Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 253

Happy Tuesday, Fundraisers!

It’s last call! If you’d like to join us in NYC for NPSP Fundraising Day next week (June 11), grab your ticket now! Get ready for a day of hands on learning, networking, and practical takeaways to help you future-proof your nonprofit fundraising with Salesforce and AI-powered tools. Register here!

Keep scrolling for more fundraising goodness related to nonprofit websites, donor postcards, and storytelling!

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Great Fundraising Posts

Maximizing Your Feasibility Study Investment

Gail Perry (Gail Perry Group)

If you’re planning to launch a big capital campaign, the thought of doing a feasibility study might not be very exciting. But a smart, well-run feasibility study can be a make-or-break moment that sets the tone for your campaign’s success. This blog post shares information about the importance of a feasibility study and how to maximize your investment when getting one.

How Donor Attributes Contribute to a Solicitation Strategy

Duke Haddad, Ed.D. (NonProfitPro)

When seeking major gifts, fundraisers are interacting with a large variety of people. You have to know how to effectively communicate with people of different ages, backgrounds, personalities, and experiences which can be a huge challenge. In this blog post, Duke discusses how to hone in on donor attributes to improve your solicitation strategy.

The Storytelling Technique That Puts Your Donor Inside the Story

Chris Davenport (The Better Fundraising Co.)

Storytelling is key to successful fundraising. But what’s the key to telling a good story? In this blog post, Chris shares about a technique that will help put your donor inside the story you’re telling, and ultimately help you raise more funds.

Why You Should Accept In-Kind Donations at Your Nonprofit

Kyle Payton (Greater Giving)

Although financial gifts are vital to nonprofits’ ability to further their missions, many organizations focus solely on this type of support. In-kind donations are an essential gift category that your charitable organization may be overlooking. If you’re interested in accepting in-kind donations at your nonprofit but aren’t sure how to start, check out this blog post which will answer all of your questions.

Connect With Your Donors by Sending Them a Postcard

Ann Green (Ann Green’s Nonprofit Blog)

As a society, physical mail has gotten less and less popular. But it’s still a great way to connect with your donors, and should be an essential piece of your fundraising strategy. If you’re interested in direct mail that’s a bit cheaper, consider sending a postcard. Ann offers different suggestions for how to use a postcard to connect with your donors in this blog post.

Secure your Nonprofit Website with Confidence

Meghan Speer (Nonprofit Hub)

Website security is a critical component of your nonprofit’s digital strategy. It ensures that your data, donors and mission are protected while allowing you to focus on making an impact. This blog post features key website-specific cybersecurity tips to safeguard your online presence.

6 Great Fundraising Tactics You Don’t Have to Do

Jeff Brooks (Moceanic)

There are a lot of expert tips on fundraising floating around. They are often treated as law—”if you don’t do this, your fundraising will fail!” However, it’s not that simple. In this blog post, Jeff identifies six great fundraising tactics that you don’t have to adhere to, if it doesn’t make sense for your organization at that moment.

Why Should Nonprofits Invest in Professional Development?

Debbie Willis (The ENGAGE Blog)

How do you build a stronger, sustainable organization that will have a lasting impact? There are many answers to that question, but one of them is to make sure you’re investing in professional development for your employees. In this blog post, Debbie talks about the many benefits of investing in professional development, and how to go about it within your organization.

Two Basic Schools of Fundraising: Hunters and Growers

Jim Langley (MarketSmart)

When it comes to fundraising, many professionals fall between two different categories: hunters or growers. In this blog post, Jim identifies the differences between the two, and highlights which is more sustainable over time.