Soapbox Engage Blog

College groups and clubs usually need extra money for various reasons, from funding a service project or buying supplies for an event to attending conferences or events. There are loads of great reasons for college clubs and organizations to fundraise.

But let's be honest, you've probably experienced that awkward walk past yet another fundraising table on campus. Even if it's a worthy cause, it can be tough to justify buying yet another baked good or participating in one more "change for change" campaign.

Have no fear; we've rounded up some great fundraising ideas for college students, clubs, and organizations that don't involve those awkward fundraising tables or uncomfortable conversations!

Issue 72

Happy Tuesday! This weekend, as I was walking around the DC holiday market in Penn Quarter, churro in one hand, gifts for my family in the other, I was reflecting on some of my favorite seasonal traditions. Whether you like to take holiday light tours, make old family recipes, or simply enjoy time away from your computer, I hope you are looking forward to something in these final few weeks. They are sure to fly by!

For this week’s newsletter, we take a look at practical strategies for retaining donors after Giving Tuesday, explore why you should consider a communications calendar, and forecast fundraising trends to follow in 2022. Enjoy!

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

Your nonprofit’s website is your digital hub for connecting with supporters, gathering donations, and sharing your organization’s mission with the world. As such, your site’s design should effectively engage supporters and help differentiate your nonprofit from similar organizations.

So, how can you optimize your website with the most robust features and best possible user experience? It all starts with your nonprofit website builder.

You may have initially built your nonprofit’s website using a free, simple, user-friendly website builder. However, as your organization has grown over the years, you may find yourself searching for a new platform that can handle your evolving needs.

Nonprofit advocacy and grassroots fundraising campaigns offer your supporters different ways to get involved in your mission, attract new donors, and expand your network. Nonprofits are utilizing this strategy more than ever to go beyond the standard fundraising campaigns and encourage their supporters to take different actions throughout the year.

If your organization is considering incorporating these strategies into your fundraising campaigns, we've got some best practices and insights to help you plan an influential and effective grassroots and advocacy campaign!

Issue 71

With Giving Tuesday behind us, you’ve hopefully had the chance to come up for air! But the craze of year-end fundraising endures, and it’s a lot of pressure. Take frequent computer breaks, and remember you are truly the superheroes of the nonprofit world. I have full faith that you’ll knock this last month out of the park!

Here are my top fundraising picks for the week! Brush up on best practices for fundraising during a pandemic, prepare some storytelling interview questions, or make time to welcome your new donors. Happy reading!

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

With the flurry and rush of Giving Tuesday behind us, it's so tempting to think the work of that campaign is over. But really, the most critical stage has just begun! While many people are motivated to give to campaigns and causes because of Giving Tuesday's momentum and social pressure, we all know that relationships and authentic connection to the cause are the roots of excellent donor retention.

Don't make the mistake of overlooking your Giving Tuesday donors. It really is possible to cultivate authentic relationships after they make their initial Giving Tuesday donation. Here are six practical steps you can take to boost the retention of Giving Tuesday donors.

It’s go time! The fast pace of the last quarter has kicked off, and you are running toward the goal line with all you have...feeling that all you have is rapidly diminishing. It may feel like there is little to no time for self-care, but recognizing why self-care is not only important but even imperative to your performance, especially in this busy year-end fundraising season.

Let’s have a quick "real talk" about why self-care is a key part of your performance and wellbeing as a development professional. Self-care doesn't just allow you to be at peak performance longer, it can actually increase your performance, sense of balance, and overall health and wellness.

Issue 70

Today’s the day! Giving Tuesday is here and all of your hard work, tedious plans, and strategies are about to pay off. Though today may be the single most important calendar day for fundraisers, we know that it is only the beginning of the mad dash to the end of the year. Remember to slow down, connect with loved ones, and enjoy some delicious food when you can!

If you have a spare moment in your busy day, I hope you’ll check out some of these awesome blog articles and resources— the learning never stops! Wishing you all much fundraising success!

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

Nonprofit merchandise can help boost donations, build your brand, and educate people about valuable causes. Everyone from the American Cancer Society to the Heal the Bay organization uses e-commerce stores to advance their causes—and you can, too!

Keep reading to get some expert advice about adding an online store to your fundraising and brand awareness strategies for the greatest success.

Issue 69

It may be a short work week for some of us, but it certainly isn’t any less busy! In fact, as a fundraiser, this week may bring one of the heaviest workloads you experience all year. With Giving Tuesday just ONE week from today, make sure you double check all your fundraising to do lists. Then, most importantly, check in with yourself and your rest. You’re a rockstar, and I’m rooting for you!

I’m excited to share more great content this week. Read on for advice on retaining donors after virtual events, important reminders for expressing donor gratitude during the holidays, and a webinar about making better fundraising asks. Cheers!

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

With just a few weeks remaining in 2021, your fundraising team is determined to make the most of it and finish out the year strong. But your tasks aren’t over once the ball drops and brings in the new year. It just means you’re on to a new fundraising season in which you’ll aim to excel.

As such, now is the perfect time to take a good look at your organization’s fundraising practices and see what you can do to raise more through the end of 2021, throughout 2022, and long into the future.

It takes a lot of time, money, and energy to recruit new donors to your nonprofit. Of course, bringing in new supporters throughout the year is vital to the long-term financial stability of your organization. Many nonprofits began incorporating virtual fundraising events during the COVID-19 pandemic to continue fundraising and connect with new donors during the "age of social distancing."

Your nonprofit probably emphasized connecting to as many donors as possible during those virtual fundraisers. But something that many nonprofits overlooked in their virtual fundraising strategy is donor retention.

Asking for donations is the "bread and butter" of the development professional's job. You are fundraisers, after all. But that doesn't mean you're immune to intimidation, self-doubt, and even a bit of uncertainty or confusion. It IS intimidating to ask people to give their hard-earned money to your nonprofit.

Whether you're a professional fundraiser or a member of your local PTO, we've gathered some tips, tricks, and basic best practices to help you either review the basics or get started fundraising toward your goals.

Advocacy campaigns are about garnering public support for a specific policy, cause, or position on an issue. Advocacy can take many forms, from lobbying directly (usually in political advocacy campaigns) to raising awareness or money.

Moving your followers and supporters from the stage of understanding the issue all the way to taking action can be quite a long, tedious journey. Even simple advocacy campaigns can take months to plan and execute. That's why nonprofit leaders need to identify the best ways to use advocacy campaigns and even leverage current events to fuel their advocacy and fundraising efforts.

Originally known as "autoblogs," podcasting dates all the way back to the 1980s, but they really began to gain traction in 2004 with the introduction of portable digital audio devices like the iPod. About 57% of the US population listens to audio podcasts regularly today.

Why are podcasts so popular and compelling? Humans love stories, and we tend to remember information easier when it's communicated as part of a narrative. Podcasts tend to include more storytelling and narrative communication, allowing people to engage with content uniquely and effectively.

Issue 67

The clock is ticking and Giving Tuesday is now just three weeks away. There’s still time to make the most of this de facto start to the nonprofit end-of-year giving season. Here are 6 tips to help you design an effective Giving Tuesday landing page. Whether you choose a simple landing page or a full website, there are some practical things you can do to drive more visitors to your page and increase donations.

In other fundraising news, we have a lot for you in this week’s newsletter. Scroll down for some grassroots marketing basics, nonprofit storytelling tips, and a complete year-end fundraising calendar. Happy reading!

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

Grassroots marketing campaigns can be an effective way for nonprofits to raise awareness about their cause, expand their support base, and even raise money. They're also a valuable way to mobilize your current supporters to share their passion for your mission with others.

With all kinds of different marketing and networking strategies out there, it can be tough to keep up with best practices and strategies to use each of them effectively. Have no fear! We created this intro guide to help you get the basics of grassroots marketing for your nonprofit.

If you're a nonprofit organization currently using or interested in using the Microsoft technology stack, the Microsoft Tech for Social Impact (TSI) team has given you new reasons to consider the Microsoft ecosystem.

With the November 2, 2021, general availability announcement of Microsoft Cloud for Nonprofit, organizations now have a solution provided by Microsoft that covers a wide range of services needed by most organizations, including constituent management, fundraising, volunteer management, program impact management, and more. Rather than one piece of software you'll download or purchase, think of this as more of a broad solution that can be pieced together under one supported umbrella of offerings by Microsoft.

The solution was released with paid services provided by Microsoft directly to help organizations get started with the solution and supported for the long-term, while also providing Microsoft nonprofit tech consulting firms more tools to custom build solutions.

Issue 66

Happy Tuesday, fundraisers!

Can you believe it’s already November? With Giving Tuesday just four weeks away, there is no denying we are now deep into the busiest time of the year for nonprofits— and particularly for fundraisers and development professionals. Hang in there, find some ways to celebrate the season, and let’s make these last two months count!

Curating this week’s newsletter was a lot of fun. Scroll down for some awesome content about major gifts, donation pages, digital donor retention, and more!

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

Salesforce is arguably one of the most advanced CRM systems for businesses and nonprofits alike. It's consistently one of the top CRM systems for nonprofits and fundraising.

The software can help nonprofits track all of their donor's information and engagement in one convenient, organized location. It features lead management, donor data, marketing automation, and so much more!

As a development professional, you may already use a CRM system. Still, even if you're new to Salesforce, there are some great apps that can help you grow your audience, increase your fundraising revenue, and make your systems more efficient.

We know time is limited for busy fundraisers, and there are loads of great Salesforce apps. That's why we compiled a list of our top picks for nonprofits!