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Feature creep

1. 1. Adding another feature is cheap compared to the benefits it offers to new users or existing ones.
   2. Once a feature is added, it is almost never removed.
   3. When enough features are added, the system breaks down and fails.

This isn’t just software. It’s the menu at the diner. It’s the buttons on the dashboard of a car. It’s the variety of choices parents are offered of which dates summer camp starts or ends. Anything where a lot of hard work can be slightly improved simply by adding an innocuous option.

Add one point, Yahoo had 183 links on their home page. Google, which had two, ultimately grabbed all of their search traffic. The app on my phone can now open the trunk of my car if I press enough buttons.

Features are useful (that’s why we call them features). And yes, serving the underserved and the unseen is important. But creep cannot continue forever. At some point, there’s system bankruptcy and the cycle begins again.

While we might not easily say no to a new feature, we can be smart and proactive when it comes time to clear the slate and start over.

— Seth Godin

Here are some free resources, curated from across the web. Per Seth Godin, you don’t want to try everything at once, but some features will make your job easier, more fulfilling and more successful. In other words, don’t overly crowd your donation page or offer a reply form with too many choices. Do adopt useful features that make giving, and asking, easy.

As always, a big thank you to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the time hunting and gathering.

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place.

Thank you for doing your vital work, and helping make our world a better place,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ means a lot, and I am deeply appreciative. It is my honor to deliver original articles direct to your in-box every week, give you access to all my webinars, and offer up exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more! 

As we go marching, marching, in the beauty of the day,

A million darkened kitchens, a thousand mill lofts gray,

Are touched with all the radiance that a sudden sun discloses,

For the people hear us singing:

Bread and Roses!

Bread and Roses!

– James Oppenheim

In Massachusetts, in 1912, a group of young women marched. They worked as operators of huge, mechanical looms in massive textile mills that covered the newly industrialized Northeast. Conditions were terribly unsafe. Tiny fibers filled the air, leaving them with never-ending coughs. Loom operators worked long hours, were paid a pittance, and many died from chronic lung conditions. The young women’s banner read: “Bread, yes, but roses too.”

The Lawrence mill workers’ strike became known in the annals of American labor history as the “Bread and Roses” strike. The poet, James Oppenheimer, wrote a famous protest song commemorating that action. It has been sung by everyone from Pete Seeger to Joan Baez to Ani DiFranco. The poem’s words declare the profound truth first articulated in the Book of Deuteronomy: “Human beings do not live by bread alone” (Deuteronomy 8:3). It is not enough to ensure people have the bare minimum they need to survive, every human being also deserves those things that give life meaning, beauty, and joy.

Labor Day honors the heroes of one of the most successful movements for human dignity in history. Laws forbidding child labor, ensuring safe working conditions, requiring a minimum wage and overtime pay, and a host of other protections are the direct result of the courage and sacrifice of so many, including the women of Lawrence.

Labor Day is an expression of the positive values we see expressed every day in the social benefit sector. As you enjoy this long weekend, take a moment to pat yourself on the back for being a part of this good labor.

Here is some reading, curated from across the web. All the resources are free, and I hope you’ll find something to make your job easier, and more fulfilling. As always, a big thank you to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the time hunting and gathering.

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place.

Thank you for doing your vital work, and helping make our world a better place,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ means a lot, and I am deeply appreciative. It is my honor to deliver original articles direct to your in-box every week, give you access to all my webinars, and offer up exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more! 

As you’re planning ahead, and readying your year-end fundraising initiatives, take a little time to think about your communication delivery mediums. Not to mention your message content. Are you reaching the right audiences, and making it easy for them? Are you sharing messaging that’s relevant, and authentically you?

Take some inspiration from the inimitable Seth Godin:

Little billboards

On the West Side Highway in Manhattan, there’s currently a billboard for some sort of placebo supplement. In the corner is a QR code for more information.

Unless the person in the passenger seat has a telephoto lens on their phone, there’s no way in the world that this is going to work.

My late friend Jay Levinson said that the most effective billboard would say, “FREE COFFEE, NEXT EXIT.” A call to action, relevant to the viewer, easy to see and understand.

Actual billboards are a whole category of media, but now we’re surrounded by a new kind, a smaller, more evanescent and common one: Social media posts. You might see a thousand of these a day.

Social media began as text updates from one human to another, but thanks to photo sharing, some of the posts have become something else entirely. A chance to create consistent, actionable and clear reminders of what you are and what you stand for.

But keeping Jay’s edict in mind, they work best when they’re about the viewer as much as they are about you. They work better when they can be seen and understood from a distance. And they work better when they “sound like you.”

I publish the Clairity Click-it to offer all kinds of resources for all kinds of nonprofit consumers. Whatever your role, you’ll find something in this issue to nourish you. So, start digging through the curated content from across the web. I hope it will make your job easier, and more fulfilling. There’s lots to get curious about!

As always, a big thank you to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the time hunting and gathering.

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place.

Thank you for doing your vital work, and helping make our world a better place,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ means a lot, and I am deeply appreciative. This is what enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box every week, give you access to all my webinars, and offer up exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more! 

Two kinds of good cooks

One is very skilled at following the recipe. Quality control, consistency and diligence.

The other understands how the recipe works, sees patterns and opportunities and changes the recipe to fit the problem to be solved. It’s about metaphor in addition to process.

Both are useful.

If you think this is a post about cooking, you might be the first kind of cook.

— Seth Godin

Whether you’re a recipe follower or a change maker, you’ll find resources here to match your style and meet your needs. Find a topic that interests you, and… click away! 

I publish the Clairity Click-it to offer all kinds of meals for all kinds of consumers. Lots of food for thought. And this issue has plenty to nourish you. So, start digging through this issue’s curated content from across the web. I hope it will make your job easier, and more fulfilling. There’s lots to get curious about!

As always, a big thank you to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the time hunting and gathering.

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place.

Thank you for doing your vital work, and helping make our world a better place,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ means a lot, and I am deeply appreciative. This is what enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box every week, give you access to all my webinars, and offer up exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more! 

Feeling these days like you’re constantly bracing for something, and the amount of risks on the horizon can feel overwhelming?

In Solving for stress, Seth Godin writes: “The solution to stress isn’t reassurance. It’s accurately understanding the world as it is, and making choices about what we do and how we do it. But far more than that, we relieve stress by making choices about the stories we tell ourselves.”

Donors do the same thing. And the story most people want to tell themselves is they’re a good, kind, caring person. They’re making a difference to someone other than themselves. They’re being part of the solution. Your job, as a philanthropy facilitator, is to help them tell their story so they like who they see when they look in the mirror.

Do you need a little help with this?

Seth Godin also says: “If we’re hungry, the obvious solution is to eat something.”

I publish the Clairity Click-it precisely to give you food for thought. Fuel, if you will, to ignite the creative process that will enable you to go from good to great. To ask yourself, “how could we do this better?”

So, eat up! This issue has plenty to nourish you. Start digging through this issue’s curated content from across the web. I hope it will make your job less stressful, and more fun.

As always, a big thank you to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the time hunting and gathering. Find a topic that interests you, and… click away! 

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place.

Thank you for doing such vital work, and giving to others on a regular basis,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ means a lot, and I am deeply appreciative. This is what enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box every week, give you access to all my webinars, and offer up exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more! 

“Could be better”

Three words that open the door for insight, understanding and improvement.

Gratitude isn’t in question. Neither is acceptance of the situation. It’s not unpatriotic or disloyal to talk about how something could be improved. Instead, when we care enough to say, “could be better,” we’re putting ourselves on the hook to create. You need to care enough to describe an improvement.

Because once you’ve announced how something can be better, you get the chance to show that it can be done.

— Seth Godin

Life’s no fun when you’re just phoning it in, or simply resting on your laurels. You need something to get creative juices flowing and spark joy. Do this for yourself, and you’ll inevitably do it for others too. Caring is sharing and spreading the love.

I publish the Clairity Click-it precisely to give you food for thought. Fuel, if you will, to ignite the creative process that will enable you to go from good to great.

To ask yourself, “how could we do this better?”

Grab your sand pail, and start digging through this issue’s resources! You’ll find curated content from across the web  — all to make your job of facilitating philanthropy easier and richer.

As always, a big thank you to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the time hunting and gathering. Find a topic that interests you, and… click away! 

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place.

Thank you for doing such vital work, and giving to others on a regular basis,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ means a lot, and I am deeply appreciative. This is what enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box every week, give you access to all my webinars, and offer up exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more! 

There’s a cornerstone of Western thought, called The Golden Rule. Basically, it says (as it says in the Bible), “Do unto others as you would want done to you.”

But it isn’t just in the Bible. Aesop, the Greek storyteller talked about it 4,000 years ago:

The wind and the sun are squabbling. They are arguing over who is more powerful. They agree to settle it with a competition.

How do they compete?

They decide to test their strength by trying to take a traveler’s coat off.

The wind tries first. He sends gust after gust of a cold, forceful, and blustering gale at the traveler. His strategy is to try to tear the coat off.

The traveler only pulls his coat tighter.

The sun scoffs at the wind’s foolishness. It’s his turn.

What does the sun do?

He sends ray after ray of warm, kind, and loving sunshine at the traveler.

What does the traveler do?

He takes his own coat off.

The moral?

Kindness, gentleness, and sophisticated persuasion win where force, compulsion, and coercion fail.

People want to be persuaded, not pushed or pulled; led, not commanded.

Don’t fall into this trap.

Be the sun, not the wind.

Lead with respect for their autonomy. Some of the most persuasive words in the English language are “it’s up to you” and “the choice is yours.”

— Hugh MacLeod, Gaping Void

“Kindness, gentleness, and sophisticated persuasion…” these are the tools of the savviest fundraisers. Because they know their job is not about money, but love, empathy and understanding. 

When you get inside your donor’s head, you’re best prepared to make a match between their passions and yours. You won’t succeed by using guilt or coercion. Maybe a little, but it’s not the stuff of which warm, loyal, mutually beneficial, longstanding relationships are made.

I’m here today with some summer reading – a whole beach bag filled with curated resources from across the web  — all to make your job of facilitating philanthropy easier. I hope you’ll find resources in this newsletter to help you lead with respect for the autonomy of others.  No more “us” and them;” only “we.” That’s how you’ll help repair the world.

Thanks again to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the time hunting and gathering. Find a topic that interests you, and… click away! 

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place.

Thank you for doing such vital work, and giving to others on a regular basis,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ means a lot, and I am deeply appreciative. This is what enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box every week, give you access to all my webinars, and offer up exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more! 

I’m calling this issue jejune partly as a play on the name of the month we’re in and partly because jejune means “devoid of significance or interest.”

Could that be how you’ve been doing fundraising? Are you relevant, or do you fail to meet folks where they are and fully engage them? Whenever you communicate with your audiences, do you first think “How will this be received?” How other-aware are you?

I like this wisdom from the inimatable Seth Godin:

Are you smart?

Smart is no longer memorization. It’s not worth much.

Smart is no longer access to information. Everyone has that.

Smart is:

• Situational awareness
• Clarity of goals
• Good taste
• Empathy for others
• The ability to make decisions that further your goals

The good news is that smart is a choice, and smart is a skill.

— Seth Godin

This newsletter is designed to make you smart.  And in today’s rapidly evolving world, it’s hard to be smart absent information.  Not just stuff you memorize, but stuff about how people think, feel, act and make decisions. It’s important to stay in tune, both with your audiences and with what’s going on in the world.

Your nonprofit does not exist in a vacuum.

When you stick your head up out of the sand, get clear on your own goals, consider the goals of others, and artfully make a match between organizational and constituent values… then you have something!

I’m here again with my curated list of good stuff across the web designed to make your job of facilitating philanthropy easier. Thanks again to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the time hunting and gathering.

Find a topic that interests you, and… click away!  Whatever type of learner you are, there’s something here for you. Tactical advice. Theory and science. New approaches. Stuff to read. Stuff to listen to. Stuff to watch.

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place.

Thank you for doing such vital work, and giving to others on a regular basis,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ means a lot, and I am deeply appreciative. This is what enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box every week, give you access to all my webinars, and offer up exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more! 

June is about to bust out all over. Please, take a deep breath and some time to smell the flowers. Re-energize a bit, so you’ve got fuel to get back to your important role in making our world — even if just a small corner of it — a better place. What you do means a lot.

“Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure, as Freud believed, or a quest for power, as Alfred Adler taught, but a quest for meaning. The greatest task for any person is to find meaning in his or her life. 

— Viktor Frankl

Your job as a philanthropy facilitator is to create meaning for supporters. It’s the gift you give, in exchange for the gift they offer. And it’s a noble pursuit.

I follow the musings of Hugh MacLeod, a highly-regarded author and artist who writes on the themes of innovation, creativity, and motivation. I love this:

“Culture is at its core, about creating meaning. Designing purpose. it is about finding that which unites us all. In such work, eventually, your travels will lead you to the great Viktor’s work.

An Austrian Jew, when he was interred in Auschwitz, he noticed that the people who lost all sense of hope were the first to die, and the people who survived were the ones who could still find meaning in their lives, could still find hope, despite their grim circumstances.

This informed his famous idea that the search for “meaning” is the great driver of human experience, which he wrote about in his classic book, “Man’s Search for Meaning”.

We are here to find meaning. That is as true in your business office as it is behind the counter at a convenience store, or working for NASA or Apple, or serving in the US Marine Corps. That is our central driver.

And a good leader never forgets it.

— Hugh MacLeod, The Gaping Void

A good philanthropy facilitator never forgets this either.

I’m here again with my curated list of good stuff across the web designed to make your job of delivering happiness and bringing meaning easier. Thanks again to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the time hunting and gathering.

Find a topic that interests you, and… click away!  Whatever type of learner you are, there’s something here for you. Tactical advice. Theory and science. New approaches. Stuff to read. Stuff to listen to. Stuff to watch.

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place.

Thank you for doing such vital work, and giving to others on a regular basis,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ means a lot, and I am deeply appreciative. This is what enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box every week, give you access to all my webinars, and offer up exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more! 

Happy Spring Friday the 13th! A lovely season, and a lovely date.  You see, both I and my son were born on Friday the 13ths, so I consider it a day filled with new possibilities. And since this is a Spring one, it’s even more filled with blooming potential than usual! So what could be more perfect than to send a shout-out to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the time hunting and gathering the best free content I can find across the globe.

I hope you’ll find a topic that interests you, and… click away!

When you do, if you’re lucky, all sorts of new ideas will start to blossom — making your job a lot more fun and, hopefully, more effective and fulfilling as well.

Whatever type of learner you are, there’s something here for you. Tactical advice. Theory and science. New approaches. Stuff to read. Stuff to listen to. Stuff to watch.

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place. Thank you for doing such vital and compassionate work, and giving to others on a regular basis,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ means a lot, and I am deeply appreciative. This is what enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box every week, give you access to all my webinars and podcasts, and offer up exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more!  This year, I hope to see you in school!