Soapbox Engage Blog

To effectively nurture sustaining donors, you want more than smart strategy. You need to get the most from a quality constituent relationship management system (CRM) to aid in the effort. In the first of a series of posts, we offer specific step-by-step recipes for extending the Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) to be a sustaining donor cultivation powerhouse. Today, we dive into how you can use the NPSP and its User Defined Rollups to present recurring donation information directly on the Contact record.

For a full overview of all steps in this series as well as a presentation of the strategy behind them, check out our recorded webinar Convert One-Time Donors to Sustaining Supporters: Strategy, Tactics, and the Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack.

March is shaping up to be an exciting month in our non-profit Salesforce community. A huge addition of new reports added to the NPSP, the NPSP Community Sprint in Baltimore, the Nonprofit Technology Conference in DC...and who knows what we might hear on the Twitters!

To keep you pointed in the right direction, grab your explorer hat, pick up this compass, and follow me through the Salesforce world in this week's PUB Crawl!

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

We have a mantra that guides the development of our online engagement apps when integrating with Salesforce: stay true to the core. We do everything we can to leverage the functionality and data model inherent in Salesforce and the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP), only creating something new when necessary. This mantra means that Soapbox's integrations are designed to work with Recurring Donations, Opportunities/Donations, Payments, Campaigns, each NPSP Account model and a host of other elements that comprise Salesforce and the Nonprofit Success Pack. It also means that data winds up where the NPSP expects it to wind up.

There are a lot of reasons why we do this. And, with the release of NPSP Version 3.90, there are 71 more!

An amazing team of nonprofit experts in the Salesforce.org community just dropped 67 new Reports and 4 new Dashboards into the NPSP. They cover a dizzying array of common nonprofit scenarios across an insane number of aspects of the NPSP. And, since Soapbox places data where it's expected, they immediately empower our users to get even more out of Salesforce with their reporting and data analytics might.

Charitable donations are at record highs in the United States these days. The trend started in 2015, strengthened in 2016, and hit fever pitch with the election and inauguration. Sustainability of this historically high giving is in doubt, however, and savvy nonprofits are strategizing how they can both capture the moment and do so in a way that sustains them through uncertain times ahead.

Chief among these strategies should be a laser focus on amping up monthly donations that can keep on keeping on even if times get tough. But how?

With the temperature hitting 70F this week in DC, I'm starting to question the wisdom of ol' Punxsutawney Phil, who I spoke so glowingly about a few weeks ago. Come on Phil! Nonetheless, I will find a way to persevere and prepare for the early overtaking of DC by cheery blossom tourists. Also, if I must, I have a feeling this means nice lunchtime walks through Dupont Circle...burrito in tow.

My advice to you: if you're finding the weather to be unusually warm this season, make whatever you're drinking this morning on the rocks (a simple airport iced coffee for me today), and dive deep into this week’s Salesforce knowledge!

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

2017 is quickly flying by! Are you finding your nonprofit in need of a solid year-round fundraising strategy to ensure that your organization meets its mission? Never fear! It's not too late to plan for making this year your best fundraising year yet!

In this webinar given on January 12, 2017, veteran fundraiser and Professional Services Manager, Marisa Taylor, shares tips, tricks, and ideas for building your nonprofit fundraising calendar to transform planning into reality so you can engage and mobilize donors.

As many of us celebrate Valentine's Day, I can't think of a better way to show that special someone just how much you care about them...than by sharing the warmth of Salesforce knowledge. So push that bouquet of flowers aside, put down that box of chocolates, and enjoy some community goodness.

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

With the political sea change brought about by the new Trump administration, we're working with nonprofits to best understand what these new realities mean for their missions, their constituents, and their fundraising efforts. The following is a collection of what we're reading, what we're writing and speaking, and what tools are at nonprofits' disposal to ensure they're best prepared for the challenge.

We'll be updating this list periodically as we find relevant content. Have something you'd like to suggest? Email me at tim[at]picnet[dot]net.

The U.S. is experiencing a political sea change with the coming of the Trump administration. Folks are animated. They’re marching. They’re signing. They’re protesting. And they’re donating. They are looking for ways in which to channel strong feelings about the way the world is changing, seemingly by the minute. And, in part, they are turning to trusted nonprofits as a part of that answer. What does it all mean for your nonprofit and its mission?

In this webinar given on February 9, 2017, we dive into statistics, strategy and tactics you can use to calibrate your compass and make your nonprofit more seaworthy in these turbulent times.

Tears of joy have been shed, thank you's have been exhausted, and the confetti has fallen. And that's just the reactions from the Super Bowl party I hosted last night! No matter whose side you were on last night (including the "I just watched the commercials" side), I can't think of a better way to relax today than with a healthy round of knowledge at the PUB Crawl.

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

As you may have noticed, S.S. 'Merica took a hairpin right turn with an election and inauguration that sent a bow wave of "what the...?!?" across our collective political and communal consciousness. What does this sea change with a citizenry currently riding it out in their constitutionally-provided floaties mean for your nonprofit and its mission? Here are six points with which to calibrate your compass and make your nonprofit more seaworthy in these turbulent times.

In this political season, there has been a significant spike in donations to nonprofit organizations. People are motivated, and are taking concrete action to support causes about which they feel passionate.

Here are four quick ways you can ensure that when those folks make their way to your online donation page, you’re best equipped to channel that motivation into fuel to fund your mission.

While the January days are dwindling, and that holiday fruitcake in the office kitchen is still incredibly holding strong, it brings a smile to my face to know that we're moving closer to the truly important, lovable holiday near and dear to my heart. Groundhog Day.

I'm counting on Phil not seeing his shadow, because I could use some warm weather here in DC.

As you begin your final days of January, take a moment to grab a large cup of coffee (maybe the holiday blend, if you’re feeling nostalgic) and check out this week’s PUB Crawl. Then, get to Punxsutawney as quickly as possible to help create a massive sunblock over Phil's head.

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

We're pleased to announce that recurring donations made to an organization through Soapbox Donations now automatically post subsequent monthly payments from the payment processor to Soapbox. What's more, these monthly payments are then posted to Salesforce for organizations who have enabled Salesforce integration. Updates to Salesforce support both the standard Enterprise Edition as well as the Nonprofit Success Pack used by thousands of organizations worldwide.

A presidential inauguration. A march (or two, or hundreds). January sure decided to bring it this year in our hometown of Washington DC. As the red and pink hats depart DC, you might think the energy is departing the nation's capital. Oh, my friend, there's much work just getting starting.

Whether you're exhausted or fired up from this weekend's events, take a moment to sit back with this week’s PUB Crawl and slip away into a world where the debate is about counting the number of new features coming soon for the NPSP. Or bugs squashed in the next NPSP release. Or burritos consumed by yours truly in 2016. Seriously, take a moment to recharge the batteries with a cup of coffee and healthy spoonful of Salesforce knowledge.

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

In the swirl that is going to be this week's political events in Washington, I was lucky enough yesterday to grab some coffee with a friend and colleague from our community in New Orleans. Yes, the coffee was amazing, and no, I didn't even have a praline with it (though I did return today for a massive doughnut). It was a great opportunity to reconnect with the reasons why, and how, we found ourselves in the Salesforce non-profit community.

I walked away from the chat knowing that I might not have the map for the next few years in our community (or world, as you may), but I'm glad I'm sitting in the same proverbial coffee shop as you to roll-up our sleeves and keep empowering our community together. Luckily, you all were pretty busy this week, and helped create one of the most action packed PUB Crawls. So pull up a barstool, grab a beignet (or three), and let's dive in to this week's cup of knowledge.

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

Ah, the joy of living in Washington DC during an odd-numbered year in January. The sight of congressional members wearing their back-to-school outfits, preparation for a weekend of civic events during an inauguration period, and bone-chilling winds off the Potomac river.

It's all enough to keep this PUB Crawl reporter drinking tall cups of coffee and diving into some great Power of Us Hub research. Enjoy this how-many-days-until-summer edition of the PUB Crawl!

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

December is the undisputed champ of the fundraising year. The warm and fuzzy feeling of the holiday season combined with the stone-cold reality of the close of the tax year offer compelling incentives for people to open their wallets before Baby New Year arrives. No wonder nearly ⅓ of annual giving is done in that single month with a whopping 11% in just the last three days alone.¹

But December is over. The ball has dropped. The confetti swept. And, while the 2016 fundraising season is behind us, you still need to raise money to fund your mission, regardless of what month it says on your calendar. But how do you tackle the donation doldrums of January and beyond, and make any day a good day to donate to your organization?

Here are five key tips for successful year-round fundraising that you can act on now:

Welcome to 2017, amigos! To start of the new year, we're beginning a process of updating the PUB Crawl newsletter to make it more readable based on your suggestions. That's going to include updates to the design, content, and potentially a cutting edge scratch-and-sniff edition filled with the aromas of a taqueria.

A guy can dream, right?

Have ideas as to how we can make the PUB Crawl better for your exquisite tastes? Just reply to this email and don't hold back on your feedback.

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!

Don't forget, you can have the goodness of the PUB Crawl delivered into your inbox each Monday morning by subscribing today!