Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
“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
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.
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL FEATURE: News You Can Use
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Click-it: MatchNice, Chariot, Change to Launch Donor-Advised Fund Matching Solution for Nonprofits. This solution, highlighted on the NonProfitPRO blog, allows nonprofits to embed a real-time DAF matching banner on their existing donation page, powered by DAFpay. Donors can give directly from their DAFs — and have their DAF gifts matched — without needing to switch platforms or leave the page. By combining DAFs with the proven power of donation matching, this partnership aims to dramatically increase DAF activation and accelerate philanthropic flow to the causes that need it most.
Click-it: Virtuous Acquires Momentum. NonProfitPRO reports on the recent acquisition of Momentum, an AI-first donor engagement solution purpose-built for mid-level and major gift officers, by the responsive fundraising platform Virtuous. This will give nonprofits the tools to scale personalized engagement with major donors like never before, through smart, responsive technology that boosts donor connections. Read about all the benefits here.
ARTICLES
Click-it: These May Be the Only Donors Who Can Save the Nonprofit Sector. Lots of food for thought in this piece by David Callahan, Inside Philanthropy, as to how, maybe, small donors can save us. How to unlock this pot of potential philanthropy? By incubating new giving infrastructures — from Giving Circles to fundraising intermediaries to…?
Click-it: A Theory and Practice of Civil Society—And How It Can “Show Up” Today. How about this quote about the role of civil society: “civil society lends itself most directly to practices that connect deeply with community members to meet their needs (physical, spiritual, social, or otherwise) because their dignity and humanity asks that of us.” There’s lots more to make you think about the role you and your nonprofit play in this Nonprofit Quarterly article that shares real-life examples of community building at its best.
Click-it: What are we growing toward? Less about what’s broken, more about what’s possible. Philanthropy is in flux, for so many reasons outlined in this thoughtful article from Michelle Flores Vryn on the Community Centric Fundraising blog. I love this: “This moment is not about preserving the current system but composting parts of it. We let go of the old for compost and use it to nourish what comes next.” Right now, values, love and truth matter.
Articles
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Why You Shouldn’t Use the Word “Vulnerable” in Your Appeals. Check out this thoughtful post from Steven Screen, the Better Fundraising Co. Once he explains his reasoning, it seems so obvious! Oh, and… the little things matter.
Click-it: What to Do When Donations Fail Without Losing Trust. Glitches happen. For all sorts of reasons. When a donation doesn’t go through, how you handle it matters quite a bit. Vish Vash explains what to do (and not to do) on the Give Central blog
Click-it: Maximizing Small Donations: How to Inspire Supporters to Give More. If you treat small donations as if they’re small to you, they’ll stay that way. Read about how to nurture donors of all sizes in this guest post from Fundraising Everywhere on the Hands-On Fundraising blog.
Click-it: Monthly Giving: The Lifeline We Keep Ignoring. Roger Craver of the Agitator-DonorVoice makes the definitive case for ramping up your monthly giving initiatives. Now!
Donor Advised Funds
Click-it: Every Day You Delay, DAF Dollars Go Somewhere Else. Check out my Part 2 of a two-article series on the Bloomerang blog about how to reach out and invite DAF donors to invest in your vision. DAFs represent one of the most underutilized opportunities in fundraising today, and now is the time to activate those dollars and turn passive potential into powerful impact. You can do it! Read Part 1 here.
Events
Click-it: How To Price Tickets for an Event. If your event ticket pricing is too high, you might deter ticket sales; too low, you won’t cover overhead. Though it’s tempting to use last year’s event ticket prices, resist! Grab this cool ticket pricing calculator from the expert team at Eventgroove.
Major, Mid-Level, Capital and Legacy Giving
Click-it: $100K Bequest vs $10K Check: Which Gets Applause? Do you have an intentional legacy giving program? If so, it’s time to emphasize the right strategies and metrics. If not, it’s time to pivot. It begins with rewarding fundraisers who nurture and close these gifts. Viken Mikaelian explains why – and how – in this terrific piece on plannedgiving.com.
Click-it: The 4 Habits You Need to Develop for Productive Major Donor Outreach. You’ll find plenty of useful tips in this article from Market Smart. What to say on the phone or in a voice message, questions to encourage conversation and build trust, and how to prioritize who you approach.
Psychology of Giving
Click-it: 7 Psychology-Backed Ways Nonprofits Can Inspire Donors to Give — and Give Again. This article on the Nonprofit Tech for Good blog highlights seven principles, rooted in behavioral science and backed by sector-wide data, showing how nonprofits can strengthen emotional connections with supporters. This is all terrific advice!
Strategy, Planning, Leadership and Management
Click-it: The Death Rattle of the Old Guard: Why Their Resistance to Change Means You’re on the Right Track. What do you do when people say “that’s not the way we do things here?” Patrick Kirby, Do Good Better, addresses the issue of how to navigate changing times when that makes some people feel they’re out of their comfort zone.
Click-it: What Do You Do When Your Nonprofit Staff Want Raises We Can’t Afford? Sara Hudson thoughtfully answers a reader question in this issue of the Nonprofit Quarterly. It’s a good thing to dismantle the old “take one for the cause” mindset that’s kept our sector underpaying good people for decades. But, the hard part is learning how to sustain what you’ve built without breaking your budget—or your heart.
Click-it: Bringing Back the Best of the Good Old Days. In the Agitator-DonorVoice blog, Roger Craver explains the fundraising parallels to the demise and comeback of Chili’s restaurant. The bottom line is you want customers to leave thinking “That felt good, I’ll come back.”
Technology as Tool
Click-it: The Legal and Ethical Risks of Using AI in Nonprofit Grant Reporting. This is an issue you probably haven’t really thought about. But, you must. This NonProfitPRO article by Victoria M. Gómez Philips and Casey Williams breaks down the risks, offering best practices to overcome them.
Volunteer Support
Click-it: Development Committee Fundamentals. If your development committee isn’t working for you, or if you don’t even have a development committee, read this thorough and useful piece from Carolyn Bess Consulting. It even includes a sample job description.
Year-End
Click-it: 9 Year-End Giving Campaign Ideas. Nathan Hill, NextAfter, shares nine research-backed year-end fundraising strategies you’ll want to seriously consider. NOW, while you still have time to put them into practice. BTW: If your institution closes for the holidays, pay attention to #3. Also important, and often overlooked: #4, #5, #8. Actually, they’re all worth bearing in mind.
You
Click-it: Stop the presses. I think I was just bored. Veteran marketing wizard Mark Schaefer ponders on the plusses and minuses of experiencing boredom. Making the case for and against boredom, he asks: Can you be happy and bored?
Other Learning Opportunities
ONLINE CONFERENCE, WEBINAR SERIES OR COURSE
Click-it: Amplify Impact: Human-Centered AI for Nonprofits [Register for free 2-day virtual conference, 9-15 & 16, 2025]. Join 12,000+ nonprofit professionals at the Fundraising.AI Global Summit. With over 40 speakers to choose from, you’ll learn how to use AI to save time, unlock insights, and amplify your mission—responsibly and beneficially.
Click-it: Generosity Exchange [Register for free 2-day virtual conference, 10-15 & 16, 2025]. Hosted by Neon One, you’ll have access to insightful keynotes and hands-on workshops grounded in real nonprofit stories. You’ll also have access to all session recordings and gain entrée into a large professional network. Plus, you’ll take home some curated templates, checklists, and tools inspired by the Generosity Report and event sessions.
Click-it: Virtual Workplace Fundraising + Volunteering Summit [Register for free 2-day conference, 10-29 and 30, 2025]. Designed by Double the Donation specifically for nonprofits and schools looking to elevate their workplace giving programs, you’ll hear from industry experts and discover proven strategies for growing your fundraising efforts in areas such as: Matching gifts; Volunteer grants; Payroll donations; In-kind donations, and Sponsorships.
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!
Events
Click-it: Unlock Event Success: Master the Art of Sponsorship Synergy [Register for free webinar, 9-10-2025]. In this Auctria webinar, sponsorship strategist Alex Durant breaks down how to: uncover hidden sponsorship opportunities within your event; create detailed sponsorship proposals and contracts that clearly define deliverables and expectations; effective sponsor communication throughout the event lifecycle, and much more.
Online Marketing and Fundraising
Click-it: 8 Ways to Grow Your Nonprofit’s Following on Social Media [Register for free mini-webinar, 9-10-2025]. With the average growth rate for new social media followers ranging from .64% to 3% per month, the era of organic growth on social media is over. You must make a concerted, strategic effort! Heather Mansfield, Nonprofit Tech for Good, will share eight ways to grow your nonprofit’s following.
Year-End Giving
Click-it: Write It, Amplify It, Fund It: Hands-On Storytelling and AI Hacks for Year-End Success [Register for free webinar, 9-3-2025]. For this hands-on workshop sponsored by NonProfitHub, come prepared with: (1) one client/program success story you’re proud of, and (2) a specific fundraising goal to accomplish a specific outcome. You’re not just going to talk about what works; you’re going to roll up your sleeves and learn how to do it. Storytelling, plus AI tools to transform the story into a multi-channel year-end campaign.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Peer-to-peer fundraising toolkit [Download free resource]. Download this free workbook and customizable toolkit from Givebutter to help your nonprofit plan, launch, and grow a successful peer-to-peer fundraiser. Follow eight simple steps, brainstorm ideas, and share the toolkit with your supporters to get them fundraising with confidence.
Culture of Philanthropy
Click-it: Building a Culture of Philanthropy [Download free paper]. Just today I spoke with a development director who’s having trouble getting board members to even make thank you phone calls. They don’t give passionately either, though they’re all well-meaning. Problem? Philanthropy is simply not part of the organization’s culture. Learn how to make everyone – staff, board and donors – PART of your organization’s mission in this paper from the Veritus Group.
Strategy, Planning, Management and Leadership
Click-it: How to Develop a Long-Term Nonprofit Budget: 4 Key Tips [Read free guide]. Done well, long-term planning transforms budgeting from a numbers exercise into an essential tool for achieving your vision. By focusing on creating accurate long-term budgets, organizations can provide flexibility, support staff, inspire donor confidence, and prepare for risks and opportunities. Learn how in this resource from the folks at Virtuous/Momentum.
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.
🔍 Fundraising with AI: Surprisingly Fun, Incredibly Effective
😖 Do You, or People You Know, Hate Fundraising? Read This!
🚀 From ‘Resting on Laurels’ to Leading with Vision: A Nonprofit Guide to Moving On
📖 Facts Tell, Stories Sell: The Fundraising Mistake You’re Probably Making
🎯 Create Impact Now: 4 Key Appeal Ingredients That Move Donors to Act
✅Fundraising Appeal Checklist: 8 Essentials to Review Before You Write
💡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: The Hard Truth: Should Every Board Member Be Expected To Give And Fundraise?
REMINDER for Clairification School students: Don’t forget to log in to your “My Clairification/Subscriber Dashboard/Monthly Tips” to grab your exclusive, timely tips for each month. SEPTEMBER TIPS are live (Just log in to your Member Dashboard). Your support is much appreciated, and helps me to support you. Thank you!
Here is a wild parrot spotted after I had lunch in a nearby cafe.
They used to all gather on Telegraph Hill, but they’ve migrated. This one also had a buddy. Just amazing to see.
May your weeks ahead be filled with happy surprises.
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