Clairity Click-it: Mobilegeddon; Social Action; Benchmarks; Major Gifts; Leadership + Learning Opptys

Click it!

Once again it’s the end of the week. Woo hoo! Time for your weekly serving of interesting links from around the web. This week, they’re mostly nonprofit specific. And they’re useful too! There’s help if you need to get your website mobile ready. Plus social media guidelines to get you a bit more action in return for your labor. Then there’s a great study – with tons of data – so you can benchmark your results against industry averages. And there are tips to help you with major gifts and with staff and organizational leadership. Plus, as always, some great learning opportunities for you (scroll to the bottom).

 Mobilegeddon

 Click-It: Nonprofits: Keep Calm and Mobile Friendly. If you’re among those who recently were notified by Google that your website was going to get lost on their search engine because it wasn’t mobile friendly, then this article by Beth Kanter is for you. There’s a test you can take to see how your website stacks up, plus lots of good advice delivered in a reassuring tone – very important for those of us who can get a bit anxious (my website failed the test).

Social Action

Click-It: 3 Must-Follow Social Media Guidelines for Nonprofits. Erin Hall on the Classy Blog notes that, according to a Weggener Edstrom study, 55% of those who engage with nonprofits via social media have been inspired to take further action. This means your social strategy is important, and it’s worth taking some time to hone it. Her advice? Be consistent, authentic and quality-centric. You can get the details if you read the full post.

Benchmarks

Click-It: 2015 M+R Benchmarks Study is out, and it’s filled to the brim with nonprofit industry standards for online fundraising, advocacy and list building. It’s cool stuff, whether you’re a data nerd or not. And you can even make your VERY OWN infographic comparing your organization’s metrics to this year’s benchmarks. They’ll even help you do it. For free. I learned all sorts of stuff. Did you know that each web visitor is worth, on average, 61 cents? Open rates were up 5% for fundraising emails? Email lists grew by 11%? There’s SO much more here. Check it out, and see how you compare.

Major Gifts

Click-it: Once a Major Donor Always a Major Donor. Leslie Allen writes for Front Range Source about what it means to take your major donor prospect out of the regular annual giving pipeline – and all the familiar ways they have to connect with you – and unceremoniously toss them into a different pipeline with different rules. It can work swimmingly, but not unless you approach the transition with great care. Take a gander at the article.

Leadership

Click-it: Insufficient Justification. This article by Katrina VanHuss on the Nonprofit Pro (formerly Fundraising Success) blog caught my attention. It’s about the types of rewards that motivate behavior, and how they can backfire if they’re too large. People want to believe they’re motivated by intrinsic rewards – by ethics, morals, values and just being ‘good guys.’ If the reward for which they’re working is too large (e.g., the top fundraiser wins and ipod) they begin to think of their work as transactional rather than transformational. It becomes a job; not a way of life.

Click-it: You’re Not Alone: What to Do When Leadership Loses Its Way. I was pleased this week to guest post on Phil’s Career Blog, and to offer a 6-step road map to turn things around when they start to go south. If your fundraising has plateaued or has been heading steadily downward, you’ll want to be considering changes in the key areas suggested in this article. And check out Phil Gerard’s Fundraising Talent Management site while you’re there – especially if you’re in Canada.

Learning Opportunities for You!

It’s free!

Click-It: How to Interview Strong (from either side of the desk). I’m pleased to join 3^rd Sector May 5^th for a free webinar to help you interview successfully for nonprofit jobs – whether you’re the applicant or the employer. It will include examples of interviewing behavior and questions/answers to illustrate how to best prepare so you get the successful outcome you seek. BONUS: You’ll simultaneously walk away with the basic skills you need to ask for a major gift! How cool is that?

Save your space now for the Moves Management Master Class!

Click-It: 50 Ways to ‘Move’ Your Donor: Stewardship Solutions to Get to Yes with Finesse. Want to dive deeper into major gifts development? I’ll be joining the Foundation Center May 19th for an intensive online Major Gifts Master Class: You’ll leave with a step-by-step cultivation plan; plus you’ll learn a novel, tried-and-true way to choreograph and measure your moves so you know exactly when you’re ready to ask. Register here.

Grab a discounted session – while they last.

Click-It: Hour of Power. Want some quick one-on-one mentoring to help you advance in your career? Or simply want some coaching help with a challenge that’s keeping you awake at night? Or some advice on one of your plans or strategies? I’ve got a few coaching slots open right now. Grab up to four sessions – while they last — at a discounted rate.

Photo: Flickr, Isaac Torronterra