Soapbox Engage Blog

It’s that time of year to talk about year-end fundraising! If you’re not already getting your ducks and schemes in a row for your organization’s big event, now is definitely the time to start planning a virtual fundraising event or gala, hosted through one of many streaming platforms.

We’ve put together a guide on how to plan the ultimate virtual event, and recently discussed using YouTube Live to throw a smashing virtual gala. Today we want to share 7 clever tips to take your Youtube streaming game to the next level.

In the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofits and charities face all kinds of challenges when it comes to fundraising and keeping their supporters engaged in their cause. Perhaps the biggest obstacle is the restrictions that make in-person events difficult or impossible.

Perhaps one of the best tools nonprofits are adding to their fundraising arsenal is web conferencing tools. People worldwide are using Zoom to stay in touch with friends, family members, and work colleagues. Many nonprofits are harnessing the power of these conferencing tools to keep in touch with donors and continue hosting fundraising events.

And we aren't surprised that organizations are pivoting to online fundraising! After all, fundraisers and development professionals seem to have a knack for creative problem-solving and adapting to ever-changing circumstances.

Issue 013

For those of you attending the NetHope virtual conference this week, you've likely heard the most important themes for the year: data and interoperability. These happen to be two topics near and dear to my open source loving heart. Why? Data is one of the most important resources your organization owns, and it's critical you have the ability to put that data to work for the community you serve.

During the next few months, I'll be sharing more about why nonprofit community data standards will be critical to the work of our movements for the next decade. This is especially critical as we aim higher towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The ability for our organizations to better communicate within our own systems (say, fundraising software and databases), and between organizations, will be key to ensuring we're all heading in the right direction.

So as you're swimming in data running through this fundraising season, jot down the places where data is helping you, and where it's getting in the way. Don't worry, no homework beyond that. Let's just all get through the next few weeks, how about that?

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

At the time of writing this article, we're eight months into the COVID-19 global pandemic. Social distancing and lockdowns have radically changed the way your organization engages donors and runs your mission -- you've done great rising to the challenges and adapting!

With the year (finally) drawing to a close, it's time to tackle your biggest challenge of 2020 yet - the virtual event fundraiser. You can do this, and the Soapbox Engage team is here to help you get over this hurdle, too!

If your nonprofit is fundraising these days, it's basically a requirement that you can accept and process online donations. There are so many payment processors to choose from--including Authorize.net, PayPal, Stripe, and many others! It can feel impossible to know which one is right for your nonprofit. To make matters worse, the details about each processing system can be confusing.

Don't worry, we're here to help to make sense of all of this.

We took a deep dive into the world of payment processors on your behalf. Lots of organizations are finding a lot of value in using Stripe as their payment gateway of choice, so we thought it would be a good idea to do the research and help you understand more about this credit card processing option.

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I had a chance to join a great virtual fundraising gala tonight, and it reminded me of the creativity of our community to think on our toes. With many folks working all day in a virtual meeting environment already, providing an hour of entertainment to raise money for your organization isn't easy. If your organization is looking for online gala tips, feel free to drop me a line and I'd be happy to share all the creative ideas I've heard!

Meanwhile, I've got another batch of fantastic fundraising ideas and contributions from the community to help keep you energized as you dive into the deep-end of the fundraising season. Soak in the autumn season crispness (northern hemisphere friends), cozy up in your hygge setup (definitely worth looking up), and enjoy this week's round-up of knowledge.

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

As we’re nearing the end of October, we hope you’ve made time this month for some of your favorite fall activities, even if you had to make some slight (virtual) adjustments this year.

Last Tuesday, our CEO, Ryan Ozimek, sat down with Build Consulting's Kyle Haines for a virtual fireside chat to discuss how Microsoft is expanding its offerings and presence in the nonprofit tech world. They had a lovely, informative discussion, complete with penguins, hot cocoa, and ski lodges. We’re pleased to share the webinar recording from our friends over at Build Consulting. Grab your furry hats and something hot to sip on and get up to speed!

Lately there’s been a lot of buzz around Microsoft in the nonprofit sector. If you caught our recent blog post and webinar, you know that Microsoft just announced the arrival of Fundraising and Engagement for Dynamics 365 Sales, an open source fundraising application specifically built for nonprofits. But we won’t get ahead of ourselves. With this new Dynamics 365 nonprofit app on the horizon, we thought we’d highlight some powerful ways you can already leverage Dynamics with the Microsoft tools you may already use to become more productive and effective as an organization.

Let’s dive into the second part of that name (a mouthful, we know) for an overview of Dynamics 365. Then we’ll look at some real-world examples of how Dynamics can work with other tried-and-true Microsoft products you may already use to deliver powerful solutions that lead to mission success.

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Ah yes, autumn is here. How do I know this? Today I co-hosted a fundraising cloud services webinar (have you heard of Soapbox Engage?) and had a giant screen with a bonfire behind me, and wore a faux fur hat.

I'm not kidding. Maybe that's less about autumn, and more about welcoming the cooler weather here in the northern hemisphere. Whatever it is, I can definitely tell you by the spike in conversations that I'm having that it's definitely warming quickly into the fundraising season.

No matter which home appliance you call your desk today, keep you game face on, fundraiser. Here's a round of knowledge to go with your next batch of thank you letters!

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

With the announcement of Fundraising and Engagement for Dynamics 365 Sales, Microsoft is making seismic advances in its offerings for nonprofits that bode well for the sector's ability to flex its tech muscles for social good.

Check out this 20-minute webinar recording in which we share details on Fundraising and Engagement for Dynamics 365 Sales, the Nonprofit Common Data Model, Microsoft Tech for Social Impact, and how Soapbox Engage empowers nonprofits to raise more money and do more good in the world.

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As I whisked by the blur of colors that was the autumn leaves in New England last week, it was another indicator that we're heading right into the thick of fundraising season. This holiday season will be unlike any other we've seen recently, and it's been great to read stories from our community of fundraisers becoming more inventive and creative than ever before.

I'm collecting stories from development teams that are thinking on their toes, and also looking for advice and guidance from others like them. If you're tackling some fundraising challenges, or you've seen unique success stories during the pandemic, just hit the reply button and let me know. Your fellow community members could learn from your questions and ideas!

As you're thinking about that, take a look at some of the great posts and ideas we've already collected from the community in this edition of Fundraising Weekly!

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

Hey there all you nonprofit fundraising gurus. Anybody else ready for this pandemic to be over? As we’ve all tried to adjust and get used to this new normal of working remotely, awkward video calls, and eating takeout too many days of the week to remember, there are a handful of resources that can make our lives infinitely easier. One of those resources is an exciting collaboration software called Microsoft Teams.

When COVID-19 hit, fundraising changed completely and immediately. Fundraising for nonprofit organizations seemed to slowly turn into a big question mark as jobs were lost, businesses closed, and economies shut down.

With nonprofit fundraising, collaboration is key. If you’re looking for a tool to bring your squad together and achieve your fundraising efforts, whatever they may be, both easily and efficiently amidst these strange, remote times, you’ve come to the right place. I’m sure Microsoft never could have predicted a global pandemic when they launched Microsoft Teams in 2017, but countless organizations are thanking the software engineering gurus behind it now.

If I had to guess, I would say that you probably don’t have the time or energy to research every feature on every business communication platform. That’s where we come in! We’ve become the Microsoft Teams experts and have found a number of sweet features that will make fundraising professionals cheer in this new virtual world. Here’s five key things you should know about Microsoft Teams as you dive in.

If you're in the fundraising department of a nonprofit organization leveraging products in the Microsoft ecosystem, the Microsoft Tech for Social Impact team is paving a new road ahead that might be appealing for your organization.

Microsoft recently announced the arrival of Microsoft Fundraising and Engagement, an open source fundraising application built for the non-profit community. This new solution leverages Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Microsoft Azure to bring fundraising tools into the hands of organization in the Microsoft ecosystem. Out-of-the-box, organizations can manage gifts, membership, events, grants, and custom data. Coupled with its broad extensibility features, it gives organizations access to fundraising information nearly anywhere in their use of Microsoft tools, including Outlook, Excel, Word, and Teams.

To top it off, it's free, open source, and built on the open source nonprofit common data model.

As organizations dive into the details of what's included within the new solution (it looks like more will be shared from Microsoft during the next few weeks), we've provided this introductory guide to help you better understand where the Fundraising and Engagement app fits into the broader ecosystem of solutions for our non-profit community.

Issue 009

Do not adjust your phone's clock. Do not reset your calendar. It's really Wednesday (I think), and I'm rolling out this newsletter a day late because...it's just been that kind of a week. The transition from the great outdoors to the city can do that to you.

Oh, and that debate.

Let's get us all grounded in some solid fundraising tactics and strategies to get us through the middle of the week, shall we? Welcome to another delivery of community knowledge sharing!

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

[Last updated May 2022]

As we continue updating this article, our nonprofit community still faces plenty of uncertainty. It's certainly been a tumultuous several months since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope that your own nonprofit has found stable ground to continue fundraising and engaging donors. Many organizations have already found great success with virtual fundraising ideas, and donors are still eager to show their support for the causes they love.

However, social distancing guidelines and economic disruption will continue to impact the nonprofit sector for the foreseeable future.  

If you haven't yet pivoted your plans and explored new virtual fundraising strategies, now is definitely the time. With the year-end giving season approaching, having a solid online fundraising and engagement strategy in place is more essential than ever before.

We've compiled a comprehensive list of our favorite virtual fundraising ideas, campaigns, and events to help you keep revenue flowing while we continue navigating today's challenges.

Issue 008

I've been catching up on sunset watching this weekend, which felt right considering the increase in anxiety and concern we're seeing here in the US. Peaceful, yet powerful. Full of beauty.

As the world seems to spin faster these days, it's continued to be helpful to have a moment of peace and tranquility. For many of us, there's even higher levels of urgency to dig deeper into the work we do every day. If you're one of those folks, I hope you have an opportunity for a moment of calm to recharge. Even if for a moment.

Then, fire up those engines, because the world needs your passion now more than ever. Here's another round of fundraising knowledge to help keep you prepared for the future!

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the Fundraising Weekly delivered into your inbox each Tuesday by subscribing to the Fundraising Weekly today!

Issue 007

In an effort to do my part to keep social distancing maximized, I've made my way to a strip of land flung into the Atlantic Ocean. Ah yes, changing seasons, beautiful sunsets, fast Internet, and all the Dunkin' Donuts coffee I can possibly consume. Thank you, Massachusetts!

While I try to determine some quick ways to dress appropriately for the unexpectedly quick change to fall weather making its way through the region (I packed wishfully thinking summer would never end), here's another week of hand-curated community knowledge goodness!

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the Fundraising Weekly delivered into your inbox each Tuesday by subscribing to the Fundraising Weekly today!

Issue 006

When you get a chance to drive across the country, you get a lot of thinking time. As I took to the highway this weekend, I played catch-up on podcasts while saying to myself, "ah, that's what's making those circles I see while flying!"

A favorite podcast I enjoyed was Marketing School, which is like a never-ending buffet of snack-sized bits of knowledge that had me pausing and going into creative brainstorming mode for hours. It's definitely worth taking a listen if you're the one tackling online marketing in your organization.

Meanwhile, it was great to end the trip, and see all the great actionable content our own fundraising community has been cranking out. Without further ado, here's another week of hand-curated community knowledge goodness!

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the Fundraising Weekly delivered into your inbox each Tuesday morning by subscribing to the Fundraising Weekly today!

Issue 005

Things don't seem to change faster than afternoon weather in high desert of New Mexico. One moment, the bluest skies you've ever seen. The next moment...well, something like this.

I've been lucky to escape the humidity Washington DC for the past month, and set up a temporary home in the American southwest. It's pretty incredible to see life flourish in a place where drastic change can seem to arrive at any moment.

That feels pretty similar to our fundraising world these days, doesn't it? As this newsletter continues to grow (welcome new Salesforce community friends!), my hope is that we can keep finding those nuggets of knowledge you need to stay strong through approaching monsoons. We're going to get through this fundraising season together, as a community. I've got your back.

So, without further ado, let's dive into this week's fundraising community contributions and gear up!

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the Fundraising Weekly delivered into your inbox each Tuesday morning by subscribing to the Fundraising Weekly today!

Issue 004

These days, life can feel especially overwhelming. Now, pile on the beginning of the end-of-year fundraising preparation season, and it's no wonder why many of in the fundraising world are trying to take a little extra time this summer to recharge our batteries.

For me, I've been lucky enough to get some headspace in the desert of the southwest. It's pretty incredible what getting outside of the city does for my soul. More time to think, read, and learn, which is why this week's newsletter is filled to the brim with some great information from our fundraising community.

So, grab a cozy chair, and take a tour with me of the latest fundraising community knowledge!

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the Fundraising Weekly delivered into your inbox each Tuesday morning by subscribing to the Fundraising Weekly today!