Soapbox Engage Blog

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!

Issue 102

Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! As I write this, I am watching an impressive (and frightening) DC lightning storm from my window. I hope wherever you are this Tuesday, you are safe and comfortable.

In this week’s newsletter, learn the elements of great nonprofit communication, prepare for a capital campaign, or brush up on some facilitation skills that will improve your fundraising. Dig in!

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

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.

Issue 101

Happy July, fundraisers! We’ve made it to the new quarter, which also means we are officially halfway through 2022! If that sentence makes you uneasy, know you are not alone. It’s no secret that the latter half of the year is largely spent prepping and running year-end fundraising campaigns that are essential to nonprofits’ and charities’ functions year-round. But take a deep breath, make sure you enjoy the summer months, and know this community has your back!

What are some topics you would like to hear about as you start to brainstorm and plot out your year-end fundraising campaigns? Feel free to hit that “Reply” button, and we’ll be sure to include your topics in the upcoming newsletter editions!

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

Issue 100

Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! Today is a particularly special Tuesday because it marks the 100th edition of the Fundraising Weekly Newsletter! I started this newsletter near the beginning of the global pandemic, as I was watching the real-time anxiety of nonprofits trying to stay afloat in such unprecedented times. I looked at the advice that fundraising professionals were eager to offer across the globe, and it just made sense to try to consolidate all the best practices and ideas into a single newsletter for the community.

Nearly two years later, and this community is still growing despite the odds. I never cease to be amazed by the ingenuity, creativity, and, most importantly, the generosity of this community. I’ve seen all the ways fundraisers and nonprofits have had to pivot, adapt for virtual spaces, strategize, and meet donors where they are. The knowledge sharing through such a tumultuous time is a special thing to witness. It's been a pleasure to highlight the great work of fantastic fundraising professionals, consultants, and leaders, and I can’t wait for the weeks and years ahead.

Thank you for the opportunity to hop into your inbox every week. If there's anything I can do to make this newsletter more useful and impactful, the Reply button is your friend. Thanks for coming on this journey, let's see what’s next!

PS, give us a follow on LinkedIn and Twitter— this week we are highlighting some of our top Fundraising Weekly contributors. Go give them some love!

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

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!

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

Peer-to-peer fundraising and crowdfunding are both effective fundraising strategies. However, because of their similarities, they are often confused with one another or thought to be the same fundraising strategy. As a result, these two powerful fundraisers are regularly misapplied.

Generally speaking, when discussing these strategies, crowdfunding refers to a process where an individual or organization collects donations directly from a large number of supporters for one specific project, while peer-to-peer fundraising refers to a process where supporters collect donations from their networks of family, friends, and colleagues on behalf of a nonprofit. But their differences also run much deeper, and this article will dive into five core ways these fundraisers are unique from one another:

Issue 98

Happy Tuesday, fundraisers!

This newsletter is all about being PREPARED. Tax season may be over but do you need to brush up on types of Form 990s? Did you know that postage rates will increase in July but there are steps you can take now to save on direct mail fundraising? Think it’s too early too early to start thinking about Giving Tuesday? Think again!

Read on for some great tips and strategies that will keep you in your best fundraising shape year round!

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

Issue 97

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! It’s no secret that I love a good newsletter! :) One of the articles we highlight this week explores 10 ways to encourage engagement with your nonprofit newsletter. You can share an impact story, interview a donor, curate some resources for the community you serve, or leverage the content you’re already sharing on your social media platforms! You know…I just might be taking some notes!

Scroll on down for more excellent fundraising and nonprofit content. Let me know what stands out!

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

There's no better way to retain current donors, enjoy sustainable revenue, and increase the lifetime value of your donors than through a monthly giving program.

As a development professional, you invest hard work, time, and careful strategy into every fundraising strategy. It's critical to accurately measure the effectiveness and progress of each strategy. The right tools will help you track progress, gauge your success, and build on the most effective strategies–including your monthly giving program.