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Issue 30 We’re wrapping up February, then spring will be just around the corner! I'm sure my fellow northern hemisphere friends are as excited as I am. What are your spring fundraising goals? Do you have any special events planned — virtual or in person? Am I getting ahead of myself? With spring on the way, I feel a renewed sense of hope. And it’s not just the thought of warmer weather and some leaves back on the trees. I’m hopeful that this season will renew some strength in the nonprofit community and nudge us just a little closer to the “normal” we all miss. For now, bundle up! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 29 It’s a very special day for PICnet, the company behind Soapbox Engage… It’s our 20th anniversary! We’ve spent the last two decades advancing the world of nonprofit tech and serving the nonprofit community we deeply cherish. We’ve grown and evolved a lot over the years and it hasn’t always been easy, but we’ve loved every moment. Thank you for being a part of this community. This newsletter and each subscriber is another reminder of why we love what we do. So, while we celebrate ourselves today and reminisce about laying ethernet cables in 2001, please know we are also celebrating you! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 28 Valentine's Day is just around the corner. For some, this may be a made-up holiday designed to sell cards and chocolates. But I like to think of it as an opportunity to practice gratitude in all areas of my life. What about the nonprofit community do you cherish? How have you been expressing appreciation for your donors lately? Which of your coworkers could use some encouragement right now? There's lots of little ways to show love, and it goes a long way in a season like this. So cozy up with your favorite warm beverage and enjoy this week's thoughtful fundraising content! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 27 Winter has officially arrived in DC. How is this measured? The speed by which the city shuts down at even the whisper of snow on a local Reddit forum. While the National Zoo's pandas celebrated by doing their own version of body sledding yesterday, our fundraising community was busy at work with more knowledge sharing. Grab a cup of hot chocolate, east coast folks, and enjoy a round of thought-provoking content! You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 26 Most folks don't know about the little blue line. It appears once every four years, stringing together the US Capitol and the White House, and provides the path of the new President to their new residence. It also happens to go right by my office building. This year, that meant me, a US secret service officer from Texas, and a building security guard watched from inside glass doors as the President slowly drove past the office, right before making a left to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The officer put it best, "I've been doing this for 24 years, and I've never seen anything like this." As we're all launching into 2021 with a sense of disequilibrium, it helps to know that there's a path pointing you home. Here's another fantastic batch helpful guidance from fellow non-profiteers. Consider this your own little blue line, taking you right to the knowledge you need to keep bringing success home to your organization. You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 25 Living near downtown Washington DC has meant that life has seemed a bit different during the past week. There's the military presence, anti-climb fencing, and the types of things you see on TV in far away war zones. So when I took a moment to leave the city for a hike and a view, I had a chance to take a deep breath of the cool air and think, "maybe those skies are beginning to part, and maybe we have better days ahead of us." We're early in our journey together here in this newsletter, but I'm darn proud to work alongside fellow fundraising professionals looking to make the world a better, more just place. For those of you in the US, here's to a peaceful Inauguration Day tomorrow. After pausing for a moment tomorrow, let's get right back to work serving the communities we care so much about. You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! Issue 24 Let's just cut to the chase. I was hoping to be able to come back this week and say, "I hope you've all had a relaxing week, recharging your batteries, and taking the past few days to relish the calm of the post-fundraising season." Alas. It's a challenging time. And if I'm going to hurtle through these days, I'm darn proud to be doing so alongside the folks in our nonprofit sector focused on making the world a more just and peaceful place. Here's to doing the hard work, sharing knowledge, and stepping up to the challenges in front of us. You can receive the Fundraising Weekly newsletter each Tuesday by subscribing today! 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! |