Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 278

Happy Tuesday, fundraisers. And happy Thanksgiving week!

We hope the days ahead bring you a bit of rest, reflection, and maybe even a quiet moment between the whirlwind of year-end campaigns. As you gear up for the busiest stretch of the fundraising calendar, we’ve gathered a set of resources to support you, from practical checklists and donor-communication tips to big-picture strategies for financial resilience.

This week also marks a milestone for our team: we just hosted our first-ever virtual Soapbox Engage Town Hall, where we shared top 2025 feature releases, real-world success stories, and a look at what’s coming in 2026. If you’re curious about how our fundraising tools can strengthen your campaigns, you’re welcome to check out the recap below—even if you’re not yet a customer.

Wishing you a restorative holiday week and a strong finish to November!

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Great Fundraising Posts

Top Features Highlighted at 2025 Soapbox Engage Town Hall

Soapbox Engage (Soapbox Engage)

We recently hosted our very first Soapbox Engage Town Hall, a two-hour virtual event that brought together our customers, partners, and community members from across the nonprofit ecosystem. It was a fantastic session full of real-world examples, customer success stories, and a deep dive into the platform updates and roadmap for the year ahead. Check out this blog post to learn about the top features highlighted that will help your nonprofit in 2026.

A Quick Event Checklist for First-Time Fundraisers

Linda N. Spencer (The ENGAGE Blog)

Hosting your first fundraising event can feel overwhelming. You have to worry about everything from simple logistics, like finding a venue and managing volunteers, to big-picture questions, like how to set a fundraising goal and inspire community participation. Formulating a clear, structured plan, you can transform this big task into a series of manageable steps. In this blog post, Linda walks you through the essential steps of hosting a fundraising campaign event, from choosing the right concept to executing post-event follow-up.

Why Fund Accounting Matters: Cultivating Donor Trust

Julia Claire Campbell (Marketing for the Modern Nonprofit)

Trust is integral to your organization’s fundraising success. According to recent studies, more than two-thirds of nonprofit donors believe it’s essential to trust the organizations they support. Demonstrating proper financial management is among the best ways to build trust with donors. An organized method of tracking finances like a fund accounting system is a great way to do that. In this blog post, Julia reviews what fund accounting is and how your nonprofit can use it as a relationship-building tool to future-proof your fundraising efforts.

The Key to Improving Fundraising Results: Improve Your Posture

Jim Langley (MarketSmart)

It doesn’t matter how talented one individual fundraiser is—in order to be successful, they have to have support from the organization, and operate from “a strong posture.” In this blog post, Jim identifies the differences between operating from a weak vs. strong fundraising posture, so you can apply it to your nonprofit organization.

How to Tell Donors What They Need to Know

Jeff Brooks (Future Fundraising Now)

In order to inspire someone to donate to your organization, you need to tell them a compelling story about the issue you are trying to address. Issues are often expansive and it can be hard to know which stories are the right ones. In this blog post, Jeff uses a personal example from his professional history to highlight how to tell donors what they need to know.

How to Build Financial Resilience in Times of Uncertainty

Jackie McLaughlin (The Fundraising Coach)

Amidst economic uncertainty, there is pressure on nonprofits to prioritize financial sustainability. Achieving financial resilience is more than cutting costs—it requires strategic foresight and robust financial systems. In this blog post, Jackie presents strategies for building nonprofit financial resilience, even in times of economic uncertainty.

Toolkit: Build a Content Calendar for Nonprofit Campaigns

Anne Stefanyk (Ann Green’s Nonprofit Blog)

When building a nonprofit campaign, planning your fundraising strategies is only half the battle. You also need a clear plan for getting the word out about your fundraising efforts, and that begins with a content calendar. A strategic content calendar is the single best tool for shifting your pre-campaign planning efforts from chaos to control. In this blog post, Ann breaks down building your content calendar into five steps.

Local Impact Outweighs National Causes When It Comes to Nonprofit Fundraising

NonProfitPro (NonProfitPro)

With the current climate surrounding nonprofit organizations, a new report has come out detailing attitudes, behaviors and motivations of the typical American donor. Voices for Good, a report commissioned by brand consultancy Brand Federation, surveyed recent donors across the United States to better understand why, when and where they donate to nonprofit organizations. This blog post features some highlighted findings from the report.

Effective Follow-up Strategies for Incomplete Donations

Melanie Green (TrueSense)

When a donor abandons a donation midway through the process, it’s easy to assume the opportunity is lost. But that does not have to be the end of the story. Reaching out to that donor in the right way may be enough to get them back on track toward completing the donation. In this blog post, Melanie discusses your follow-up strategy options to encourage the donor to finish the donation.