Soapbox Engage Blog

Picture the room ten minutes in: guests settled, the speaker closing, the ask about to land. Tonight’s goal glows on the screen behind them, $100,000. The first gift comes in and the thermometer begins to climb, a name appearing as someone at table six leans over to whisper to a friend. Another gift follows, then another, momentum building in real time. What started as anticipation has turned into action.

Today we're announcing Soapbox Engage Live Displays, a real-time fundraising display built to create exactly that kind of moment. Project your live thermometer, donor feed, and leaderboards on any screen in the room. There's no app to install, no software to configure, and no advance coordination needed with your A/V vendor.

If you run galas, walk-a-thons, peer-to-peer campaigns, or any live fundraising event, Live Displays gives your donors something to watch, something to respond to, and something to celebrate together.

The Moment Most Event Tech Misses

Every fundraising event has a moment of inertia. Guests have arrived, the program has started, and the ask is coming. But the room doesn't yet feel connected to the goal. That connection matters. Both research and decades of fundraising experience point to the same truth: when donors can see that other people are giving right now, they're more likely to give, and to give more.

Most event technology doesn't address that moment at all. Your donation platform processes gifts. Your CRM stores them. But nothing in the room reflects what's happening as it happens. Live Displays closes that gap.

The same team behind Soapbox Engage Donations built Live Displays to work directly with your donation campaign. No third-party tools, no manual syncing, no after-the-fact reconciliation. When a gift comes in, the display updates. Immediately.

What Shows on the Display

Live Displays is made up of several modules, each designed to create a specific kind of energy in the room. Run them together for a full event display, or use them independently depending on your format.

Representative mockups. Your display reflects your event's branding and live donation data.

Fundraising Thermometer

The thermometer is the centerpiece of most event displays. It shows total raised, your goal, donor count, and percentage complete, updated the moment each gift processes. When a room of donors can see a goal within reach, many will close it. The thermometer makes that gap visible.

• Updates in real time the moment each gift is processed
• Displays total raised, donor count, goal, and percentage complete
• Reflects cash and check gifts immediately when entered manually, keeping your total accurate
• Matches your brand: colors, logo, and event name are fully customizable

Running a fund-a-need segment? Our guide to how to run a fund-a-need at your nonprofit gala covers how to structure the ask and build momentum in the room. The thermometer gives that momentum something visible to land on.

Live Donor Feed

Donor names and gift amounts scroll across the screen the moment each gift is completed. Being acknowledged publicly in front of peers is a form of recognition donors remember and talk about. And watching others give is one of the most reliable motivators in any room.

• Displays donor names on screen within seconds of a gift completing
• Respects donor privacy with opt-in recognition and gracefully handled anonymous gifts
• Triggers a celebration animation for large gifts to get the room's attention
• Shows or hides gift amounts based on your event's culture

Leaderboards

For walk-a-thons, peer-to-peer campaigns, and team fundraising challenges, a leaderboard on screen is a powerful motivator. When donors can see their team closing the gap in the final hour, last-minute giving spikes. Healthy competition is good fundraising.

• Ranks individual fundraisers or teams in real time
• Updates automatically as donations come in throughout the event
• Works alongside the thermometer and donor feed, all on one screen

One URL. No Setup.

There's no app to install, no software to configure, and no advance coordination needed with your venue's A/V team. Enable the display in your campaign dashboard, copy the display URL, open it in any browser, and go fullscreen. That's the entire setup.

Works on Any Screen You Already Have

The display URL works on any device with a browser. Open it on:

Everything Your Display Needs, In One Place

Beyond the three core modules, Live Displays includes a full suite of features designed to make your event display feel complete from the moment guests arrive to the closing applause.

• QR Code to Give: stays on screen throughout the event, linking directly to your donation form. Three taps to a completed gift.
• Gift Celebrations: large donations trigger a full-screen animation that gets the room cheering.
• Offline Gift Entry: enter cash or check gifts manually and watch the thermometer update instantly.
• Multi-Screen Sync: open the same URL on every screen in the room. All displays stay in sync.
• Team Standings: show peer-to-peer team rankings alongside individual fundraiser leaderboards.
• Sponsor Logos: display sponsor logos on screen throughout the event to recognize major supporters.
• Custom Branding: your colors, your logo, your event name. The display looks built for you.
• Anonymous Giving: donors choose whether to be recognized. Anonymous gifts appear without a name.

Salesforce Sync Comes Standard

Every gift that appears on your Live Display is already in Salesforce. There's nothing to export, nothing to reconcile after the event, and no cleanup waiting on Monday morning. Soapbox Engage's real-time Salesforce integration means the data flows automatically. Gifts processed through your donation form land in your Salesforce org as they come in.

That means your live event data becomes long-term donor intelligence. Track giving trends year over year, see which donors gave during which campaigns, and build on that history for future appeals, all using the Salesforce tools your team already knows.

For teams planning their first major gala or looking to level up, our complete nonprofit gala planning checklist walks through everything from venue selection to night-of coordination. A live display is one of the most effective tools on that list for keeping energy high during the ask.

Built for Every Event Format

Live Displays works across the event types nonprofit organizations run most.

• Annual galas and benefit dinners: the thermometer and donor feed are most powerful here, building momentum during the program and the live ask.
• Fund-a-need and paddle-raise segments: watching the goal close in real time turns a static ask into a shared experience.
• Walk-a-thons and runs: the leaderboard tracks teams and individuals across the day, with the QR code keeping giving accessible at every station.
• Peer-to-peer fundraising events: team standings and individual leaderboards keep participants checking the screen.
• Hybrid and virtual events: share the browser tab over Zoom or your livestream and remote donors see the same live progress as guests in the room.

After your event wraps, donors deserve thoughtful follow-up. Our guide to thanking donors after a fundraising event covers the cadence and messaging that keeps supporters engaged year-round.

See It at Your Next Event

We're proud of what the team has built with Live Displays, and we think every nonprofit running a fundraising event deserves a display this easy to set up and this effective in the room.

Explore the full feature set on the Soapbox Engage Live Displays page. If you'd like to see it in action and talk through whether it's the right fit for your events, talk to one of our team members. We'd love to show you what's possible at your next event.