Archives:

Let’s begin with a bit of wisdom for the new year…

Generosity and gratitude

A gift doesn’t diminish the giver. Sharing creates connection, possibility and energy.

And the magic of gratitude is that it improves everything it touches, especially the person who offered it in the first place.

So, what holds us back?

Fear. Fear of connection, of change, of seeing what is possible. It might feel safer to focus on scarcity.

Generosity and gratitude often go together. They light a path on the way to better.

— Seth Godin

Of course, I lead with this sage advice because now is the time for channeling as much gratitude as you can muster. All those year-end donations you received? If you want them to be repeated in the coming year, there’s nothing more important you can do than deliver a prompt, personal thank you focused on the impact the donor’s gift will make. Don’t make this one about you, your accomplishments, and all the need that still exists. Simply be thankful.

I’ve filled this issue of the newsletter with a mix of topics to help you begin the coming year thoughtfully. I encourage you to dig through this curated content from across the web and pick one or more doable strategies. Approach this with a learning mindset, vowing to find at least one thing you’ll do a bit differently (if not today, then tomorrow; save the idea and put it on your calendar so you’re sure to revisit it at the appropriate time).

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, please email me and we’ll work it out. Truly, if I know it I want you to know it!]

As this year draws to a close, I want to share something from the heart. This isn’t just about saying thank you — though gratitude is at the center of it. It’s also a reminder for anyone feeling uncertain or a bit unsteady right now: you are not alone. Your community surrounds you. And even when the road ahead feels unclear, we’ve always found our way by walking it together. That hasn’t changed, and it never will.

This issue of the “Clairity Click-it” brings together a carefully curated mix of ideas and resources to help you engage more effectively with the people you serve and lead. Every piece is selected thoughtfully — by me personally, not AI — with an eye toward practical insights and tools you can use to strengthen your work and its impact.

You’ll find content to support leadership, communication, and decision-making, 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 DECEMBER TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, please consider helping me simply 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 – even if it costs me money. My motto: “If I know it I want you to know it!”]

As we enter the season of light, and you move into full-steam-ahead year-end fundraising mode, there’s something I want to remind you about your messaging.

Oh, by the way, it’s not about you.

The biggest mistake you can make is thinking your organization is the story.  People aren’t buying your organization.  When someone asks: “What do you do?” they’re not interested in your organization so much as what your organization accomplishes.

Imagine you’re at a dinner party and someone asks “What do you do?”  Are you going to tell them your entire life story?  Every aspect, from job to education to family to hobbies? No, of course not! You’ll tell them one thing about yourself.  Why?  Because they don’t know you. They’re not yet that interested in you. First, you have to intrigue them.

The same holds true with your nonprofit.  Whenever someone asks the “What do you do?” question, whether explicitly or implicitly, your job is simply this: tell them about ONE thing you accomplish.

“If you write what you yourself sincerely think and feel and are interested in,” Rachel Carson wrote as she contemplated the loneliness of creative work after her unexampled books about the sea made her one of the most beloved writers of her time, “you will interest other people.”

– Maria Popova, The Marginalian

Now is a good time to personally re-connect with your organization’s mission. What really jazzes you about the work your efforts make possible? If you’re not excited, don’t expect others to get excited. Philanthropy is a passion business!

Okay! It’s biweekly newsletter time again, and my hope is some of the free resources I’ve collected and curated for you will help you share your passions and guide others on the pathway to passionate philanthropy. This issue is filled with a mix of topics to help you engage more effectively with all sorts of people. I pick every resource thoughtfully (no AI used here), specifically to bring you the big ideas and useful tools you need to inspire others to enact their values.  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.

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! 

Once again, I’m sharing a bit of inspiration.

Kinds of Power

There’s the James Bond villain sort of power, based on division, dominance and destruction. This is the short-term power of bullies, trauma and mobs.

And then there’s a more resilient form of power. This is power based on connection, discussion and metrics. A power based in reality over the long term.

Divisive power tears things down. Resilient power builds things up.

Resilient power creates the conditions for the community to produce value over time. Resilient power uses optimism and fairness to create value because participants can see ways they can participate and contribute.

Fear might be for sale, but that doesn’t mean we have to buy it.

Better is possible.

— Seth Godin

What will you do in the weeks and months ahead to demonstrate your resilience and step into your power on behalf of those who need your help?

What will you do to engage others in your mission and vision?

What will you do to make the world, or your little corner of it, a better place?

Hopefully, you can use some of the insights you glean in this week’s issue of the Clairity Click-it to help you move forward. So, start digging through the curated content from across the web. I hope it will make your job easier, and more fulfilling.

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.

You’ve got this!

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 on-demand access to all my webinars and archived articles, and offer up exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more! It’s less than $2/week [If the enrollment fee is a hardship, please email me and we’ll work it out.]

Do you know what’s in your donors’ backpacks?

“The other backpacks

A powerful metaphor from a long hike:

Every hiker is intimately aware of their backpack. They picked it out, choosing from dozens of options. They know which straps are loose and which are digging into their skin. They can tell you if it’s lopsided, and what is in each pocket.

And yet…

Even after days on the trail, they probably couldn’t tell you a thing about anyone else’s backpack. Except, perhaps, that everyone else has one.”

That’s the first step toward empathy: Realizing that everyone else has a backpack, and that it’s different from yours.

— Seth Godin

When you engage with donors, do you ask yourself what matters to them? What do you do to try to find out? If you don’t know, empathy becomes impossible. And empathy is one of the prime ways we connect with others. Donors included.

Consider that your supporters are all on a journey. Backpacks strapped on. Waiting for you to be their empathic guide.This issue of the Clairity Click-it is filled with a mix of topics to help you engage more effectively with all sorts of people. To inspire others to enact their values.  To lead. To amplify. To create abundance. It’s arranged by category, to help you locate the pieces of curated content that most intrigue you and/or meet your needs of the moment.

Approach this with a learning mindset, vowing to find at least one thing you’ll do a bit differently (if not today, then tomorrow; save the idea and put it on your calendar so you’re sure to revisit it at the appropriate time).

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 NOVEMBER TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, what are you waiting for? [The enrollment fee just covers my costs, but if it is a hardship, please email me and we’ll work it out. My motto: “If I know it I want you to know it!”]

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, please email me and we’ll work it out.]

Borrow from the best. Always.

I happen to think Hugh MacLeod of The Gapingvoid Culture Design Group is a genius. So, I often borrow from him and lean into his inspiration. This week’s post, Script or Sprezzatura?, uses Starbucks as an example to teach us something about how internal culture spills outwards.

In a nutshell, rather than focusing so much on your scripted message, focus instead on your “why.” What makes you uniquely appealing and irresistible? What is the most human, and humane, of all your qualities? Why is this so critical?  As MacLeod writes:

Instead of telling baristas what to say, give them something worth believing: 

Every interaction with a customer is a chance to turn someone’s day around. 

Genuine kindness costs nothing and changes everything. 

The world is starving for unhurried human moments.

How will you nurture people moving forward?

This issue of the Clairity Click-it is filled with a mix of topics to help you enroll and engage more people. To accompany more supporters on philanthropic journeys. To inspire others to enact their values.  To lead. To amplify. To create abundance. It’s arranged by category, to help you locate the pieces of curated content that most intrigue you and/or meet your needs of the moment.

Approach this with a learning mindset, vowing to find at least one thing you’ll do a bit differently (if not today, then tomorrow; save the idea and put it on your calendar so you’re sure to revisit it at the appropriate time).

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 OCTOBER TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, what are you waiting for? [The enrollment fee just covers my costs, but if it is a hardship, please email me and we’ll work it out. My motto: “If I know it I want you to know it!”]

How are you doing?

We live in a passionate time, with emotions running high. Sometimes, things seem beyond our control and we become overwhelmed. Or, worse, negative. Cup half (or totally) empty. But, the truth is you may have more control than you think. At least as to how you frame things and approach the world. And this reframing can make a huge difference in how you feel. And what you’re able to accomplish.

Here’s some wisdom from Seth Godin, who I always find thought provoking.

Contagious emotions

“Emotions are personal and most of the time, we can put effort into creating them (or avoiding them).

But in a community, emotions spread. And not at the same rate. Consider these emotions, roughly sorted by their virality:

• Panic
• Apprehension
• Enthusiasm
• Frustration
• Indignation
• Elation
• Nostalgia
• Curiosity
• Cynicism
• Determination
• Gratitude
• Vulnerability
• Melancholy
• Triumph
• Contentment
• Resignation
• Apathy
• Overwhelm
• Wonder
• Joy
• Satisfaction
• Serenity

If we want to share the emotions near the bottom of this list, we’re going to have to really work at it.”

What might you do in the coming weeks to work at fostering wonder, joy, satisfaction and serenity? How might you help others (e.g., your colleagues, volunteers and donors) to also feel these cup-full emotions?

I hope you will use some of the wisdom gleaned in this week’s issue of the Clairity Click-it newsletter to do the work that nourishes you, so you can then nourish others. Start digging through this 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 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. Please scroll down to see all my Clairification School sponsors who enable me to offer enrollment in ‘Clairification School (access to absolutely all of my content for a full year) at a beyond-affordable price [The enrollment fee just covers my costs, but if it is a hardship, please email me and we’ll work it out.]

An invitation to vibration

“Many organizations have a widget or service, something people already need or want, and they work to sell it to people.

Some seek monopoly power so they can force others to do what they want them to do.

But there’s a third path: we can create a brand or a movement or a community that seeks to do things with people.

A chance to accompany someone on a journey, to lead instead of manage, or to amplify and narrate. When we help people get to where they hope to go, persuasion isn’t as important as enrollment and engagement.”

— Seth Godin

I hope you will use some of the wisdom gleaned in this week’s issue of the Clairity Click-it newsletter to enroll and engage more people. To accompany more supporters on philanthropic journeys. To inspire others to enact their values.  To lead. To amplify. To create abundance.

Whatever your role, you’ll find something here 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 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 SEPTEBER TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, there’s no better time.

Perfect

“Nothing is perfect…

But everything can get better.

There’s never enough time…

But there’s time enough to make a difference.

Someone will always be opposed to the change we seek to make.

And there’s always someone who wants to help.

Anything can happen…

But something will.”

— Seth Godin

Not to belabor the point, but… YOU matter.

Something will happen.

And, everything can get better.

What do you hope to improve?

And will you be an active player in advancing the change you hope to see?

I’m hoping you will be, because the time to repair our world is NOW. One person, one action at a time. Need some ideas to jumpstart your creativity? I’ve collected a bunch of free resources for you that will, hopefully, offer new ideas, perspectives and skills to your toolkit. 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 SEPTEMBER TIPS are live.  If you’re not yet enrolled, there’s no better time.