Soapbox Engage Blog

Issue 280

Happy Tuesday, fundraisers!

This week’s roundup is packed with ideas to finish the year strong. From creative fundraising inspiration and welcoming new donors to building digital communities and optimizing year-end giving, there’s plenty to spark new strategies and fuel your fundraising momentum. Enjoy!

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Great Fundraising Posts

Presence Implies Importance

Steven Screen (The Better Fundraising Co.)

How often is your organization showing up in the lives of your donors? Do they “run into you” regularly? Or only hear from you once or twice a year? In this blog post, Steven talks about what the regularity of your presence communicates to your donors, and how to use that to your advantage.

What We Discover From a Strange, Goofy, and Brilliant Direct Mail Fundraising Envelope

Jeff Brooks (Future Fundraising Now)

When working on a direct mail fundraising appeal, every piece can impact how successful the appeal is or isn’t. And that includes your envelope. In this blog post, Jeff shares an example of a goofy, unexpected direct mail fundraising envelope and highlights what you can learn from it to improve your fundraising.

Why It’s Important to Welcome Your New Donors

Ann Green (Ann Green’s Nonprofit Blog)

End of year fundraising is well underway. Hopefully, you’ve already gotten some first-time donors to contribute to your organization. That’s always exciting! Unfortunately the overall retention rate for new donors is about 20%. If you’d like to have a better outcome, check out this blog post from Ann about the importance of welcoming your new donors.

How to Build a Thriving Digital Community for Your Members

Allison Rose (Marketing for the Modern Nonprofit)

For nonprofits, membership programs are a win-win situation. Your organization receives reliable revenue from membership dues and nurtures a dedicated group of supporters who engage consistently. Meanwhile, your members get access to various tangible and intangible benefits. If you’re looking for a new perk to boost engagement, you could turn that sense of community that comes along with membership into a virtual space where members can connect around your organization’s purpose or cause. This blog post features some tips for building and sustaining a digital member community.

Report: How the Creator Economy Is Rebuilding Generosity With Young Donors

NonProfitPro (NonProfitPro)

We’re at a time where traditional philanthropy is struggling to engage younger Americans. Luckily, the creator economy is helping with that. This post features findings from Tiltify’s 2025 Giving Season Report, revealing how the creator economy is restoring grassroots giving. Check it out to learn the findings and see how you can apply the knowledge to your own fundraising campaigns.

Nonprofit Leaders, We Need to Talk

Jeff Brooks (Moceanic)

Within nonprofit organizations, turnover happens often. The typical turnover time for fundraising people is 16-18 months on the job. If you’re a leader of a nonprofit organization, you may be part of the problem. In this blog post, Jeff identifies some of the mistakes nonprofit leaders may be making to drive their people away.

5 Year-End Actions for a Resilient 2026

Kate Averett Anderson (The ENGAGE Blog)

2025 was a year of uncertainty for the social impact sector, and it looks like 2026 will be more of the same. How do you stay resilient in the face of uncertainty? Throughout this year, the Blackbaud Institute reached out to professionals to find out their answers to that. Check out the answers in this blog post so your organization can have a resilient 2026.

How to Master Donation Page Optimization for Christmas 2025

Vish Vass (GiveCentral)

When it comes to fundraising, the December holiday season is where a lot of the magic happens. But your organization will be one of many vying for donations, so you want to make sure you cut through the noise. An optimized donation page is a key part of that. In this blog post, Vish offers tips to optimize your donation page for the holiday season.

How One Fundraiser Doubled Major Gifts Income

brightspot (brightspot)

Major gifts make up the bulk of your revenue, and securing them is key to hitting your fundraising goals. But it can be an uphill battle. This blog post shares the story of Debbie Johnson, who joined Wildlife Trusts as Head of Major Gifts after leaving the corporate sector, and managed to double the major gift income. Check the post out to see how she did so and what you can apply to your own nonprofit organization!