Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Not a lack of power, but feeling as though we have none. Some people have been indoctrinated to prefer a life with no agency, as it also brings no responsibility. At the other extreme, some folks have decided that they have more power than they actually do.
Video games offer people a chance to experience virtual power–an opportunity to feel a lack of powerlessness. Click the mouse, something happens–power is in your grasp. By giving players agency, the games allow users to feel something they might be avoiding in real life.
— Seth Godin
Everyone is on a spectrum. No one has absolute power, and no one is powerless. But our expectation and experience of power is always a choice.
Choosing the attitude of powerlessness is self-defeating as well as self-negating. The fact that the attitude can be chosen is in itself a form of power. We can find control over our attitude and our actions, gaining priceless power as we do.
No one can change everything, but everyone can change something.
If you choose to live a life with impact, it’s in your control to do so.
Okay, let’s get in to today’s content. Among the resources I’ve collected over the past two weeks, I”m hoping you’ll find at least one or two to help you enact your mission. There are some great, actionable tips here. As well as plenty of food for thought.
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 the critically important social benefit sector.
You’ve got this!
Thank you for doing your vital work, with gratitude,
Claire
P.P.S. If you’re an enrolled Clairification School student, your MAY TIPS are live. If you’re not yet enrolled, there’s no better time.
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL FEATURE: Nonprofits in the Crosshairs
Regardless of the politics of the individuals involved, every single 501 c 3 organization today is in the crosshairs, simply by virtue of their tax-preferred status. They may not come for you first. They may not come for you directly. But those who rely on you, and your enactment of your vision and mission. may be at risk. What will you do to assure you are free to carry out your responsibilities free from political pressure or influence? To protect the values you hold dear?
ARTICLES
Click-it: Inside Philanthropy Toplines. David Callahan, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Inside Philanthropy, writes about deep threats to the philanthropic universe. These include a bill currently in Congress that would slap new excise taxes on foundation and university endowments, strip nonprofit status from whole categories of organizations, such as hospitals, and possibly tax all nonprofit income. Meanwhile, funding cuts continue. Philanthropy is being politicized. The time for soul-searching, and action, is now.
Click-it: Trump and the Sistine Chapel Playbook. Here’s a powerful piece by veteran nonprofiteer, Roger Craver, on the Agitator-DonorVoice blog. It’s about having the courage to defend your mission when attacked or bullied.
Click-it: A mass uprising is needed. Our sector has a vital role to play. In the wake of an administration trying to limit what types of organizations are eligible for 501c3 status, Vu Le, NonprofitAF, exhorts you to hold America to its ideals. There are six tips for nonprofits and another six specifically for funders.
Click-it: Why Nonprofits Must Say “Fascism” Out Loud. It’s time to stop using euphemisms to describe what’s happening in the United States. So says Dr. Otis Fulton, Turnkey VP for Psychological Strategy, noting that nonprofits today are targets. The language you use matters. Don’t pussyfoot. Let constituents know what’s at stake.
Click-it: When Academic Freedom Falls, Civil Society Is Next. This article in Nonprofit Quarterly is specifically about protecting academic freedom. It’s also about how this freedom extends to larger freedoms across society, like civil rights, journalism and public health. All of these institutions are critical civil society allies. How might you fight their disappearance? Because, when they’re gone, what’s next?
GUIDES
Click-it: Myth v. Reality: Executive Branch Lacks Authority to Target Nonprofit. Put together by the National Council of Nonprofits, this guide shows you what you can do to protect and defend your nonprofit status.
ARTICLES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Prioritize These 4 High-Yield Individual Giving Strategies to Address Threats to Your Nonprofit. In my article for NonProfitPRO I suggest reflexive reactions to avoid and offer suggestions for reframing your approach and prioritizing strategies that will give you the biggest bang for your buck in the times we’re in.
Click-it: 15 Types of Matching Gift Programs For Nonprofits + 8 Best Practices You Need to Know. 84% of donors say they’re more likely to give if a match is offered. This guide from 4aGoodCause offers 15 ways to run a matching gift program and 8 tried-and-true best practices to help you raise more — from corporate matches to peer-to-peer challenges.
Click-it: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: Everything You Need to Know. Per CauseVox, peer-to-peer fundraising typically raises twice as much as compared to other digital fundraising campaigns. And it doesn’t have to be a walkathon or similar event. You can run it online.
Click-it: 21 and ½ tips for writing better fundraising materials. Here’s a wonderful checklist from fundraising copywriter Lisa Sargent on the SOFII blog. There’s a PDF you can download and keep next to your desk so you always have these tips handy. And – please take tip #21 and ½ to heart!
Click-it: Easy Fundraising Money: How to Spend More to Make More. Surely you’ve heard “you have to spend money to make money.” Sean Triner of Moceanic explains how an upfront investment in direct mail today can pay off – big time – tomorrow.
Donor Acquisition
Click-it: The New Name Welcome Series: Turn Subscribers Into Donors In Less Time. Everything on the NextAfter blog is well-researched and actionable, and this piece from Nathan Hill is no exception. Learn what a new name welcome series is, and how you can use one to turn subscribers into donors in 45 days. The key is to build a solid case for making a donation before you send your first appeal. In one of their many experiments, they found doing this led to a 920% increase in donations. Worth a read, don’t you think?
Donor Retention
Click-it: The Donor Retention Crisis: Why Fundraisers Need to Sound the Alarm Now. It’s 5-alarm fire time in the nonprofit world. Nathan Hill shares on the Avid blog how donor retention has fallen by a staggering eight percentage points over the past five years,. Individual giving is also down. You must raise 21% more in 2025 to make the same level of impact you had in 2021. Read this; learn how to stop making retention an afterthought.
Events
Click-it: Boost Auction Revenue with Workplace Giving & Sponsorships. This article from Auctria explores how to boost auction revenue through sponsorships, in-kind donations, matching gifts, volunteer grants, and more. With all the work you put into your live, silent or virtual auction, why not take the opportunity to milk it for all it’s worth?
Click-it: 29 Great Raffle Prize Ideas . Whether your raffle is online, offline or a combination of the two, you’ll love these prize ideas from the folks at Eventgroove. Take these to your next event committee meeting, and see what other ideas you come up with!
Major, Capital and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: “No” Can Be the Beginning, Not the End Of The Philanthropic Conversation. Here’s my take on what to do if a donor doesn’t say “yes” right off the bat. Fundraising (nonprofit) and sales (for profit) truly are similar processes. If done right, neither is about the business of pushing useless, unwanted stuff on others. Those who will be most successful will understand their real business is serving their customers’ needs. Here, on the Bloomerang blog, are some ways to do this.
Click-it:. Half a Million Reasons to Stop Speed-Dating Your Donors. Check out this excellent, fun-to-read post from Patrick Kirby, Do Good Better, on the art of asking for major gifts. You’ll learn the art of extended courtship, mission matching, partnering, painting, practicing and more.
NOTE: Want to become a MASTER of major gift fundraising – a highly valued skill? This might be a great time to consider exploring certification. I highly recommend this fully revamped Veritus Group Certification Course for Major Gift Fundraisers. If you’re the executive or manager, there’s a companion course for you! After completion you’ll become a member of the prestigious Veritus Scholars.
The next cohort begins June 9th, and you’ll save $200 if you register before May 9th. If you have any questions, just reply to this email and I’ll be happy to discuss whether this course may be right for you. I promise to be honest.
Online, Digital Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Email Marketing For Nonprofits: 9 Great Ways to Nurture Donors. Read this! It’s one of the best, most comprehensive articles I’ve seen – just jam-packed with useful tips. Thanks to the folks at Beeline for putting this all together!
Click-it: Concerned about social media? Us too. We live in interesting times. Nonprofits need to consider who controls access to their content. Maintaining direct contact with supporters means making email and SMS sign up easy and irresistible. The folks at M+R suggest steps you can take to prioritize the best lists for you, and get folks to sign up directly for those.
Strategy, Management and Leadership
Click-it: How to Start a Nonprofit: Complete 12-Step Guide for Success. Kindful + Bloomerang put together this comprehensive resource with key steps and FAQs for starting a nonprofit. There is also state-specific information for California, Texas, New York and Florida.
Click-it: Debunking Wealth Indicators and Protecting Donor Behavior Accurately with AI. Wealth indicators are no longer the only, or even the best, way to predict future giving. This article on the TrueSense blog makes the case for broader behavioral and relational contexts.
Website
Click-it: 3 Ways to Optimize Your Website for Aging Gen X and Millennial Donors. This important advice comes from Amanda Cole, editor of NonProfitPRO. If you frustrate people, you’ll frustrate your own ambitions. Make it easy!
Writing
Click-it: Quick tips to improve your fundraising writing. Mary Cahalane, Hands-On Fundraising, always offers the best cogent tips on writing, and I’m happy to share her articles with you. This one is filled with great advice, including “don’t be afraid to be emotional.” If you’re new to writing, this is essential. If your seasoned, it’s a good refresher.
Other Learning Opportunities
CONFERENCES
Click-it: The Future of Fundraising is Now: Responsive Nonprofit Summit [Register for free two-day event, 6-4 t0 6-5, 2025]. You’ll have access to 25 sessions, 30 fundraising experts and more, all designed to help you ditch outdated tactics and scale personal connections. The Summit is sponsored by Virtuous in partnership with We are For Good. The co-creator of Charity: water, Viktoria Harrison, will keynote. Speakers include: Nathan Chappell, Founder at Fundraising.AI & SVP at DonorSearch; Tim Paris, Cofounder + CEO at Dataro; T. Clay Buck, Founder and Principal at Next River Fundraising Strategies; Gail Perry, President at Gail Perry Group; Cameron Ripley, CEO at Community Boost, and more.
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!
Annual (Year-Round) Giving
Click-it: Everything You Need to Know about Successful Direct Mail (and Email) [Register for free session, 5-13-2025]. Join direct mail guru Jeff Brooks for this CharityHowTo live Q&A session focused on direct mail and email fundraising. Topics include writing compelling appeal letters, designing effective reply coupons, and much more.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Use Donor Stewardship to Maintain Your Audience and Grow Their Support [Register for free webinar, 5-6-2025]. If you haven’t attended one of Kiersten Hill’s webinars for Firespring, you’re in for a treat. You’ll walk away with a surprising number of specific, actionable take-aways. Learn things to do, and also things to stop doing! How about: 5 tips to boost donor retention; 7 ways you may be unknowingly driving donors away; kinds of stories that connect with donors; tips on new donor welcome email series; key points in a sharp donor stewardship plan, and how to say thank you so your donors feel the love.
Technology as Tool
Click-it: Getting Started with AI in Teams: Foundations, Ethics, and Practical Prompts [Register for free webinar, 5-7-2025]. Sign up with the Nonprofit Learning Lab for this and other free workshops. This one covers the essentials of artificial intelligence, focusing on what AI can (and can’t) do, the ethical considerations critical to responsible usage, and practical applications using tools like ChatGPT. Through discussions and hands-on activities, you’ll gain a foundational understanding of AI, uncover its ethical challenges, and learn to create effective prompts for ChatGPT to support your mission-driven work.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Online, Digital Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Email Copywriting That Converts: 10 Definitive Tips [Read this meaty resource]. Neal Schaffer, online marketing guru, explains why it’s vital to write emails that not only capture attention, but inspire action. Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or just starting out, this guide covers the essentials to transform regular emails into high-converting assets. AI can help, but you definitely cannot rely on it alone.
Major, Capital and Legacy Giving
Click-it: The Complete Fundraising Campaign Planning Checklist [Download free guide]. Grab detailed planning guidelines, proven marketing strategies, practical approaches and more in this campaign guide developed by CauseVox.
Technology as Tool
Click-it: A Nonprofit Guide to Streamlining Content Creation with AI. Understaffed? Momentum shows you how to effectively use AI as a virtual assistant to increase staff productivity and capacity. This requires setting clear goals and developing policies and procedures for careful collaboration between subject matter experts and AI tools.
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.
If You’re Not Promoting Donor Advised Funds, You’re Leaving Major Gifts on the Table
Do Fundraising “Best Practices” Give Nonprofit Donors the Autonomy they Seek?
Act Fast, Raise Big: The Skills You Need to Win Major Donors Today
Your Donors Aren’t Thinking About Tax Breaks — And Neither Should You (At First)
Heartbreaking Missed Opportunities: Is Your Nonprofit Falling Short of Its True Fundraising Power?
Unforgiveable Nonprofit Thank You Letter Mistakes
Finally… if you have a question, any question…
Check out my free fundraising advice column on the Bloomerang blog! Ask your question here. And bookmark the Ask an Expert page for any time you have a question! Here’s one: Best Ways To Get Started Using Generative And Predictive AI For Nonprofits
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. MAY TIPS are live. Your support is much appreciated, and helps me to support you. Thank you!
Sharing some spring flora this week. All from my daily walks. The last one is a surprise. Enjoy!
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