Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Click it!
This week’s Click-it is another mélange of fundraising wisdom, ranging from events to social media and taking a look at which generations are good target markets for you. Plus some fun posts.
And, as always, if you scroll to the bottom you’ll find some free resources I’ve selected for you. There’s some really worthwhile stuff here — and I’ve got a lot of it this week.
See you next week where I’ll return to my “Dive the Five” virtual nonprofit curriculum. Want to know the top five priority areas for your focus in the coming year? Make sure you’re subscribed to Clairification so you don’t miss an article!
And now, on to this week’s articles…
Events
Click-it: 7 Steps to Turn Event Attendees into Donors. I’m fairly bursting with tips I want to share with you — so you’ll increase your fundraising results and do more good in the world. So many tips, that sometimes I spill over onto other people’s blogs! Here I am at Network for Good with some actionable ways to make your event worth its while. Events are best seen not as stand-alones, but as an opportunity to move folks along a relationship continuum. Before you begin, you should ask and answer “what’s next?” when it comes to their involvement with your organization
Social Media
Click-it: Social Media: The New Nonprofit Advertising. Every month I write an article for Maximize Social Business related to nonprofit use of social media. You can check out this month’s article and let me know if you use social media to “advertise.” I’d love to hear from you on this subject!
Generational Giving
Click-it: Are Millennials Really Worth Targeting for Fundraising? Sean Triner discusses whether it’s worth your time and effort to try to raise money from younger donors. His answer? Not so much. And he makes a pretty persuasive case.
On the other hand, that doesn’t mean Millenials are to be ignored…
Click-it: The State of Philanthropy: Why Millennials Will Revive the Nonprofit Sector. Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, argues that Millenials will bring sorely needed innovation and skills the sector sorely needs and currently lacks. She also offers interesting insights about how the rapid pace of change may alter the focus of nonprofits – from seeking to address root causes to seeking, simultaneously, to help people and systems rebound more effectively from 21st century shocks and stresses.
Click-it: Survey Shows Aging Donors Most Likely to Give Online. To me, this is exciting research that counters the conventional wisdom. Commissioned by Dunham+Company and conducted by Campbell Rinker , it shows 67% of donors age 40-59 gave online in 2015 — up 20 percentage points over the past five years. And guess what? Plus 54% of donors age 60+ gave online, while only 40% of donors under age 40 said they gave online! This should cause you to rethink you annual appeal strategy if you’re thinking of your email and social media campaigns as simply supplemental.
Fun
Click-it: 10 classic movies that could have been about nonprofit work. A hilarious post from Nonprofit with Balls by the inimitable Vu.
Click-it: Top 10 Fundraising Trends and Predictions for 2016. I always think it’s fun to look at prognoses for the future, and this is Gail Perry’s take. I especially like #5, where she says “I’m seeing a new use of the word “philanthropy” instead of “fundraising. And it has the potential to shift many attitudes for the better.” Since that’s the tagline for Clairification, I couldn’t agree more!!! I agree with Gail’s reason for moving towards a philanthropy culture, and I see a broader reason for doing so as well. Interested? Check out Stop the Nonprofit Fundraising Treadmill: 3 Reasons I Want to Get Off.
FREE RESOURCES
Fundraising
Click-it: The Art and Science of Retaining Digital Donors [Free E-book] Bloomerang is offering this useful resource to assure you keep all those donors you acquire online.
Storytelling
Click-it: The Storytelling Nonprofit Virtual Conference. Want to learn how to raise money and awareness through storytelling? The speakers at The Storytelling Non-Profit Virtual Conference speakers will show you how! Sign up for this FREE online conference from February 10 to 12. Plus – when you’ll sign up, you’ll get access to the Virtual Conference Goodie Bag with gifts from many of the presenters, including one from me!
Marketing
Click-it: 20 Best Nonprofit Websites – 2016 Edition. Thinking about revamping your website? Why not borrow from the best in the business? TopNonprofits has found 20 websites for you to emulate. Popular design elements include: (1) Responsive; (2) Long Home Page; (3) Sleek Navigation; (4) Animated backgrounds; (5) Infographics, and (6) Strong visuals. Check ‘em out!
Click-it: Color Psychology In Marketing: The Complete Guide. If you ever wanted to know just about everything you need to know about color, then this article on the Co-Schedule blog is for you! Plus there’s a free downloadable poster for handy reference. Lots of food for thought. Did you know that Facebook is blue because Mark Zuckerberg is red-green colorblind? In an ocean of content marketing, color can help yours stand out.
Click-it: “Donor Engagement Study: Aligning Nonprofit Strategy with Donor Preference”[Download Free Study]. This study by Abila will give you some ideas as to how donors would prefer to engage with you. Pretty useful stuff to know, don’t you think? Of course, it’s always best to do your own survey because everyone’s experience is different. Still, this is a good place to begin.
Career Development
Click-it: The Fundraising Career Conference. OK this isn’t free but it’s very low cost for the value you get in return. I am proud to contribute one of 12 expert-led sessions, including Tom Ahern, Marc Pitman, Lynda Lysakowski, Mazarine Treyz and more, at this amazing online conference – April 6 – 8, 2016. It’s all designed to help you move up in your nonprofit career.
Click-it: Get Hired: 5 Steps to Finding a Job You Love. If you’re attending the Fundraising Career Conference (above) you may be interested in this free book I found on Heidi Cohen’s site. She knows everything about marketing in our digital age, so check her out when you get the chance.
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The Clairity Click-it is a weekly publication linking to useful resources and insights I find across the web. My selections are inspired by 7 Clairification Principles designed to help you and your organization be the change you want to see in the world.
Check out my 7 Clairification Keys to Unlock Your Nonprofit’s Fundraising Potential which builds on these principles. Looking for a new way to organize your approach to your work? I offer a full 30-day money- back guarantee — no questions asked. To your success!
Photo: Flickr, Isaac Torronterra
