the Nonprofit Technology Conference. Will I be running into any of you while I’m there? Stay tuned for details on a little nonprofit tech/fundraiser happy hour that we’re planning!

Scroll on down for the latest fundraising ideas and strategies, with great tips relating to recurring donations, digital presence, direct mail fundraising, and more!

You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today!

As a nonprofit professional, you understand the importance of a strong donor communication strategy. Regular communication with your supporters that involves fundraising updates, recent projects and general donor appreciation messages can help your donor base stay engaged and eager to give back to your cause on a recurring basis. However, if you’ve noticed a drop in engagement or are experiencing slowdowns in your fundraising progress, it’s time for a change.

A nonprofit communications audit helps you take a deep dive into your existing communication strategy and assess what’s working well and what’s not. With this information, you’ll be better prepared to reach supporters in a way that resonates with them and motivates them to get more involved in your nonprofit’s efforts.

Having a website dedicated to your cause is central to an effective nonprofit digital marketing plan. After all, a website allows you to do everything from driving donations and boosting event registrations to empowering beneficiaries to access your services.

However, it’s not enough to design a visually-stunning and information-packed website, push it live, and call it a day. Instead, you’ll need to be proactive in identifying issues with your site and resolving them, maintaining a strong web presence so that your site remains a reliable tool for getting involved with your cause.

In today's fast-paced business world, it's becoming increasingly important for nonprofits to leverage technology to streamline their processes and increase their efficiency. Salesforce, a popular customer relationship management (CRM) platform, is one such technology that can help businesses achieve these goals.

However, managing Salesforce can be a daunting task, especially for nonprofits that lack the necessary resources or expertise. That's where Salesforce Managed Services come in. In this blog post, we'll take a closer look at what Salesforce Managed Services are, their benefits, and why they're important for nonprofits of all sizes.

Issue 136

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! Now that February is over, can we just start calling it spring? Even if the season won’t officially be here for a couple more weeks, check out these 5 Fundraising Ideas for Spring to get inspired!

Scroll on down for the latest fundraising ideas and strategies, with great tips relating to social media fundraising, leveraging videos, planned gifts, and more!

You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today!

Nonprofits are constantly on the lookout for new and improved ways to fund their causes. And the less time and effort required, the better! That’s where recurring donations can be a lifesaver.

After all, securing consistent, reliable revenue is a must for nonprofit fundraisers aiming to make a significant impact on their overall missions. And donors love the ease with which they can support their favorite causes! In fact, fundraising research states that online giving revenue grew by over 40% as recurring donation options become increasingly popular with online donors.

Issue 135

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! Get ready to say goodbye to February and welcome a new month!

Soapbox Engage has a brand new free downloadable guide, and I wanted you all to be the first to know. Most nonprofits are constantly on the lookout for new and innovative ways to increase their organizations’ revenue and better establish funding for their missions. If that sounds like you, check out our Guide to Volunteer Grants to learn about this unique funding strategy.

You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today!

Planned giving, or legacy giving, is a philanthropic form of giving through which donors arrange for a donation to be given as a part of their financial or estate plan. Planned gifts are often deferred until a donor has passed. In comparison to other types of donations, planned gifts tend to be larger and more infrequent.

For many nonprofits, planned gifts are an untapped resource. This is because when compared to more common forms of fundraising, they do not provide the same immediate benefits. Consequently, valuable planned gift opportunities can easily be neglected amidst the demands of the regular fundraising season.

Salesforce is one of the most popular CRM platforms. But there are still many organizations who aren’t yet using Salesforce, or are debating on if it’s a worthwhile investment. If that’s you, keep reading to learn how Salesforce is beneficial for nonprofits.

On every commercial airline flight, a flight attendant instructs the passengers that, if cabin pressure changes during the flight, they should put on and adjust their own oxygen masks before assisting others.

Similarly, before your nonprofit can make a genuine difference in the lives of its beneficiaries, your internal team has to thrive. The key to this is honing your organization’s approach to employee retention.

Issue 134

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! Can you believe how fast February is flying by? We’ve been keeping busy here at Soapbox Engage. If you want even more fundraising advice, nonprofit tech news, and free resources, you can sign up for our monthly newsletter here.

Scroll on down for some great fundraising ideas relating to multichannel marketing, virtual events, grant management, and more!

You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today!

Capital campaigns are unique fundraising ventures. These campaigns not only require months (and sometimes years!) of a nonprofit team’s time and effort. They also help organizations raise massive amounts of revenue that make large-scale projects possible, like building a new facility or purchasing important equipment.

Because of the sheer scale of capital campaign work, there are many moving parts to keep track of and thus, many opportunities for error. To help your nonprofit team prepare for future capital campaigns, we’ve assembled a list of common capital campaign mistakes and how to avoid them:

If you are a school leader, you may not think Salesforce has anything to offer you. However, that’s not the case. Salesforce Education Cloud for K-12 is a CRM platform for schools, aimed at keeping students and their families, alumni, and staff connected. This integrated platform offers many benefits for schools and students. Keep reading to learn more about the Salesforce Education Cloud, and whether or not it’s right for your school.

Issue 133

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! We put a little extra love into the newsletter this week!

Scroll on down for some top fundraising content relating to design and accessibility of nonprofit websites, CRMs for nonprofits, sponsorship letters, and more!

You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today!

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software is an incredibly important tool for nonprofit organizations. And when it comes to CRM software, Salesforce is an excellent option. It is without a doubt one of the most widely utilized business software platforms. However, many who are using Salesforce don’t fully know how to utilize it. They’re missing out on capabilities and therefore not functioning as well as they could be.

If you’re wanting to implement Salesforce to its highest capacity, you should consider hiring a Salesforce consultant. Keep reading to discover what a consultant can do for you.

Your nonprofit’s website is a hub for all information about your organization, including everything from how to donate to how to sign up for events. It should be full of meaningful content that serves long-time supporters, current donors, and newcomers to your cause. But meeting the evolving needs of these audiences requires constant changes and growth.

A website growth or transition plan is a strategy for growing your website sustainably over time. Keep these four tips in mind when developing your growth plan:

Issue 132

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! How do you plan on expressing gratitude for your donors this year? Here are 6 cost-effective donor thank you gifts to consider. Timely and meaningful acknowledgment of support really does make all the difference!

Scroll on down for last week’s top fundraising content! We’ve got great ideas relating to reconnecting with donors, using text-to-give, and preparing your nonprofit for financial uncertainty in a recession.

You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today!

Issue 131

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! Here’s to finishing out the first month of 2023 strong!

This year, you may want to consider improving your wording when asking for donations. The words you choose can make all the difference. After all, giving is about connecting with your community. And language is one important tool we use to connect. Download this guide to asking for donations to learn tips on how to strengthen your relationships with your donors through the words you use.

Scroll on down for some top fundraising ideas relating to major donor meetings, engagement strategies, and monthly giving. Enjoy!

You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today!

Salsa Engage is sunsetting and it’s time for Salsa customers to look for an alternative solution for their online engagement and fundraising needs.

Salsa Engage is a cloud-based solution that unifies an organization’s campaigning and advocacy efforts. It was a great all-in-one-platform for fundraising, advocacy, CRM, and more, but it will be phasing out entirely by 2024.

Luckily for Salsa Engage clients, there is a wide variety of alternatives out there that can give you exactly what you’re looking for. We’ve compiled the top five alternatives to Salsa Engage.