Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
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
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!”
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL FEATURE: Nonprofit Workers
ARTICLES
Click-it: What the public doesn’t see: Raising the profile of nonprofit workers. This Candid article argues they deserve more visibility and respect. Did you know they make up the third largest U.S. workforce? Assuming nonprofits are, or should be, run by volunteers is one of the reason the “overhead myth” looms so large. And this is detrimental to your mission. It costs money to make money. The salaries paid to nonprofit workers have a ripple effect in the community, assuring essential services that would otherwise be unavailable are there for those who need them. This article discusses how to raise the profile of the nonprofit workforce.
Articles
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Women are Special. Audit the Verbs.. The seasoned copywriter Roger Craig always gives excellent advice. Especially about fundraising copy. You’ll find some here on the Agitator-DonorVoice blog. And much of it applies to all audiences, not just women.
Click-it: 25 Years of Recurring Giving and Latest Trends…. Erica Waasdorp, A Direct Solution, is the queen of monthly giving. So, I always listen to her. Here she lays out a 25-year history of the evolution of recurring giving. And, despite the fact we now have tools that make it much easier for nonprofits to manage, we’re still leaving a lot of money on the table. Erica offers some really interesting new ideas here – so, check them out!
Capital Campaign
Click-it: Nonprofit Fundraising: Top 5 Board Member Questions – Answered. This article from Capital Campaign Pro makes the point these campaigns are not “business as usual.” They require dedicated support, and a realistic strategic plan. Plus, clarity on how you reasonably expect your board members to help, and what you can do to support them.
Events
Click-it: How to Keep Event Attendees Engaged and Giving After Your Fundraiser. This article on the Auctria blog shares practical strategies for keeping your event attendees engaged and giving long after your event is over. Events should never stand alone. They should be part of an awareness building and cultivation continuum, such that the event sparks the beginning of new and enhanced donor relationships.
Grants
Click-it: Grant Writing: Getting the Most Out of Volunteers, While Giving the Most to Them. Ever think about training volunteers in grant writing? This Blue Avocado article explains how, and gives the real skinny on what grants development is/is not.
Major and Mid-Level Giving
Click-it: The Twenty You Know: What Happens When Donor Knowledge Stops Being Rationed. Nathan Chappel of Virtuous offers a new framework for mid-level and major gifts capacity and knowledge – made newly possible by evolving technology. To me, it’s a game changer – and I’ve been doing this a long time. You don’t have to purchase this particular solution (though it’s an excellent one), but you should definitely know how things are changing. You can’t decide what you want to do next, until you know what’s possible.
Click-it: Has the MGO Portfolio Passed Its Time? Brad Smith writes on the Market Smart blog that the portfolio can still be useful, but not as a strict management tool that focuses on metrics. He suggests using modern tools that read donor engagement continuously and surfaces readiness through “demand signals.”
Click-it: What to Do When a Donor Says “Let Me Think About It” Joe Garecht offers one simple question that will help you learn everything you need to know to support the donor in their decision-making.
Click-it: Build Major Donor Relationships: 5 Tips for Fundraisers. Cultivating these investments requires targeted prospect research, careful portfolio management, and personalized relationship building. Mary Cahalane, Hands-On Fundraising suggests useful systems and habits for developing high-impact gifts.
Click-it: The Promotion Track That Keeps Fundraisers From Leaving. If you don’t want to lose your seasoned fundraisers, a promotion track is essential. This Gail Perry Group article describes what that might look like, and offers a quick gut check for you to access whether your current strategy creates unnecessary risk.
WANT TO PUT IT ALL TOGETHER INTO A FOOL-PROOF SYSTEM? Just in time for year-end fundraising, a new cohort of the certification courses in Major Gifts & Mid-Level Fundraising begins October 19th! There’s also a companion course – the Certification Course for Fundraising Managers and Executives — so everyone can get on the same page. Your entire team can learn the same language and implement a consistent system. Or just sign up for the course that most meets your needs. Do it NOW to take advantage of my exclusive Clairification Community discount code – Claire35. You’ll save an unheard of 35% — as long as you register by September 19th. Don’t hesitate –use it or lose it! Questions? I respond personally to every email.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Creating Relevant Messaging for Social Media and More [Checklist] If you focus on earning trust and influence, you’ll be fine. A great way to do this is to share updates, photos, graphics, and videos that are relevant to your audience. Kristina LeRoux, the Nonprofit Marketing Guide shows you how with “The 6 Rs of Message Relevance.”.
Psychology of Giving and Asking
Click-it: Is Donor Fatigue Real, or Are You Afraid to Ask in Tough Times? Making assumptions about what someone will or want to do at any point in time deprives them of their own autonomy. And an opportunity to connect and find purpose. Not a good idea, as this article on the Moceanic blog explains.
Website
Click-it: How to Reduce Donor Friction and Increase Average Gift Size. Every donation is part of a continuum – from awareness… to interest… to consideration… to action. That final step (actually completing the donation) is where friction has the biggest impact. Whatever you can do to make giving easy and intuitive, the more donors you will have follow through on their inclination to give. That’s what this article from Nonprofit Hub is all about.
Writing
Click-it: Hollow Highlights and Pronoun Problems: Never Emphasize a Word That Can’t Stand Alone. To what Steven Screen, the Better Fundraising Co., has written here, I would just like to say “yup, yup and double yup.” Take what he says to heart, and your fundraising writing will be infinitely better.
Year-End
Click-it: 8 Proven Strategies to Raise More Money This Fall for Your Nonprofit. Sandy Rees, Get Fully Funded, dives into 8 strategies nonprofits use to raise money during the most giving time of the year – starting this fall.
Other Learning Opportunities
ONLINE CONFERENCE, WEBINAR SERIES OR COURSE
Click-it: 2026 Year-End Corporate Fundraising Summit [Register for free virtual conference, 9-16 to 17, 2026]. Don’t miss this event from Double the Donation, specifically designed to help nonprofits and schools capture the massive influx of corporate giving that happens every December. Learn how to integrate corporate philanthropy into your year-end appeals, and get plenty of specific take-aways.
Click-it: Nonprofit Social Media Summit [Register for free online 2-day event, 11-17 & 18, 2026]. Julia Campbell brings nonprofit communicators and fundraisers together for two days of practical strategy, all action, no fluff. Live Q&As, in-session chat, polls, games, whiteboard and brainstorming sessions are all part of the fun.
Click-it: Fundraising.AI Global Summit [Register for free virtual 2-day event, 10-14 & 15]. Presented by Virtuous and GivingTuesday, this includes two keynotes, two breakout tracks (leaders; practitioners), and session recordings after the event.
WEBINARS, PODCASTS, & ON-DEMAND AUDIO RESOURCES
If you can’t attend live, or are interested in sessions happening at overlapping times, note many are available via recording – but ONLY if you REGISTER!
Website
Click-it: Optimize Your Donation Page for Year-End Giving Campaigns [Register for free webinar for the Clairification community, 9-24-2026]. My friend Ronald Pruitt of 4aGoodCause will be offering a very special working session to help you make sure you convert more visitors to donors during the crucial year-end giving period. Most donation pages were built once and haven’t been looked at since. That’s fine for ten months of the year. But it’s an expensive mistake in November/December. You absolutely won’t want to miss this!
Year-End
Click-it: From year-end giving to year-round impact: Turn seasonal donors into recurring supporters [Register for free webinar, 9-16-2026]. Join GoFundMePro and The Trevor Project to learn how to make recurring giving a core part of your year-end fundraising strategy. Whether you’re looking to grow revenue, improve retention, or maximize the impact of your year-end campaigns, you’ll leave with practical strategies you can put into action right away.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Data Management
Click-it: Donor Data Ownership: How to Make Sure Your Donors Move With You [Download free guide]. You may have heard of Flipcause, which collapsed last year owing over $29 million to more than 3,200 nonprofits, mostly small shops. To make matters worse, these organization learned they didn’t own their own data or payment accounts. When it went under, it wasn’t just a platform disappearing; it was their donor relationships and their money getting stuck too. Here, Ronald Pruitt of 4aGoodCause walks through what nonprofit donor data ownership really means, where most teams lose control without realizing it, and the questions that protect you (whatever platform you choose).
Donor Advised Funds
Click-it: Decoding DAFs for nonprofits: Insights from our 2026 report [Download free report]. FreeWill has published a comprehensive guide to help you understand exactly how, when, and why DAF donors give. You’ll get FAQs, learn about the tremendous growth in DAF philanthropy, and find out what’s costing you DAF revenue. Then – the most important part – DAF revenue growth is largely within your control. Nonprofits are finding success by making the opportunity known through both one-on-one personal engagement and broader educational marketing. Read up!
Click-it: Your Blueprint for Next Level Volunteer Recruitment [Download free e-book]. In this Bloomerang guide you will learn how to Identify your volunteer base; master communication strategies, and select effective outreach channels.
Did You Miss My Newest Articles?
Here are links to the most recent articles on the Clairification blog. Remember, your goal is not simply to squeeze money out of people. It’s to give donors a squeeze and a hug for being caring and generous. This will make them feel good, which will move them to continue sticking with you.
💸 How Nonprofits Go Wrong Asking Boards to Raise Money
🌱 Nonprofit Boards: From Passion to Philanthropic Leadership
💡 Fundraising Do’s vs. Don’ts: Monthly Giving Default Strategy
❤️How to Persuade New Donors to Join Your Nonprofit Mission
🪜 4 Step Guide to Successful Online Nonprofit Fundraising Today, Not Yesterday
💝 The New Rules of Fundraising: Human First, Digital Fast
💡Finally… if you have a question, any question…
Ask your question here. And check out my free fundraising advice column on the Bloomerang blog! You can bookmark the Ask an Expert page for any time you have a question. Here’s one: What Are The Pros And Cons Of Combining An Appeal Mailing With An Impact Report?
Clairification Members: Log in to your “My Clairification/Subscriber Dashboard/Monthly Tips” to grab your exclusive, timely tips for each month. SEPTEMBER TIPS are live. Your support is much appreciated, and helps me to support you. Thank you!
And now…
Always in our hearts.
Our hearts will go on…
Hope for the future we will build together.
A window into love.
May you make some heart-filled memories this week.
Please support my extraordinary sponsors (see below). The Clairity Click-it content is free, and Clairification School is affordable, because of their generosity.
I LOVE MY SPONSORS! If you’d like to become one, please reach out so we can have a chat.
