Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 1

Hello Soapbox Engage partners!

Whew, what a year. Or has it just been a few weeks? I can't even keep up anymore. We hope whatever 2021 has been throwing your way, you're making the most of a fast-moving start.

We're working hard to offer the nonprofit community the most engaging, affordable, and compelling fundraising and engagement solutions on the planet. That's right, fundraising for the entire globe! Of course, you might not know much about it, because we've been a bit behind on keeping you in the loop.

Whether it's you or a loved one suffering from the illness, cancer is horrible to endure. Unfortunately for many cancer fighters, the overwhelmingly expensive treatment and medical care costs often deliver a second wallop.

This is where hosting a fundraiser can help. Cancer fundraisers not only help meet financial needs and cover medical costs but in the age of social media, they're an excellent way to build a community of support around you or your loved one battling this terrible disease.

In addition, fundraising offers a welcome distraction from the feelings of powerlessness and uncertainty that can sometimes come with the diagnosis. Having a clear list of tasks and goals can be a refreshing focus and an opportunity to be proactive.

With all these considerations in mind, we wanted to offer a great introduction to virtual fundraising for cancer warriors and share some fundraising ideas!

Written by Gaurav Goyal (Guest Author)

Fundraising Campaigns serve life and blood to non-profits organizations. Without sufficient fuel, NPOs can't serve the cause; thus, there is a need for effective and innovative strategies to generate funds.

Traditional fundraising methods like bake sales are still working, but with the introduction of digital platforms, old methods have shifted to reach an audience.

Social media platforms are playing a huge role in the success of fundraising campaigns and generate more donations beyond expectations.

Displaying Social Walls proves to leverage fundraising campaigns, connecting with the audience more effectively and influencing them to become part of the cause by raising donations.

Issue 26

Most folks don't know about the little blue line. It appears once every four years, stringing together the US Capitol and the White House, and provides the path of the new President to their new residence.

It also happens to go right by my office building.

This year, that meant me, a US secret service officer from Texas, and a building security guard watched from inside glass doors as the President slowly drove past the office, right before making a left to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The officer put it best, "I've been doing this for 24 years, and I've never seen anything like this."

As we're all launching into 2021 with a sense of disequilibrium, it helps to know that there's a path pointing you home. Here's another fantastic batch helpful guidance from fellow non-profiteers. Consider this your own little blue line, taking you right to the knowledge you need to keep bringing success home to your organization.

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

It's never too early to get kids involved in making a difference in the world. Whether you're raising money for your favorite charity or you're fundraising to cover medical, school, adoption, or other expensive costs, it can feel like a daunting task.

Fundraising can be a great teaching tool for kids of all ages! It's also an excellent way for families to work together to accomplish a goal. Fundraising for worthy causes can help children learn valuable life skills and learn positive character qualities like empathy, generosity, compassion, and selflessness.

No matter the fundraising cause or goal, most families have busy schedules. They don't have the bandwidth to dedicate hours and hours to keep up with all the little details fundraising demands.

We rounded up some creative fundraisers for kids and families that we think everyone will actually be excited to participate in.

There's a lot of things that need fixing in the world right now. Whether it's lack of access to resources or lack of love for our neighbors, we can all agree the world needs more selfless service.

For generations, the mission trip has been a way that communities gather together to serve another community out of love, humility, and generosity. Though only a few people may go directly to help, many generous donations sustain the mission and aid the workers in serving the community.

That desire to help and serve others is quite a moving thing. Still, we can understand how the idea of raising the funds you need to help and serve others can look like another daunting mountain to climb.

We've come up with 7 fundraising ideas for you to fund your next service project or mission trip.

The world of nonprofits is a constantly-changing world of people. It's critical to continuously grow, evolve, learn, and improve yourself and your skills. Whether you're a development professional or hold another nonprofit job, you're responsible for building people up, empowering them to transform the world, and helping them see that change happen.

It's an inspiring—and sometimes overwhelming—task! Sometimes you need some inspiration yourself. Or perhaps you're looking for a new perspective or strategy to address an old problem.

We've assembled ten TED Talks to help you refine your donor relationships, increase motivation, and refine your leadership tactics to yield a greater influence on the world.

Issue 25

Living near downtown Washington DC has meant that life has seemed a bit different during the past week. There's the military presence, anti-climb fencing, and the types of things you see on TV in far away war zones.

So when I took a moment to leave the city for a hike and a view, I had a chance to take a deep breath of the cool air and think, "maybe those skies are beginning to part, and maybe we have better days ahead of us."

We're early in our journey together here in this newsletter, but I'm darn proud to work alongside fellow fundraising professionals looking to make the world a better, more just place. For those of you in the US, here's to a peaceful Inauguration Day tomorrow. After pausing for a moment tomorrow, let's get right back to work serving the communities we care so much about.

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

Every new year is accompanied with new technology. As we head into 2021, we are excited to highlight the Nonprofit Common Data Model’s virtual event happening next week - an event so nice, it's being held twice!

How amazing would it be if your donors saw a color or an image and immediately thought of your organization or mission? That is successful branding at work.

When we think of Nike we picture award winning athletics, professionalism in sport, determination to succeed, a trusted company with trusted products- and of course, we picture the Swoosh™. This is a brand. It is consistency in marketing a company identity.

Branding isn’t something only large corporations and big name nonprofits can have. In fact, we’re here to let you know that not only is developing a trusted brand possible for your nonprofit, it’s necessary!

But, don’t worry! You don’t need to have all the resources of Nike to make this happen. We’ve got some tips to help you develop a branding strategy for your nonprofit.

Issue 24

Let's just cut to the chase. I was hoping to be able to come back this week and say, "I hope you've all had a relaxing week, recharging your batteries, and taking the past few days to relish the calm of the post-fundraising season."

Alas.

It's a challenging time. And if I'm going to hurtle through these days, I'm darn proud to be doing so alongside the folks in our nonprofit sector focused on making the world a more just and peaceful place. Here's to doing the hard work, sharing knowledge, and stepping up to the challenges in front of us.

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

Technology may change, but mail will likely be with us forever. After all, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. In fact, direct mail appeal letters can develop your donor relationship in ways that social media falls short.

Printed appeal letters are tangible, empathetic, and powerful touchpoints with your supporters that inspire them to partner and give to your cause. Or at least that's what your appeal letters SHOULD be doing for you.

In this article, we're going to break down a few elements of what makes a great appeal letter, what moves donors to donate, and some tips on how to improve your letters. But if you're feeling writer's block, don't worry; we've got a few samples of fundraising letters to inspire you.

Charity auctions are a great way (dare we say, one of the best ways) to fundraise and expand your donor base. Hear us out: you get valuable donor information, donors feel engaged and excited with the thrill of the bid, and at the end of the night, all go home satisfied they gave to your cause.

The cherry on top is that silent auctions easily translate to online silent auctions. That means you can still engage with your donors and spice up your nonprofit’s fundraising opportunities despite the virtual constraints of a global pandemic.

In this article, we’ll share some ideas, tricks, and best practices mostly for online silent auctions. But if you’re in an area that has reopened, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered with in-person auction ideas, too.

Email remains one of the best-proven methods for reaching a broad audience and cultivating long-term relationships with partners and donors. Conveniently, email also has one of the highest returns on investment of all the online marketing options!

In our last blog, we discussed how to go about choosing an email service provider that best fits your nonprofit. Now that you’ve got everything set up, it’s time to fill that email list with some fantastic current and potential donors!

Issue 23

My friends, we made it! I really expected to look at my watch on New Year's Day and see it read "December 32". Luckily, it said 2021, and I was able to breathe that same relief I heard across DC.

As we transition into fundraising rest mode (even just for a moment), it's great to take a moment to reflect on the success of 2020. While our Soapbox Engage community reported pretty hard hits on event registrations, we saw our organizations solidly grow their online fundraising during one of the toughest fundraising years in a long time.

Nice work, fundraisers!

Wherever you find yourself today, I hope you get a moment to reflect and enjoy a bit of peace. You deserve it!

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

Ahh yes… the annual budget. It's an exhausting exercise of crunching numbers until the coffee runs dry and you arrive at an agreement of how much money you'll need to raise and spend this year so your nonprofit can accomplish its goals.

Healthy, effective nonprofits live by annual budgets so they can get the most out of limited resources. But the budget-creation process doesn't NEED to be long and dreadful! We've gathered some tips, tricks, and best practices from industry experts to help ease the pain and equip you to create an effective budget for your nonprofit.

Email is a popular marketing and communication form for businesses and charitable organizations alike—and for a good reason! With email updates, you can do everything from sharing about accomplishments, needs, and events to attracting and engaging new audiences for very little money.

But how is an organization to choose the right email marketing tool or software to maximize its marketing potential! There are so many options to choose from and factors to consider. Have no fear! We put together a quick guide to help you find the best email marketing tool for your nonprofit.

Issue 22

It's the end of the year as we know it, and I feel...like it can't end fast enough. Fundraising during a pandemic has been difficult, and development leaders around the world are breathing both a sign of relief and hope for a fruitful new year.

As you gear up for 2021, I send all my best wishes for just a bit of rest before you get started. I hope you've enjoyed this first year of the Fundraising Weekly. I'm looking forward to finding more nuggets of knowledge for the community!

Here's to 2021!

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

In 2023, Facebook remains one of the easiest, most affordable, and effective ways for nonprofits to expand their audience. A few years ago, Facebook added a feature that allows charities and nonprofits to add “Donate Now” buttons to their organization page.

With all the buzz and traffic on Facebook (and the continued success of social media fundraising campaigns), many nonprofits see this as great news for fundraising! But is it really? What are the pros and cons? And how do you add this button to your organization’s Facebook page? We dug up all the dirt on the Facebook Donate Now button to help you decide if it’s right for your fundraising goals.

Issue 21

As we get ready to bid adieu to 2020, we can all be thankful that wherever the road leads us next, it won't be back to 2020. Right? Wherever this week's email finds you, I'm sending you and yours best wishes and happy holidays before you head off to your well-deserved, end-of-year, out-of-office-until-2021 holiday breaks.

Between slow sips of egg nog mixed with your secret ingredient, enjoy a healthy dose of this week's fundraising community knowledge.

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