Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Get the Clairity Click-it Ticket to Success!
Ever heard “Beware the Ides of March?”
If so, it’s probably from Shakespeare’s ‘Julius Caesar’ in which a soothsayer warns the lead character to beware this date (March 15th), but he ignores her and is assassinated). Ruh roh…
There’s nothing to be wary about here, unless you hate to receive free resources! Here’s my biweekly curated collection of articles, webinars, e-guides and all sorts of great information I find for you across the web. There’s so much good stuff out there, and if I find it useful I want you to know about it too!
I have lots of original info to offer as well, so hope you’ll ALSO enroll in ‘Clairification School’. You’ll get access to all my content for a full 12 months, including exclusive weekly articles, bonus webinars, my entire content archive and more, in the most cost-effective way I’ve found to deliver it. This is actionable content that will help you raise much more than you invest by enrolling. Feel free to check out what others have to say about why they’ve enrolled.
Hope to see you in school, and thank you for doing your important work!
P.S. Thanks, as always, to Bloomerang, my 2019 Clairity Click-it sponsor. Please know how dedicated we both are to helping you do your most important work. Questions? Just ask! Email me directly at claire@clairification.com.
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
Content Marketing
Click-it: Creating Ads that WORK is a piece by Gwen Emmons on the M+R blog that’s applicable to all your marketing communications (even if you don’t do advertising). For example, use one or more of these tips for your email appeals to grab attention and achieve relevance in the eye of your beholders.
Click-it: Keeping Up with Nonprofit Content Marketing and Social Media Tools. Check out my article on the Neal Schaffer social media strategy blog.
Donor Acquisition
Click-it: 1 of 40 Fundraising Questions That Demands an Answer. Veteran fundraiser Tom Ahern asks how old the average donor is, and it may not be what you think. This is an important article on the Guidestar blog that may significantly change your fundraising strategy. Give it a read, and think about it.
Click-it: Here’s How to Tweak Your Donation Processes to Improve Accessibility. This article from Qgiv discusses the importance of donation buttons, remittance slips and online donation forms. Little tweaks can make a big difference in your conversions.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Donor Cultivation is a Terrible Thing to Waste. In this article on the Bloomerang blog I lay out six steps to turn incidental cultivation to purposeful cultivation. You must start with your goal in mind.
Click-it: A Successful Blueprint for Reactivating Lapsed Donors. Joe Garecht, Garecht Fundraising Associates, lays out some straightforward steps you can take to assure you don’t lose your valuable supporters.
Click-it: What Netflix Would Do [to Retain Your Donors]. This is a provocative piece on the Network for Good blog about why you must adapt your retention strategies to our digitally-revolutionized world. Today’s donors, like today’s consumers, expect instant, curated, relevant content.
Click-it: 4 Ways to Retain More Online Donors With Your Thank You for Giving Redirect Page. Check out this super useful collaboration between Julia C. Campbell and Pamela Grow. Lots of concrete tips, with examples!
Events
Click-it: How to make your fundraising event stand out on social media. Ronald Pruitt of 4aGoodCause breaks down how your nonprofit can utilize digital channels to reach your supporters throughout the entire lifespan of your event.
Major and Legacy Giving
Click-it: 10 Reasons Why Donors and Fundraisers Like IRA Rollover Giving. Greg Warner of Market Smart explains why you should promote these types of gifts more robustly.
Management and Strategy
Click-it: Become the Nonprofit Leadership Change You Want to Be Using Neuroscience. I’m over on Bloomerang this week, talking about what makes donors decide to become involved with you. When you understand a bit of science and psychology you can optimize your messaging to influence behavior. Why not give yourself this leg up?
Click-it: 3 Tips for Partnering with a Professional Fundraiser. If you’re a small nonprofit, you may have considered outsourcing fundraising responsibilities. If so, here are some tips from Firespring as to what you should consider.
Online Social Marketing and Fundraising
Click-it: Is the Donor Pyramid a Thing of the Past? The way folks encounter your nonprofit in our digitally revolutionized world means you must reframe how you’ve thought about marketing and fundraising in the past. Long-time planned giving expert, Nathan Stelter of The Stelter Company, talks about how to engage donors today.
Trends
Click-it: The Top 13 SEO Trends Gaining Popularity In 2019. These come from Jeff Bullas, a top influencer of Chief Marketing Officers for businesses worldwide. They are important for nonprofits too! I’d recommend paying particular attention to ##5, 6, 8, 10 and 11 – important no matter your size.
Website
Click-it: Are You Putting Your Landing Page CTAs in the Right Place?. This is a meaty article from Get Response with all sorts of ideas (plus examples) for your landing pages and CTA (Call to Action) buttons. I like the comparison between Apple and Microsoft (you’ll see how your nonprofit can rock, or not, your CTA in this one). Don’t leave this to your IT folks. It will make a HUGE difference in your fundraising results. Share this with them!
Whole Ball of Wax
Click-it: Here’s what unsuccessful fundraising looks like. This is simply a spot-on musing from Jeff Brooks of Future Fundraising Now. I find it brilliant.
FREE AUDIO-VISUAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
The more you learn, the more you grow.
Finding webinars you’d like to attend that overlap? Note that for many of these webinars you can obtain a copy of the recording if you’re unable to join live – as long as you register!
Content Marketing
Click-it: My mission’s not sexy. I’m fundraising anyway [Register for free webinar, 3-28-19]. If you’ve not been able to identify your equivalent of cute kittens, join Turnkey for this session with Julie Puzzo of The American Kidney Foundation
Data and Technology
Click-it: What’s New and On the Way in Fundraising Technology [Register for free flash class, 3-26-19]. Join Donor Search with Chris Cannon from Zuri Group for an illuminating conversation about the ‘necessary,’ ‘nice to have,’ and ‘not needed’ when it comes to data management, marketing automation and more.
Donor Retention and Upgrades
Click-it: Using Discovery Questions to Connect with Donors [Watch free quick video]. The more you get to know your donors, the more likely you’ll be able to engage them in meaningful ways. On this 501 Video Movie Monday session, Rachel Muir describes how to effectively listen and learn.
Major Gifts
Click-it: 5 steps to getting larger gifts [Register for free webinar, 3-19-19]. Ellen Bristol shows how to apply the SMART Way approach to your fundraising for larger gifts. Hosted by Wildwoman Fundraising.
Strategy and Management
Click-it: Nonprofit Vision [Download series of on-demand podcasts]. I recently found this entire collection of podcasts made available by Gregory Nielson Training & Consulting. They’re conversations spotlighting critical issues in nonprofit leadership.
Click-it: How to Build a Thriving Nonprofit [Register for free, multi-session online workshop beginning 4-3-19]. Do not miss this incredible opportunity if you’re a small nonprofit! The awesome Joan Garry, Nonprofits are Messy, is giving away her wisdom, offering a step-by-step blueprint to sustainability for nonprofit leaders.
FREE DOWNLOADABLE MATERIALS
Annual Individual Giving
Click-it: The Science of Ask Strings [Download free white paper]. The amount you ask for, both in the body of your appeal and on your response device (remit card or donation page) makes a real difference. Read all about the science and get some actionable advice from the experts at Donor Voice here.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Online Approaches to Build and Sustain Donor Loyalty [Download free e-book]. My new guide for Bloomerang will help you take a step back and look at your online campaigns with a fresh perspective – all with the goal of building and sustaining donor loyalty.
Click-it: Highlights from 2018 Fundraising Effectiveness Project Report [Download free summary]. Just the facts! The folks at Donor Trends have put all the key take-aways from the 2018 Fundraising Effectiveness Project report into a video, some shareable infographics and more. Plus you can download the complete report from here. Use this to persuade your powers that be that you must prioritize donor retention this year.
Donor Surveys
Click-it: The Ultimate How-To Guide for Conducting Nonprofit Donor Surveys [Download free e-guide]. Filled with the what, why and how, this guide from Market Smart will help you learn more about your donors so you can connect with them more effectively.
Events
Click-it: How To Plan a Nonprofit Fundraising Event (on a budget) [Download free e-book]. Check out this super-comprehensive resource from the folks at Donor Perfect.
Major Giving
Click-it: Donor Advised Funds [Download free e-guide]. You’ll get five ways philanthropists use DAFS, plus help as to how you can benefit, all in this guide from NonProfit Pro.
Online Marketing
Click-it: Digital Marketing Report [Download free report]. This includes comprehensive data for Q4 2018, gathered by Merkle, one of the largest players in the digital marketing industry. Share it with your IT staff, marketing staff and data nerds.
Did You Miss My Recent Articles?
Here are links to my most recent articles. Enroll in ‘Clairification School’ get access to every single article I’ve ever written – with new ones delivered weekly straight to your in-box! You’ll also get free monthly tips from your own “My Clairification” dashboard.
- 2 Secrets to Prepare for a Fundraising Job Q & A
- 9 Secrets to Prepare for a Fundraising Job Interview
- Time to Reframe How You Do Nonprofit Fundraising
- Strategies to Leverage Donor Advised Fund Philanthropy
- 9 Strategies to Make Your Nonprofit Fundraising Appeal Relatable
If you find value in Clairification, your support via enrollment in Clairification School is a blessing. I promise to pay it back, and continue to offer lots of specific advice to help you raise greater awareness, more volunteerism and passionate philanthropy.
Hope to see you in Clairification School!
My motto is: “If I know it, I want you to know it.”
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