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Throwing shade or throwing light?

One takes a little more effort than the other.

While throwing shade might be more fun, it eventually runs out of energy. It’s designed to end conversations, not start them, to intimidate, not encourage.

Turning on lights helps everyone.

— Seth Godin

You are on a meaning-seeking journey. Through your work, you create positive change and make lives easier and better. One person, family, community, region at a time.  Your donors seek the same.

Part of your job is to bring meaning, not just to the beneficiaries of your organization’s mission but also to the people who contribute towards your meaningful outcomes.

It turns out when you consider what brings meaning and value to philanthropists – donors and volunteers – you do a more effective job creating abundance all around.

Use some of the resources in this week’s issue of the Clairity Click-it to help you on your journey. And to help your supporters on theirs. 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. Get curious!

As always, a big thank you to my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the hours of time hunting, gathering and choosing the resources I believe will be most useful to you.

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to succeed.

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

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Please scroll down to see all my Clairification School sponsors who enable me to offer enrollment in ‘Clairification School at an affordable price [If the enrollment fee is a hardship, just email me and tell me what you can afford. I mean it.]

Easily distracted and mildly interested

We can either accept that this is the state of our audience and plan appropriately…

Or do the very difficult work of changing their state.

–Seth Godin

This is the time of year, more than any other season, when it’s imperative you attract and sustain attention.  Beyond that, you must make it easy for folks to engage with you.  And, particularly, to donate. That means optimizing for mobile, creating a user-friendly and compelling donation page, and assuring you’re driving folks to that page from multiple channels (website, email, social media, QR codes, and events). It also means crafting compelling stories, replete with outcomes folks can visualize.  Invite people into your cause and community with specific actions they can take – actions that will make them feel like the good human beings they are.

This issue of the Clairity Click-it is filled with a curated mix of ideas and resources to help you generate the philanthropy you need to fuel your vision, mission and values.  As you peruse the available selection, I invite you to look for just one idea you might try or adapt. Don’t stand still. Grow.

As always, a big thank you to my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the hours of time hunting, gathering and choosing the eclectic resources I believe will best meet the needs of the diverse range of folks who comprise our critically important social benefit sector.

Thank you for doing your vital work, with gratitude,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. If you’re already a Clairification School student, your OCTOBER TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, please consider helping me cover my costs. [This is a labor of love – it’s all done by one person — so your support through enrollment is greatly appreciated! PLUS, this month’s tips are super useful.  They’re all about reframing your approach to asking at this critical time of year – and there are links to tons of practical resources.]

Is $100 for a whole year a good investment for having someone (me) do your homework for you?  Articles, monthly tips, newsletter, webinars, and even bonuses. You get them all.

My motto: “If I know it I want you to know it!”

“Thanks for your quick response”

That’s pretty new. Letters sent by Thomas Jefferson from France often took months to get a response. No points for shaving a day off a 90-day correspondence lag.

The 800 toll-free number shifted the dynamic we expected from marketers. If we call you, we expect you to answer. Now, not later. FEDEX did the same for physical items–yes, of course I absolutely want it here tomorrow.

The race for speed doesn’t often have economic justification. I can probably live without a return label or customer service or some rabbit chow for a few minutes or even a few days…

But it’s the thought that counts.

If you’re not selling a commodity at the lowest price, that’s what you’ve got to sell. The thought.

Stories are built on a foundation of thoughtfulness, the empathy of seeing where the others are, what they dream of and what they fear.

And ‘quick response’ is one of the cheapest and most reliable ways to demonstrate that empathy.

— Seth Godin

This post from Seth Godin is wise, on multiple levels.  Of course you know a prompt, personal, powerful thank you is one of the most important fundraising strategies that exist.  But Seth goes beyond the post-gift expression of gratitude to the importance of channeling gratitude in every single interactions you have. How? By assuming generosity of spirit.  By seeing people as good and caring and, yes, needy.  When you’re able to channel empathy not just for your beneficiaries, but also for your donors, your fundraising will naturally improve.

This issue of the Clairity Click-it is filled with a curated mix of ideas and resources to help you choose generate the philanthropy you need to fuel your vision, mission and values.  As you peruse the available selection, I invite you to look for just one idea you might try or adapt. If something resonates, save it, make a note, and put it on your calendar so it’s there for you when the moment is right.

As always, a big thank you to my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the hours of time hunting, gathering and choosing the eclectic resources I believe will best meet the needs of the diverse range of folks who comprise our critically important social benefit sector.

Thank you for doing your vital work, with gratitude,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. If you’re already a Clairification School student, your SEPTEMBER TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, please consider helping me cover my costs. [This is a labor of love, but your support through enrollment is greatly appreciated!]

 My motto: “If I know it I want you to know it!”

Memories of memories

That’s most of what we’ve got.

We don’t actually remember much of what happens. Instead, we get what we’ve rehearsed.

If we fail to rehearse, the memory will fade.

And if the memory isn’t serving us, we can work to stop rehearsing it.

Choosing what we rehearse is a way of choosing who we will become.

— Seth Godin

It’s been 25 years since the tragedy of 9-11. An eon for some. The blink of an eye for others. And an ongoing heartache for many who suffered, and are still suffering.

Alas, it’s not the only tragedy in our world. Or the only peril we’ve faced, or will face. Which is why now, more than ever, it is our obligation to stand up, do work that matters, and be the change we want to see in the world.

So, consider what you are rehearsing for as you go about your daily life. What is the “show” you want to put on?

This issue of the Clairity Click-it is filled with a curated mix of ideas and resources to help you choose who you want to become – and how you will generate the philanthropy you need to fuel your vision, mission and values.  As you peruse the available selection, I invite you to look for just one idea you might try or adapt. If something resonates, save it, make a note, and put it on your calendar so it’s there for you when the moment is right.

As always, a big thank you to my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the hours of time hunting, gathering and choosing the eclectic resources I believe will best meet the needs of the diverse range of folks who comprise our critically important social benefit sector.

Thank you for doing your vital work, with gratitude,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. If you’re already a Clairification School student, your SEPTEMBER TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, please consider helping me cover my costs. [This is a labor of love, but your support through enrollment is greatly appreciated!]

 My motto: “If I know it I want you to know it!”

It’s What Happens Around The Coffee Cup That’s Interesting.

Joe Boxer, the company best known for its fun and stylish underwear, once made a sharp, insightful observation about their retail: “Our stores are museums, our products are the souvenirs.”

Very meta, right? Then again, all brands, all symbols are like this.

A brand isn’t a set of services. Nor is it a product catalog. A brand is an idea. An attitude. A worldview.

How about a Temple? Museum? Movement? Stage? Platform? Performance Art?

Attach a brand to something, and you give it new meaning.

Recently, a lot of retailers have been attaching their brand to one of the world’s favorite beverages: coffee.

Clothing retailers Uniqlo, Coach, and Ralph Lauren have opened cafes. Capital One too. LVMH has a Dior cafe in Dallas and a Louis Vuitton cafe in New York. There’s also Tiffany’s Blue Box Cafe. Prada has some in London, Singapore, and, according to rumor, New York soon. Let’s not forget Barnes and Noble and Target, which have long partnered with Starbucks.

Why are these companies doing this? Let’s hear it directly from their executives…

Nico Cessot, Uniqlo head of marketing, said the point is to help customers “be part of the brand, to feel the brand.”

Coach executive Marcus Sanders said it’s about enabling people to “experience their favorite brands in a different way.”

Jennifer Windbeck, Capital One’s head of retail bank channels, said, “bank accounts, credit cards and money are things that don’t always feel tangible. And so the cafes can show up as a personification of what is Capital One.”

As Joe Pine, author of the Experience Economy, put it, “It’s not just about the coffee, it’s about immersing you in the brand values, in the brand colors, in what it stands for.”

The way we see it, it’s all an exercise in attention generation, the holy grail of all businesses. Attention isn’t simply the currency of social networks, but at the core of every successful leader.

See the pattern?

The brand is an idea – that’s all well and good – but the idea takes on new power when it is “experienced” and “felt.” All of these tactics lead to greater attention on the brand and therefore its leader.

The idea gives meaning to the physical artifacts. The physical artifacts give form to the idea.

To be clear, this doesn’t just apply to clothes or financial products. It matters for anyone who wants to spread any idea.

Great leaders make their ideas visible, tangible, and undeniable. Not just something you think about, but something you can actually feel and see.

Only then do those ideas catch and spread; only then do people want to bring home the souvenir.

— Hugh MacLeod, the Gaping Void

This issue of the Clairity Click-it is filled with a curated mix of ideas and resources to help you learn how to better express and share your ideas so they catch and spread – generating the philanthropy you need to fuel your vision, mission and values.  As you peruse the available selection, I invite you to look for just one idea you might try or adapt. If something resonates, save it, make a note, and put it on your calendar so it’s there for you when the moment is right.

As always, a big thank you to my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the hours of time hunting, gathering and choosing the eclectic resources I believe will best meet the needs of the diverse range of folks who comprise our critically important social benefit sector.

And, yes, I will always love you for doing your vital work, 

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. If you’re already a Clairification School student, your SEPTEMBER TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, please consider helping me cover my costs. [This is a labor of love, but your support through enrollment is greatly appreciated!]

 My motto: “If I know it I want you to know it!”

Do you ever find yourself spending seemingly endless time worrying about the state of the world? The future of your organization? Family dynamics? Career prospects? Simply what you’re going to eat for lunch?  The dog days of summer lead to this type of languid reflection. Sometimes it’s useful. But, it can also be enervating.

The inimitable Seth Godin puts it succinctly:

Daydream fatigue

“Spend enough time inventing possible futures in your head and you won’t have any time to build the future we will all share.

Time to get to work.”

Sometimes it’s best to stop overthinking and start doing. Which is why I’ve collected a bunch of resources for you that will, hopefully, get your brain into action mode!  Need new ideas? Skills? Perspectives? They’re all here. Check them out! You’re guaranteed to find something that will shift your thinking.

As always, a big thank you to my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the hours of time hunting, gathering and choosing the eclectic resources I believe will best meet the needs of the diverse range of folks who comprise our critically important social benefit sector.

You’ve got this!

Thank you for doing your vital work, with gratitude,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. If you’re an enrolled Clairification School student, your AUGUST TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, there’s no better time.

Wherever you are, here’s hoping you’re managing to keep cool!

And I don’t mean just physically. As we begin to ramp up for the busiest part of the fundraising year — during a time of unprecedented upheaval — try to let cooler heads prevail. Hopefully, some of the wisdom you find in this newsletter will help you with great ideas to lessen your stress.

Let’s begin with this wisdom from Seth Godin:

You don’t need a better camera

“They keep getting fancier. But you would benefit from investing in better lighting instead.

It’s tempting to upgrade your computer processor, your frying pan or your sneakers as well.

The thing is, once the foundational tools are good enough, technique and training outperform hardware. New snow tires are often more effective than a new car at getting to work, because traction matters more than horsepower.

Sharpening your saw or building resilience might be the best way to improve.”

This issue of the Clairity Click-it is filled with a curated mix of ideas and resources to help you improve your technique, training, and overall approach to your work. As you peruse the available selection, I invite you to look for just one idea you might try or adapt. If something resonates, save it, make a note, and put it on your calendar so it’s there for you when the moment is right.

As always, a big thank you to my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the hours of time hunting, gathering and choosing the eclectic resources I believe will best meet the needs of the diverse range of folks who comprise our critically important social benefit sector.

Thank you for doing your vital work, with gratitude,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. If you’re already a Clairification School student, your AUGUST TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, please consider helping me cover my costs. [This is a labor of love, but your support through enrollment is greatly appreciated!]

This very title by Maria Popova, The Marginalian, speaks to me: How We Render Reality: Attention as an Instrument of Love.

You know I talk a lot about philanthropy as a manifestation of love, right?

Popova also notes D.H. Lawrence wrote “An act of pure attention, if you are capable of it, will bring its own answer.” She means it in so many ways; I, of course, read it through the lens of a philanthropy facilitator. That’s you! One who pays quality attention to other people, leading to a relationship comprised of what you make of them and what they make of you. And how, together – with feeling — you make a meaningful whole that lights both of you up.

What might happen were you to give your donors pure attention – coming from a place of love and curiosity – rather than sticking to your script of pursuing your own agenda?

What if you were to be truly responsive to your donor, thereby nurturing their gifts – not just money, but their unique talents, interests, and passions — into being? This is how you might “feel into each other,” unconsciously using empathy to discover the true foundation of love – and philanthropy (“love of humanity”).

This issue of the Clairity Click-it has a special section on empathy. I’ve also brought together a curated mix of ideas and resources to help you invent a better future. As you read, I invite you to look for just one idea you might try or adapt. If something resonates, save it, make a note, and put it on your calendar so it’s there for you when the moment is right.

As always, a big thank you to my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the hours of time hunting, gathering and choosing the eclectic resources I believe will best meet the needs of the diverse range of folks who comprise our critically important social benefit sector.

Thank you for doing your vital work, with gratitude,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. If you’re an enrolled Clairification School student, your JULY TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, there’s no better time.

This is a great month to do something you’re proud of. And to support others who are showing their spirit and pride. Actually, every month is good for these things!

Which, as it often does, brings me to share a bit of wisdom from the sage Seth Godin.

Doing your job vs doing your work

“If you’re not sure of the difference, you’re probably just doing your job.

Perhaps, if you’re fortunate, your job is in sync with your work.

But most of the time, our work is something we have to fight for. It’s not something we’re given, or apply for. It’s what we choose to do.

The change we seek to make, the people we seek to serve, the decisions we insist on being responsible for.

Doing our work is a calling.

Doing our job is an offer to follow someone else’s instructions.”

How do you see your work? As you navigate funding uncertainty, policy changes, economic burdens, and rapid change, what are you doing today to change tomorrow?

As we enter a big holiday weekend in the U.S., I am reminded of all who came before us. Those who fought for important human rights, who challenged the status quo, and who practiced love, empathy and caring for their fellow human beings.  I am grateful for all who have served us – in every imaginable capacity.

It can, at times, be challenging to do our work. To follow our callings. Especially in the face of tremendous pressures – both internal and external.  But something as rare as a semiquincentennial should be our opportunity to stop and think about what we value, and what we can do – individually and together – to assure those values live on.

As others served us, so is it our responsibility to serve those who will come after us.

This issue of the Clairity Click-it brings together a carefully curated mix of ideas and resources to help you invent a better future. You’ll find content to support leadership, decision-making, communication, and fundraising — all organized by category so you can easily scan for what’s most relevant to you right now. Or come back when your priorities shift.

As you read, I invite you to look for just one idea you might try or adapt. If something resonates, save it, make a note, and put it on your calendar so it’s there for you when the moment is right.

As always, a big thank you to my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the hours of time hunting, gathering and choosing the eclectic resources I believe will best meet the needs of the diverse range of folks who comprise our critically important social benefit sector.

Thank you for doing your vital work, with gratitude,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. If you’re an enrolled Clairification School student, your JULY TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, please consider helping me cover my costs. [This is a labor of love, but if the enrollment fee is a hardship, please email me and we’ll work it out. I want you on board!. My motto: “If I know it I want you to know it!”]

This issue marks the 13^th anniversary of the Clairity Click-it Newsletter.  That’s 364 issues (whoa!), all chock full of resources I hand select for you from across the web. And nothing I select will cost you a dime! I search assiduously, read every single article before sharing with you, and only select trusted resources for webinars, podcasts, e-guides, papers, reports and the like.

How can I afford the time, you wonder? I can’t! Which is why I have some sponsors to help underwrite what is, mostly, a labor of love. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to see who they are, and maybe click on their links to learn more about them.  They’re all terrific resources for you, and definitely worth your attention. I also want to extend a special shout out to my lead sponsor, Bloomerang, for all they do – beyond just their wonderful product — to help nonprofits make lasting change in their communities and the world.

If you’ve been along for the ride for a while, I hope you’ve gleaned some useful nuggets to help you in your work, and maybe even in your personal life. If you’re new, welcome!  I love sharing insights, research and practices from other disciplines, including psychology, neuroscience, behavioral economics, mindfulness, for-profit marketing, and more. If you’ve found this newsletter thought-provoking, educational or just plain practical, please forward it to a curious colleague.  They can subscribe here for free.

But why stop here?

ENROLL in ‘Clairification School’ (modest annual charge to cover my costs) and receive access to ALL original articles (including 1,000+ article archive) + exclusive members’ only benefits: bonus content with actionable tips and ‘how-to’s,’ specific monthly tips, access to webinars and podcasts, and generous discounts on products and courses. Get your exclusive member benefits here!

ANNIVERSARY ENROLLMENT SPECIAL:

In honor of this anniversary, anyone who enrolls in Clairification School through the end of this month will receive an additional, meaty (or veggie heavy) BONUS e-guide — “Use Gratitude to Build Relationships that Pave the Way for Future Gifts” — jam-packed with actionable tips.

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

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. If you’d like to receive ALL my content, and the $100 Clairification School enrollment fee (under $2/day) is a hardship, let me know. No questions asked. No judgement. I want to help. Period.