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Issue 112 Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! I am writing to you from the west coast because I’m here for Dreamforce, the world’s largest software conference. And I’m ready to take a three-day deep dive into the world of nonprofit tech, Salesforce nonprofit offerings, and top fundraising tools. Speaking of, I recently stumbled across this blog post about top affordable and free fundraising tools for nonprofits. We wrote it a couple years back to help nonprofits navigate the beginning of Covid-19, but it’s never a bad time to improve your online fundraising tools and processes. I hope you find it useful! Scroll on down for more great fundraising content. And let me know if you have any San Francisco food recommendations— I’ll be here until Thursday! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 111 Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! How are you holding up? I noticed there are a few articles in this week’s newsletter that reference the honesty and heart that are often required to plan succcessful campaigns, and it reminded me of just how personal fundraising can be. When you’re really putting yourself into your work, it is even more important to take breaks and care for yourself. I hope you take the time to do that this week! In other news, last week we released a brand new downloadable guide! This one is all about tools and strategies for optimizing online donations. You can download the Complete Guide to Online Donations for free here. Let me know what you think of it! Scroll on down for more quality fundraising content, and have an excellent week! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 110 Happy Tuesday, and welcome to the first September 2022 edition of the Fundraising Weekly! That’s right, year-end fundraising prep is upon us and you can expect the rest of the year to be a blur from here. But take a deep breath! This community has your back. First up in this week’s newsletter is a complete guide to preparing for Giving Tuesday! This day is probably the most anticipated day of the year for fundraisers. If you’re looking to get your tech ready, plan out your campaign calendar, or boost your donor engagement, read on! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 109 Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! It’s the end of August, which means we are just under 3 months away from Giving Tuesday 2022. If you are wondering what that means or what you can be doing now to position your nonprofit for maximum success, you can check out this helpful blog post. This post will take you through 10 FAQs when it comes to Giving Tuesday. Things like “When should organizations begin planning a Giving Tuesday campaign?” and “Is online giving critical for Giving Tuesday success?” Plus some helpful insight around peer-to-peer campaigns, recurring gifts, campaign timelines and hashtags. Whew! A lot to consider! And for the newsletter this week, we are excited to share some great content around fundraising letters, crafting a fundraising voice, and increasing online donations. Dig in! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 108 Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! With fall just around the corner (though not official until September 22!), it’s hard not to think about year-end fundraising prep. It’s true that nearly a third of all giving occurs in the final month of the year, which can feel like a lot of pressure. I thought I would dig up an old but very helpful blog post that’s all about building a successful year-end fundraising campaign. Hopefully staying ahead in your planning will alleviate some of that pressure! Scroll on down for more great fundraising content. We’ve got some helpful marketing strategies, capital campaign secrets, in-kind donations types, and more! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 107 Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! Thanks to those of you who downloaded and shared our free donation guide last week. I love seeing these resources being utilized by this community! If you’re interested in more free resources like this, you can check out this page here. Now onto this week’s newsletter! We have some great stuff for you— from digital advocacy campaigns, to year-end fundraising prep, to top fundraising website features. Take a look and see what sticks for you! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 106 Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! I thought I would follow up last week’s newsletter by sharing another one of our free, downloadable guides. No sense hoarding tools meant for the community! When asking for donations, having the right wording can make all the difference to connect with your community and inspire them to give. Whether you're crafting an email ask, social media post, event invitation, or updating your website's donation page, your wording impacts the outcome. Here’s a free 15-page guide to learn about five easy ways to boost your wording when asking for donations. Scroll on down to check out our top fundraising picks for the week! Let me know if anything in particular speaks to you! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 105 Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! What are your goals for August? Hopefully they include lounging out in the sun and soaking up some heat while the summer still feels like it won’t ever end! I wanted to share a free resource that we spent a lot of time crafting here at Soapbox Engage. This guide to online fundraising will walk you through the basics of virtual fundraising, the three key components of making a campaign, how to optimize your giving results, and some steps to make a strategic fundraising plan! A lot of this material is available here on this webpage, and if you find that useful, you can download a 30-page guide for free here. Take a look and tell me what you find most helpful! Scroll on down for even more great fundraising content. It’s always a pleasure to share knowledge with this community. You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 104 Good morning, Fundraisers! Happy to be closing out another great summer month with this community. Remember to take some time for yourself and enjoy the sunshine, particularly before things pick up in the fall. Scroll on down or some great fundraising ideas. From SEO tips, to community partnerships, to interview best practices, this week’s newsletter has a bit of everything. Enjoy! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 103 Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! A few weeks ago, we highlighted some regular Fundraising Weekly contributors on our social media accounts in honor of the 100th edition of this newsletter. I realize not all of you follow our socials (though you can here!), so I wanted to share some of their excellent advice here. Nonprofit fundraising expert Ann Green said: “One of the most important aspects of fundraising is building relationships. This includes thanking your donors and keeping them updated and engaged throughout the year.” It’s easy to remember donors during large campaigns and year-end giving season, but sharing your appreciation, projects, and progress with them year-round helps remind them of the community their gift impacts. Make sure you scroll down to check out Ann’s contribution to the Fundraising Weekly this week— a post about the importance of recurring donations and how to establish and maintain relationships with monthly donors. You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 102 Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! As I write this, I am watching an impressive (and frightening) DC lightning storm from my window. I hope wherever you are this Tuesday, you are safe and comfortable. In this week’s newsletter, learn the elements of great nonprofit communication, prepare for a capital campaign, or brush up on some facilitation skills that will improve your fundraising. Dig in! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 101 Happy July, fundraisers! We’ve made it to the new quarter, which also means we are officially halfway through 2022! If that sentence makes you uneasy, know you are not alone. It’s no secret that the latter half of the year is largely spent prepping and running year-end fundraising campaigns that are essential to nonprofits’ and charities’ functions year-round. But take a deep breath, make sure you enjoy the summer months, and know this community has your back! What are some topics you would like to hear about as you start to brainstorm and plot out your year-end fundraising campaigns? Feel free to hit that “Reply” button, and we’ll be sure to include your topics in the upcoming newsletter editions! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 100 Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! Today is a particularly special Tuesday because it marks the 100th edition of the Fundraising Weekly Newsletter! I started this newsletter near the beginning of the global pandemic, as I was watching the real-time anxiety of nonprofits trying to stay afloat in such unprecedented times. I looked at the advice that fundraising professionals were eager to offer across the globe, and it just made sense to try to consolidate all the best practices and ideas into a single newsletter for the community. Nearly two years later, and this community is still growing despite the odds. I never cease to be amazed by the ingenuity, creativity, and, most importantly, the generosity of this community. I’ve seen all the ways fundraisers and nonprofits have had to pivot, adapt for virtual spaces, strategize, and meet donors where they are. The knowledge sharing through such a tumultuous time is a special thing to witness. It's been a pleasure to highlight the great work of fantastic fundraising professionals, consultants, and leaders, and I can’t wait for the weeks and years ahead. 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, the Reply button is your friend. Thanks for coming on this journey, let's see what’s next! PS, give us a follow on LinkedIn and Twitter— this week we are highlighting some of our top Fundraising Weekly contributors. Go give them some love! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 99 Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! Before you know it, you’ll be swept up in year-end fundraising prep! Take a moment to sit back and strategize. This week’s newsletter focuses on the big picture. Prioritizing storytelling over metrics. Focusing on your donor’s emotional connection to a campaign. Understanding major gifts systems. Maintaining your donor pipeline. Here’s what you should understand before you dig in to the details of that next big fundraising push! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 98 Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! This newsletter is all about being PREPARED. Tax season may be over but do you need to brush up on types of Form 990s? Did you know that postage rates will increase in July but there are steps you can take now to save on direct mail fundraising? Think it’s too early too early to start thinking about Giving Tuesday? Think again! Read on for some great tips and strategies that will keep you in your best fundraising shape year round! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 97 Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers! It’s no secret that I love a good newsletter! :) One of the articles we highlight this week explores 10 ways to encourage engagement with your nonprofit newsletter. You can share an impact story, interview a donor, curate some resources for the community you serve, or leverage the content you’re already sharing on your social media platforms! You know…I just might be taking some notes! Scroll on down for more excellent fundraising and nonprofit content. Let me know what stands out! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 96 Believe it or not, June starts tomorrow! This season has been flying by, but I’m going to credit that to a fantastic couple of busy months. I hope your spring has been as refreshing and motivating as mine has been. Fundraisers stay busy all year round, but I know this time can be restorative before the huge year-end fundraising prep begins over the summer. Wishing you all the best! In this week’s Fundraising weekly, learn how inflation can impact giving, build a successful fiscal year-end fundraising campaign, or take charge of major donor asks! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 95 Did you know that when it comes to investing in fundraising strategies, it can be helpful to organize said strategies into three major categories? Direct marketing programs, relationship fundraising programs, and events/campaigns all require different tools/levels of investment. Once you’ve organized your strategies, there are some straightforward steps you can take to budget for your fundraising expenses. Is your interest peaked? Scroll on down to more about investing/budgeting when it comes to fundraising— and so much more! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 94 Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! I’m happy to see this community continue to grow, so I wanted to say, “Welcome!!” to our newcomers and, “Thanks for sticking around!!” to our loyal subscribers. We are thrilled to continue spreading knowledge around fundraising, philanthropy, and nonprofit success with you all. In the spirit of sharing knowledge, I’d like to highlight this awesome free guide to online fundraising. This is one of our greatest guides to date. 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! Issue 93 As a fundraiser, your life is busy! Sticking to the fundraising basics and proven strategies is never a bad idea, especially when you’re feeling overwhelmed. But! It is also important to expand your fundraising horizons. Have you ever considered cryptocurrency? Are you actively deepening your conversations with donors? Do you know what sorts of questions to ask before starting your next fundraising job? Our newsletter tackles these subjects and more! Hope you all have a wonderful week! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! |