Soapbox Engage Blog

When a user lands on your school website, what type of experience are they met with? Are they met with rich resources and an engaging design that makes exploring your website fun and engaging? Or, are they met with a generic site that is difficult to navigate and feels frustrating?

Your website needs to deliver the best user experience possible while helping site visitors learn more about your school. An effective school website can help your institution expand its reach, attract more support for its fundraising efforts, and provide important information and resources for current students, parents, and staff.

Issue 56

Happy Tuesday to all the fundraising experts, newbies, and learners of all levels! As we start to wrap up the summer, I hope you have some final fun plans on your calendars. Personally, I’m looking forward to a long weekend spent in France! But for now, back to business!

This week’s newsletter is complete with advice on how to source year-end stories (yes, you should already be thinking about those), ideas for how your board can fundraise, how to avoid burnout in the digital age, and more. Check it out!

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

Schools are starting again. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is rumored to return to Starbucks menu any day now. So, although you might not be thinking so, it’s time to start talking about Giving Tuesday. This global giving day will be here before we know it. Though there's a moderate push to make it more of a weekly endeavor, the global Giving Tuesday event traditionally takes place the day after "Cyber Monday" (November 28, 2023).

Year after year, shared moments like holidays or giving days (like Giving Tuesday) create a sense of connection for donors to understand they're part of something bigger than themselves.

Issue 55

Happy Fundraising Weekly Tuesday! We recently picked up quite a few new subscribers, so I wanted to say, “Welcome to this community!” We are thrilled to continue growing and sharing the wealth of information around fundraising, philanthropy, and nonprofit success.

In the spirit of sharing knowledge, I’d like to highlight this awesome, free guide to online fundraising. (It may look familiar to some of you long-time Fundraising Weekly subscribers.) Check it out to learn all about the three key elements of effective fundraising— storytelling, relationships, and optimization. Enjoy!

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

Monthly or recurring donations are one of the easiest ways for nonprofits to boost their fundraising revenue without bringing in a lot of new donors. At a time when acquiring new donors has become more challenging, that is very valuable. This giving strategy also appeals to many donors who might not be able to make large, one-time gifts but can give smaller amounts more frequently.

With the rise in popularity of online giving, monthly giving programs are easier than ever to maintain. Before, nonprofits spent countless hours asking donors to commit to recurring giving, then track each gift and ensure donors actually followed through. Now, online giving platforms and fundraising systems can automate most of the process, freeing up time and energy and boosting revenue streams.

Donor management software is a powerful tool that helps nonprofits of every size and shape put their donor data to work on your behalf. Fundraising software helps you manage fundraising efforts and communications in one organized location. Ultimately, the right donor management software can help you learn about your donors so you can deliver better donor care, increase donations, save time, and even reduce overall fundraising costs!

The great news is that with all the options on the market, you're almost sure to find donor management software that will fit your unique needs and wants. The bad news is that it can take quite a bit of legwork to find the right software for you, and the process can feel a bit daunting. We've gathered some tips and insights to help guide your search.

Issue 54

Happy Tuesday everyone! I hope this week has been treating you kindly. It’s another travel week for me— I’ll be flying out of Lake Tahoe on Thursday! I’ve relished my time here with family and some top notch views, but I’m ready to get back to my home base, Washington, DC. I’ve got some fun celebratory actives planned for this weekend, and I hope good things await you all as well.

In this week’s newsletter, dig into some great information on nonprofit event management Learn some corporate partner strategies that hold up during a pandemic. Or determine if you are a “farmer” or a “magician” when it comes to fundraising. Enjoy!

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

It’s no secret that nonprofit fundraising has a lot of moving parts. Typically your organization will start by setting goals for a specific campaign or fundraising event and then spend months planning out your strategy. Once you have a solid plan in place, you’re finally ready to spread the word about your campaign.

That’s where marketing comes in. After all, half the battle for successful fundraising is promoting the campaign to your support base and letting them know about new opportunities to give.

Events are a critical way for nonprofits to connect with current and potential donors, share about the mission, and raise money. But planning and managing an event--whether in-person or online--can be quite a task, especially if it's an event you've never hosted before.

Whether you're planning a small gathering for your top donors or a massive event with hundreds of attendees, fundraising events require careful planning, promotion, budgeting, and many other things.

Event management tools and strategies can help you raise the most money possible at your upcoming nonprofit events and reduce the event planning stress for your entire team. We've gathered the top lessons, tips, and tools from fundraising experts to help you streamline your event management strategy!

Originally published 2021. Updated April 2026.

If you've worked in the nonprofit sector for any length of time, you've probably found yourself needing a bit of inspiration from time to time. Perhaps you need an occasional reminder of why you give so sacrificially to make the world a better place. Or maybe you're writing an appeal letter, and you need a quote to tie things together. We've all been there!

From successful entrepreneurs and CEOs to athletes and teachers, quotes and phrases motivate and empower us toward success. Inspirational quotes appeal to our thoughts and emotions and can shift our thought patterns toward a more hopeful, positive outlook. They can also communicate valuable truths in a "portable" way that people can easily remember.

Issue 53

And this week’s Fundraising Weekly is coming to you live from…Lake Tahoe! That’s right, I have found my way back to the west coast to spend some time with family. I will be here for another week and a half, so if you are familiar with the area and want to send me some great hiking or restaurant recommendations, I am always excited for new experiences! Feel free to give me a reply.

As always, this newsletter has been carefully curated to ensure you have the latest and greatest on all things fundraising. There’s something for everyone, with topics like CRM systems for nonprofits, foundation grants, digital marketing, and the future of virtual events. Enjoy!

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

Issue 7

Hey Soapbox Engage partners!

Happy August! I’ll be heading to the land of 10,000 lakes this week and I couldn’t be more excited for pontoon rides, paddle boarding, sunshine, and smores. I hope wherever you are, you’ve had time to enjoy the season you're in and spend time with the people you love.

Before I head out, I wanted to give you an update on what’s been happening in Soapbox Engage land! We had so many power-packed releases roll off the assembly line last month. We’re always working hard to improve our tools and give nonprofits the absolute best. Keep on reading to learn more!

Attracting and retaining donors, volunteers, and other supporters takes consistent outreach and donor stewardship. But moving donors toward new giving levels--that takes some serious strategy! And yet, retaining donors and helping them increase their giving is one of the most profitable places to spend your time and energy.

This is where Moves Management comes in! This is a master organizing tool that helps you organize and manage the nebulous process of moving a prospective donor through the entire life donation cycle. The overall goal of Moves Management is to increase your donor's awareness, interest, and commitment to your cause, so they ultimately make a gift or increase their giving.

Despite all the changes and the rapid rise of social media over the years, nonprofit newsletters remain one of the best ways to stay in touch with your donors. While the purpose of nonprofit newsletters hasn’t really changed over the years, delivery methods and best practices have evolved. Most nonprofits now rely primarily on e-newsletters to interact with their donors regularly.

Email still dominates as a reliable form of communication across all age categories, and it’s actually a tremendous complementary strategy to your social media presence. In short, even if you still send a print newsletter, it’s essential to have a solid nonprofit email newsletter.

Many successful nonprofit organizations have recognizable branding. For example, if someone was to mention the World Wildlife Fund, you would probably imagine their memorable panda logo. The same thing goes for Habitat for Humanity or Save the Children. The branding behind these nonprofits has become so recognizable that just by saying the name, you instantly think of their iconic logos.

However, branding encompasses a lot more than just logos. Effective nonprofit branding is the way that you tell the world about your story and your mission, primarily through visuals and writing. It is one of the most effective ways for strangers to your cause to learn ways to grab the attention of strangers to your brand and make the case for why your work matters.

Issue 52

It's incredible, but it’s true: today is the one year anniversary of the Fundraising Weekly! When I started this newsletter, I heard from fundraisers around the globe, all trying hard to stay afloat during an unprecedented global pandemic. It made sense to consolidate all the best practices I learned, all the great ideas to pivot fundraising events, and share them with the community.

A year later, and with an incredible and growing community of fundraising beginners and experts, I'm continually impressed with our community's ingenuity and creativity. It's been a pleasure to highlight the great work of fantastic fundraising professionals, consultants, and leaders, and I'm rolling up my sleeves for another great year knowledge sharing ahead of us.

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, just hit the Reply button and holler. Congratulations on joining me for this journey, let's keep up the good work!

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

When you consider all the donors, staff members, volunteers, potential donors, event attendees, and other people to maintain relationships with, it can get downright overwhelming. Early on, it was probably manageable to use an Excel spreadsheet or even an old-fashioned Rolodex to manage your donor data and contact lists. But now, you need something that does more than just keep your data organized.

Whether you're a small organization with just a few dozen contacts or you've got thousands of donors, it's essential to be able to keep updated contact information, monitor your interactions, track donations, and grow your relationship with individuals and groups. That's where a CRM system comes in!

Planning fundraising events of any size can be overwhelming at best. Without the right tools and resources, it can get downright exhausting and frustrating. But there’s good news! Event management software can help organize and handle many aspects of event planning with a host of digital tools.

In short, even management software helps you plan better events with less stress, anxiety, and hassle. But, like many things in the world, not all event management software is created equal. Some have unique features that lend it to specific aspects or types of event planning. Some are easier to use than others. And let’s not get started on the vast range of price points!

We're proud to partner with the best and brightest consulting firms proven to help organizations reach success, and the New York based Plative is one of those great companies. As a Soapbox Engage partner for more than four years, Plative provides advisory and strategic services, implementation, managed services, custom integration, and app development for Salesforce, Oracle NetSuite, Heroku, and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Combining their technical skills with their nonprofit focus, their team is on a mission to drive positive global impact by improving the performance of their nonprofit clients. Let's learn more about their services, unique approach, and client success.

Issue 51

Here in the DC office, there have been hints of holiday music playing throughout the day. Though I initially struggled not to role my eyes (Christmas in July? Is this really necessary?), it did get me thinking about how this is usually around the time nonprofits start planning their big year-end fundraising campaigns. Maybe one or two songs isn’t such a bad idea to get into the season mindset. Thoughts to ponder!

This week, learn how to boost your volunteer retention, check out this fundraising summer reading list, or learn about the role of emojis in donor marketing! It’s great to see how the fundraising pros are keeping content fresh and relevant. Enjoy!

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