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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! 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! 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! Issue 20 Welcome to the final two weeks of the fundraising season! I know it's a hurried dash from this point forward, so let's get right to the point and dive into some fundraising community knowledge sharing...maybe with a side of egg nog. You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 19 Giving Tuesday? Check. End-of-year fundraising plans in motion? Check. Hurriedly making changes to online fundraising campaigns in motion as you're getting real-time feedback from donors and your teammates. On it. As fundraisers around the world focus on smoothing out any speed bumps getting in the way of year-end fundraising, I've pulled together some tips and ideas that might come in handy in these final weeks of 2020. So grab a beverage, relax, and let's take a tour through the collective hive mind of knowledge for the week! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 18 By the time you receive this message, my hope is that you've begun a little celebrating for the end of another Giving Tuesday. Congratulations for crossing the finish line! After you get a chance to recharge the batteries, the latest ideas from your fellow fundraising community leaders will be here. For now, enjoy a moment of relaxation. You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 17 It's been another busy week in fundraising world, and with GivingTuesday next week, we're all about to turn the dial up even more. Hang in there folks. Talk a long virtual walk with me along the beach in California. Just for a quick relaxing moment. Luckily, our community has been stepping up to the challenge, and there's been some great content you can use to put some last-minute touches on your call-to-action campaigns. So when you're back from your virtual beach walk, join me for another round of fundraising knowledge! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 016 Somebody told me that we're officially in the second half of November, but I didn't believe them. When you get a chance to drive the California coast, and soak in the beauty of the ocean and mountains, it's like you've stepped out of the end-of-year fundraising bubble for just a brief moment. Ah, big, deep breaths. Now, before I go on too long about taking a moment for yourself to just relax (while sipping a large cup of extra-caffeinated coffee), allow me to present to you this week's fundraising community knowledge. You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 015 Well, the simulation is really pulling out all the stops these days, isn't it? For my American fundraising friends, here's to hoping you were able to get some sleep between election week activities, virtual fundraising galas, online donation campaigns, and more. Also, did you take a moment to eat? I've taken a quick moment to get some fresh Pacific coast air, and I'm excited to share another great round of knowledge coming from the community. So if you need a little break in the action, here's an easy reading list to keep your creative neurons firing. You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 014 This is where I insert an interesting tidbit, or a reflection of life and fundraising. Instead ... US election night ... brain ... mush ... living in Washington DC ... just need to get through the evening with an ounce of sanity remaining. Thanks for understanding. I now return you to your stress-relieving tool of your choosing. And a television to vocalize your opinion of the state of news graphics in 2020. You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! 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! Issue 012 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! Issue 011 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! Issue 010 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! 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!
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! |
