Soapbox Engage Blog

Who doesn’t love saving time and money when planning an event? Waivers can save you money before and after a fundraising event by preparing attendees for what to expect. They’ll also help protect your organization from legal liability and set you up with important information that will empower you to stay connected with donors after the event.

Waivers can include all kinds of coverage for your event, so let's dive into the essential components of a waiver for your next fundraising event!

Summer is winding down, and before we know it, Giving Tuesday will be here!

This annual giving day is a major opportunity for nonprofits to generate support while raising awareness for their missions. In this guide, we'll share some of our favorite Giving Tuesday ideas to help your organization generate more donations and plan a campaign with long-lasting benefits.

Issue 109

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! It’s the end of August, which means we are just under 3 months away from Giving Tuesday 2022.

If you are wondering what that means or what you can be doing now to position your nonprofit for maximum success, you can check out this helpful blog post. This post will take you through 10 FAQs when it comes to Giving Tuesday. Things like “When should organizations begin planning a Giving Tuesday campaign?” and “Is online giving critical for Giving Tuesday success?” Plus some helpful insight around peer-to-peer campaigns, recurring gifts, campaign timelines and hashtags. Whew! A lot to consider!

And for the newsletter this week, we are excited to share some great content around fundraising letters, crafting a fundraising voice, and increasing online donations. Dig in!

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

Issue 108

Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! With fall just around the corner (though not official until September 22!), it’s hard not to think about year-end fundraising prep. It’s true that nearly a third of all giving occurs in the final month of the year, which can feel like a lot of pressure. I thought I would dig up an old but very helpful blog post that’s all about building a successful year-end fundraising campaign. Hopefully staying ahead in your planning will alleviate some of that pressure!

Scroll on down for more great fundraising content. We’ve got some helpful marketing strategies, capital campaign secrets, in-kind donations types, and more!

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

It’s true that online fundraising becomes more popular every year. But no matter what goes on online, one thing that will never go out of style is the fundraising letter. A compelling fundraising letter is one of the most valuable tools in your organization’s toolkit. A fundraising letter is a great way to connect with current and potential donors.

You can incorporate fundraising letters into your fundraising strategy all year long to help you raise support for new programs, get funding for capital campaigns, in-kind donations, sponsorships, and other types of support. These letters are also another opportunity to tell your story and demonstrate your organization's impact.

Check out the tips we have rounded up to help you write excellent fundraising letters!

As a nonprofit professional, you probably find motivation in your organization’s mission. This mission not only gives you a reason to work hard each day, but it’s also why your organization exists. Therefore, you likely spend a lot of time planning for fundraising efforts and figuring out new ways to make an impact.

Because you spend so much time earning revenue, you’d think it’d be a top priority for most nonprofits to review and manage their various sources of revenue. However, many professionals get so swept away in programming—not without reason—that financial management activities sometimes take a backseat.

Donation receipts may seem like a task that you don’t want to deal with. They are sometimes thought of as a “necessary evil,” and are required by the IRS. However, their role in tax deductions is not the only purpose they serve. Your donor receipts can serve as another touchpoint to connect with your donors. And that means they’re important for you to pay attention to!

Issue 107

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! Thanks to those of you who downloaded and shared our free donation guide last week. I love seeing these resources being utilized by this community! If you’re interested in more free resources like this, you can check out this page here.

Now onto this week’s newsletter! We have some great stuff for you— from digital advocacy campaigns, to year-end fundraising prep, to top fundraising website features. Take a look and see what sticks for you!

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

For mission-driven organizations, one of the underlying goals is to recruit more people to work to fulfill your mission. Many hands make light work, and an effective way to get more supporters for your cause is through an advocacy campaign.

Advocacy campaigns of the past may have relied on door knocking or flyering, and that is still effective. But in recent years, especially as we’ve continued to rely more on online technologies due to the pandemic, digital advocacy campaigns have grown even more popular. They are a very effective way to get a wide variety of people engaged in your cause.

Issue 106

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! I thought I would follow up last week’s newsletter by sharing another one of our free, downloadable guides. No sense hoarding tools meant for the community!

When asking for donations, having the right wording can make all the difference to connect with your community and inspire them to give. Whether you're crafting an email ask, social media post, event invitation, or updating your website's donation page, your wording impacts the outcome. Here’s a free 15-page guide to learn about five easy ways to boost your wording when asking for donations.

Scroll on down to check out our top fundraising picks for the week! Let me know if anything in particular speaks to you!

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

Picture this: You send a beautifully-crafted donation appeal to a prospective supporter who has previously shown interest in your cause. Upon reading the ask, they decide to take action and give to your organization. They navigate to your online donation form (or mail in a check, send a mobile gift, etc.) and provide the required information to submit and process their contribution. They close their browser, return to scrolling through social media, and⁠—now what?

Will they continue giving to your nonprofit and its mission? Or is this the end of the road for that individual? It shouldn’t be; because the optimal donor journey doesn’t stop there.

Your nonprofit’s marketing strategy has likely shifted over the years as communication channels rise and fall in popularity. While many nonprofits still rely on traditional mail and even direct response television ads, most professionals have been aware of the benefits of online marketing for several years now.

Digital marketing can dramatically improve your ability to draw attention to your online supporter engagement opportunities, such as donating online, attending virtual events, and subscribing to your email newsletter. Of course, the rise of digital marketing means there are now more nonprofits competing to get noticed online than ever before.

A successful nonprofit organization will raise funds through a variety of avenues: individual donations, specific campaigns, corporate sponsorships, etc. One avenue for funding that can’t be ignored is grants. However, applying for grant funding can be overwhelming, especially if you’ve never done it before. That’s why we’ve compiled some info that can help you during your process!

Issue 105

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! What are your goals for August? Hopefully they include lounging out in the sun and soaking up some heat while the summer still feels like it won’t ever end!

I wanted to share a free resource that we spent a lot of time crafting here at Soapbox Engage. This guide to online fundraising will walk you through the basics of virtual fundraising, the three key components of making a campaign, how to optimize your giving results, and some steps to make a strategic fundraising plan! A lot of this material is available here on this webpage, and if you find that useful, you can download a 30-page guide for free here. Take a look and tell me what you find most helpful!

Scroll on down for even more great fundraising content. It’s always a pleasure to share knowledge with this community.

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

Social media is an essential tool for nonprofit marketing. According to a study done by Pew Research Center, 72% of the American public uses some type of social media. With numbers like that, not using social media is a huge missed opportunity for an organization. Furthermore, like all of our messaging tools, social media opens another avenue to enhance our fundraising!

Issue 104

Good morning, Fundraisers! Happy to be closing out another great summer month with this community. Remember to take some time for yourself and enjoy the sunshine, particularly before things pick up in the fall.

Scroll on down or some great fundraising ideas. From SEO tips, to community partnerships, to interview best practices, this week’s newsletter has a bit of everything. Enjoy!

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

Community partnerships are an essential tool for a nonprofit’s success. You can build a community partnership by starting with the personal relationships within your organization, such as your donors, volunteers, or board members. You can also build partnerships with local media organizations, small businesses, advocacy groups, and more.

There are many practical benefits to these relationships such as increased visibility, considerable grants and sponsorships, and expanded capabilities and resources. This will be mutually beneficial for all members of the partnership. Furthermore, as mission driven organizations, community partnerships provide an opportunity to deepen relationships with those you are serving, and continuously collaborate to better complete the work.

Issue 103

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! A few weeks ago, we highlighted some regular Fundraising Weekly contributors on our social media accounts in honor of the 100th edition of this newsletter. I realize not all of you follow our socials (though you can here!), so I wanted to share some of their excellent advice here. Nonprofit fundraising expert Ann Green said:

“One of the most important aspects of fundraising is building relationships. This includes thanking your donors and keeping them updated and engaged throughout the year.”

It’s easy to remember donors during large campaigns and year-end giving season, but sharing your appreciation, projects, and progress with them year-round helps remind them of the community their gift impacts. Make sure you scroll down to check out Ann’s contribution to the Fundraising Weekly this week— a post about the importance of recurring donations and how to establish and maintain relationships with monthly donors.

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

Just like donors, volunteers and staff members are a driving force behind nonprofit organizations. Without people giving their time and energy to support your cause, you probably wouldn’t get much done. One way to engage and show appreciation for these supporters is by offering them continuing education opportunities.

More specifically, let’s focus on a new trend in training and education that’s revolutionizing the way nonprofit constituents learn: microcredentials. Whether you want to create virtual training materials specific to your organization or provide access to microcredential courses, helping your supporters build on their existing skills shows that you value them.

Schools have faced serious challenges these past few years. State-level school funding has been at a low and private schools face their own struggles to make ends meet. In order for students to thrive in school, they need important resources like textbooks, nutritious lunches, enriching afterschool programs, and more — but what happens when there aren’t sufficient funds to cover the cost of these resources?

In many cases, the price of critical resources falls on educators. In the 2020-2021 school year, teachers spent an average of $750 out of their own pockets to enrich students' learning. Teachers need more support to provide students with the resources they need to succeed, and students need ample opportunities to reach their full potential.