Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 52

It's incredible, but it’s true: today is the one year anniversary of the Fundraising Weekly! When I started this newsletter, I heard from fundraisers around the globe, all trying hard to stay afloat during an unprecedented global pandemic. It made sense to consolidate all the best practices I learned, all the great ideas to pivot fundraising events, and share them with the community.

A year later, and with an incredible and growing community of fundraising beginners and experts, I'm continually impressed with our community's ingenuity and creativity. It's been a pleasure to highlight the great work of fantastic fundraising professionals, consultants, and leaders, and I'm rolling up my sleeves for another great year knowledge sharing ahead of us.

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, just hit the Reply button and holler. Congratulations on joining me for this journey, let's keep up the good work!

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

Many successful nonprofit organizations have recognizable branding. For example, if someone was to mention the World Wildlife Fund, you would probably imagine their memorable panda logo. The same thing goes for Habitat for Humanity or Save the Children. The branding behind these nonprofits has become so recognizable that just by saying the name, you instantly think of their iconic logos.

However, branding encompasses a lot more than just logos. Effective nonprofit branding is the way that you tell the world about your story and your mission, primarily through visuals and writing. It is one of the most effective ways for strangers to your cause to learn ways to grab the attention of strangers to your brand and make the case for why your work matters.

When you consider all the donors, staff members, volunteers, potential donors, event attendees, and other people to maintain relationships with, it can get downright overwhelming. Early on, it was probably manageable to use an Excel spreadsheet or even an old-fashioned Rolodex to manage your donor data and contact lists. But now, you need something that does more than just keep your data organized.

Whether you're a small organization with just a few dozen contacts or you've got thousands of donors, it's essential to be able to keep updated contact information, monitor your interactions, track donations, and grow your relationship with individuals and groups. That's where a CRM system comes in!

Planning fundraising events of any size can be overwhelming at best. Without the right tools and resources, it can get downright exhausting and frustrating. But there’s good news! Event management software can help organize and handle many aspects of event planning with a host of digital tools.

In short, even management software helps you plan better events with less stress, anxiety, and hassle. But, like many things in the world, not all event management software is created equal. Some have unique features that lend it to specific aspects or types of event planning. Some are easier to use than others. And let’s not get started on the vast range of price points!

We're proud to partner with the best and brightest consulting firms proven to help organizations reach success, and the New York based Plative is one of those great companies. As a Soapbox Engage partner for more than four years, Plative provides advisory and strategic services, implementation, managed services, custom integration, and app development for Salesforce, Oracle NetSuite, Heroku, and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

Combining their technical skills with their nonprofit focus, their team is on a mission to drive positive global impact by improving the performance of their nonprofit clients. Let's learn more about their services, unique approach, and client success.

Issue 51

Here in the DC office, there have been hints of holiday music playing throughout the day. Though I initially struggled not to role my eyes (Christmas in July? Is this really necessary?), it did get me thinking about how this is usually around the time nonprofits start planning their big year-end fundraising campaigns. Maybe one or two songs isn’t such a bad idea to get into the season mindset. Thoughts to ponder!

This week, learn how to boost your volunteer retention, check out this fundraising summer reading list, or learn about the role of emojis in donor marketing! It’s great to see how the fundraising pros are keeping content fresh and relevant. Enjoy!

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

It’s the digital age, and practically everyone has a smartphone now. Mobile giving is definitely here to stay. If you want to remain competitive and relevant, it’s time to expand your fundraising strategies to include a wide range of mobile giving tactics, from peer-to-peer fundraising to mobile email and everything in between.

Have no fear! We’re here to help you understand why mobile giving is so important and explore some of the most popular mobile giving strategies and tools!

Many nonprofits lean heavily on volunteers to accomplish all kinds of tasks and carry out their mission. In fact, many charitable nonprofits have no paid staff and are run exclusively by volunteers! They’re undoubtedly one of the most valuable resources for nonprofits of all shapes and sizes.

But how do you find these stellar volunteers who eagerly give of their time and talents? There are loads of recruitment strategies and methods out there, and some might be more appropriate for your organization than others.

Issue 50

When putting together the newsletter this week, I was excited to see that we have reached the benchmark of 50 editions of the Fundraising Weekly! Soon after, I realized something even more exciting: we are a mere 2 weeks away from our first ever anniversary. Where has all the time gone? Needless to say, I’ll be doing some joyful reflecting on this community.

So what’s cooking this week? A guide to making nonprofit taxes easy, warning signs that your capital campaign may be losing speed, how to utilize mobile apps in your fundraising. Oh, and don’t forget! Now is the time to start planning your year-end fundraiser.

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

Virtual fundraising is an integral part of all of the income that nonprofit organizations raise. Why? It’s convenient as donors can give on the go from their own devices. It’s also critical as we move through the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the world moving online, virtual giving tools such as text-to-give, crowdfunding, and virtual fundraising platforms are not only safe but beneficial for pushing missions further than ever before.

No matter how your organization has been handling the shift to virtual campaigns, one thing remains constant: your online donation form on your website. If you want to take advantage of online donations, you must create a straightforward and effective online donation form.

A mission statement is a one-sentence summary that describes the reason your nonprofit or program exists. It's meant to tell people what you do and who or what you serve.

In short, your mission statement has both an internal and external purpose. Externally, it draws people in and makes them want to learn more about your nonprofit or cause. Internally, your mission statement should influence and guide your decisions around marketing, communication, and fundraising.

Virtual auctions offer nonprofits many benefits, making them a popular way to raise funds online. Beyond earning donations in the form of winning bids, nonprofits can use virtual auctions as a chance to connect with local businesses and supporters worldwide. Unlike in-person auctions, virtual auctions can last several days, giving guests more time to submit bids.

Whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid, auctions have lots of moving parts. Planning an online auction can quickly become a full time job for your event team unless you’re equipped with the necessary technology and knowledge.

Whether you've been fundraising for decades or you're just launching a new nonprofit and getting your feet wet, it's valuable to get back to the fundraising basics. Taking it all the way back to the building blocks can help ensure you're not leaving any money on the table and get the most out of your fundraising efforts.

This blog will help you understand the basics of fundraising to build a powerful strategy for your organization!

Issue 49

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! And to those of you who celebrated the Fourth of July, I hope you enjoyed some tasty food while sitting back to enjoy the fireworks. Personally, I devoured a Beyond burger, and WOW, I would never have known that it wasn’t meat. But I digress!

I’m happy to report that we’ve got another great haul of fundraising goodness for you this week. Learn how to rock text messaging appeals, make a plan to retain your new donors, or dive into the cryptocurrency frontier of fundraising!

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

Today we’re highlighting Wombat Works who has been a trusted Soapbox Engage partner for 6 years, a Salesforce solution provider for 15 years, and working in the nonprofit sector for over 25 years. To say they’re a knowledge powerhouse would be an understatement. In addition to Salesforce implementations, upgrades, and rebuilds, Wombat Works has loads of experience integrating Soapbox Engage apps. To learn more about their services, unique approach, and success, keep reading! If you’d like to connect with Wombat Works, email them at info[at-sign-here]wombatworks.org or fill out their contact form.

Issue 6

Hello Soapbox Engage partners!

Welcome to July! Summer is in full swing, the grass is vibrant, and the sun is shining in this part of the world. I hope you’re doing well, taking care of yourself, and getting some fresh air.

A new month means new Soapbox Engage releases! Our product team is constantly adding new features and fixes to ensure that our clients get the absolute best. Keep reading to see what’s happening in Soapbox Engage land!

Over the last few years, online petitions have become one of the most popular ways for nonprofits to rally supporters and grow their community of followers. It’s a great fundraising strategy to make yourself more visible online where it’s always busy, noisy, and crowded.

Great news! Petitions aren’t just limited to political campaigns or election cycles. You can run a petition campaign any time of year--even if your nonprofit isn’t at all engaged in political advocacy! This blog will help you leverage petitions for your own fundraising strategy.

Issue 48

Happy Tuesday, fundraisers! Today I wanted to take a moment to highlight an incredible resource we recently added to our website. Did you know that the three key components of effective fundraising are storytelling, relationships, and optimization? Did you know that we have a free guide that takes a deep dive into each of these components?

We're so excited to share our Guide to Online Fundraising in a fresh and more accessible way! Check it out to learn the basics, and much more. And of course, enjoy perusing the wonderful list of fundraising gems we’ve highlighted below.

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

When most development professionals think of fundraising sources, they primarily list individual donors and grants. But there's another revenue source--corporate giving! Though it only adds up to a small fraction of fundraising efforts, receiving corporate gifts can also bring other benefits!

According to Giving USA and other sources, corporate giving is on the rise, motivated by a mix of altruism and a desire to attract employees that value working for socially responsible companies. Nonprofits can undoubtedly take advantage of this trend to increase funding and even create great partnerships.

Issue 47

This morning, I came across a Socrates quote that seems to apply perfectly to the work of fundraisers (and nonprofits in general!). I wanted to share it with you all: “The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” With that wisdom, I bid you Happy Tuesday!

This weeks newsletter is packed with great stats, advice, and ideas. We’ve got content related to video marketing, major gifts, newsletter design, and more. Enjoy!

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