Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Let’s begin with a bit of wisdom for the new year…
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
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!]
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL FEATURE: TRENDS
It’s sometimes important to pause, breathe deeply, and take a big picture 360-degree view of the sea in which your nonprofit swims. These articles show some of the El Niños, Las Niñas, Atmospheric Rivers, Bomb Cyclones and more of the world in which we lived in 2025. Ignore these movements at your peril.
Click-it: 12 Revealing Nonprofit Stats From 2025. Amanda Cole, Editor-in-Chief of NonProfitPro, summarizes key trends from the past year. Use these stats to inform your planning and budgeting for the coming year.
Click-it: Breaking Down Giving Tuesday. There’s plenty to digest in this report from M+R. And it doesn’t just pertain to Giving Tuesday strategy. One of the takeaways I found most interesting is those who invested in growing their mobile lists over the last few years are starting to see major returns. Plus, mobile optimization matters more and more.
Click-it: What You Can Learn from the Q3 Fundraising Effectiveness Project Report. Abby Jarvis summarizes giving and retention trends on the Neon One blog. Dollars are up, but there’s a (huge) catch. Plus, new donors are down 10% over the preceding year. Grab some ideas here as to what you can do to address the findings (some hopeful; some, not so much) in this report.
Click-it: Why fundraising feels worse than it used to. This is long, but IMHO important. I’ve been feeling this way for some time, but was never quite able to put it into words the way Mark Phillips has on his substack. He begins thusly: “Betwixmas reflections on how trend-chasing, short-term approval and moral signalling have combined to undermine a craft built on trust and long-term value.”
And here are a couple from the preceding year — still extremely relevant and thought-provoking.
Click-it: The Critical Theory of Love: Reconceptualizing Love for Social Justice. You’ve no doubt heard all the reasons why developing an organization-wide culture of philanthropy (or gratitude, or abundance) is critical to your organization’s success. Here’s another take from author Durryle Brooks in the Nonprofit Quarterly magazine. It reframes the concept as an overarching critical theory of love (with a 6-part framework) that’s a radical, transformative force fueling collective healing and movements for social justice.
Click-it: The Top 10 Insights from the “Science of a Meaningful Life” in 2024. This article from the Greater Good Science Center is filled with provocative findings from the past year, each of which have potential to make your life better. Here’s hoping they inspire you to reach out to others and model the kind of goodness you hope to see in the world.
ARTICLES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Brain Science Misfires: 2 Copywriting Lessons on Clarity and Autonomy. Lisa Sargeant explains how two invisible brain biases shape how people receive your message. One she calls “the curse of knowledge.” The other is “reactance bias.” Learn how to avoid activating these, or risk depressing your fundraising results.
Click-it: Ten questions you should ask at your next creative DM appeal presentation. Mark Phillips explains why direct mail is not dying, but that poorly executed direct mail should. He then shares 10 tips for getting yours opened, read and acted upon.
Boards
Click-it: How to Handle Toxic Board or Staff Members: A Crucial Tip for Leaders. If this title strikes a chord, read this from the Ross Collective. You’ll get five key indicators of a toxic culture, and learn what works/doesn’t work when it comes to ameliorating this situation.
Culture of Philanthropy
Click-it: The Real Truths Behind a Strong Company Culture (And Why It Matters More Than You Think). It’s a new year. Time to start thinking seriously about your nonprofit’s culture. Here’s a thought-provoking piece from Nonprofit Hub.
Events
Click-it: The Magic of a Paddle Raise, Your Most Profitable Moment. Auctria tells you how to execute a Paddle Raise to generate donations, not purchases. No items required! Learn 3 key steps, plus get plenty of tips.
Click-it: Plan a Valentine’s Day (or Anti-Valentine’s Day) Event. February 14 will be here before you know it, and it happens to be a great day to spread some donor love. Here are some ideas from the folks at Eventgroove.
Major, Mid-Level, and Capital Giving
Click-it: Art of the Ask: 10 Steps to a Yes. This is a great basic list of fundamentals from Blackbaud Engage. It includes the before, during and after.
NEXT STEPS: If you want to learn HOW to do all these things – and truly become a master of major gift fundraising I highly recommend this Veritus Group course: Certification Course for Major Gift Fundraisers. You’ll receive a certification, rack up CFRE points, and set yourself up for excellence for the rest of your career. If you’re the executive or manager, there’s also a companion course for you! The next cohort begins February 9th – just in time for your new year strategic planning. After completion you’ll become a member of the prestigious Veritus Scholars. This is the best thing you can do to supercharge your fundraising for the coming year – and beyond! And you still have time before January 9th to grab the Early Bird discount.
Online Social Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: How to Use LinkedIn for Outreach to Major Donors and Prospects. This is one of my favorite tips, so thanks to Greg Warner of Market Smart for sharing it. A sizable number of your ideal prospects use LinkedIn, and prefer it to texting, email, phone, and other channels. So, why not put these 7 strategies to use to improve your LI presence?
Click-it: A2P Versus P2P Messaging for Nonprofit Fundraising. If these acronyms are meaningless to you, you’ll want to read this article from True Sense Marketing. It quickly deciphers the different ways to text message your audiences.
Storytelling
Click-it: Keep your story as simple as possible. Jeff Brooks, Future Fundraising Now, notes “fundraising is not journalism.” Fundraising’s goal is to make the problem you hope to inspire the donor to help solve as human and emotional as possible. Everything in the story that doesn’t do that should be left out. Learn more here.
Strategy, Planning, Management and Leadership
Click-it: Is your nonprofit’s anniversary worth celebrating? Here’s how to decide. This is a question I often get, and here is a balanced answer from Big Duck. If you want my thoughts, check this feature I authored for the Bloomerang blog.
Click-it: Nonprofit Leaders, We Need to Talk. Jeff Brooks writes on the Moceanic blog about how the profession of fundraising is in crisis. And leaders, who create all sorts of barriers to success, may be part of the problem. If you’re experiencing too much fundraiser turnover, consider this.
Click-it: Welcome to the Future of Nonprofit Funding: Ecommerce. Wise nonprofits today must diversify revenue sources, and this means looking at both contributed and earned income. This piece from Soapbox Engage is an important read, offering a practical way nonprofits can build an additional source of sustainable funding.
Technology as Tool
Click-it: AI as an Equalizer: Giving Small Nonprofits a Competitive Edge. Streamline your workflows, analyze data, and regularly connect with more donors – all using AI as an amplifier, not a replacement for your job. Griff Bohm, co-founder of Momentum (aka Virtuous/Momentum), explains how to move tedious, manual tasks off your plate, leverage new insight into your donor relationships, and free yourself up to focus on the projects that move the needle.
YOU
Click-it: What does my life stand for?. In the spirit of embracing new year’s resolutions, I present you with this provocative post from Jen Shang. You will know her from her work in psychological fundraising at the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy in the UK. This concept is potentially life-changing – both professionally and personally.
OTHER LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
ONLINE CONFERENCE
Click-it: Fundraising Breakthrough Summit [Register for free for multiple sessions, 1-5 to 18 2026]. I’m excited to share I’ll be speaking at the Fundraising Breakthrough Summit, launching January 5-18, 2026! This FREE online event, hosted by Amplifora, brings together 25+ nonprofit and fundraising experts to help you start the new year with clarity, confidence, and strategies that truly work. It’s designed to be manageable: each day is just 30 – 60 minutes worth of material.
Click-it: The Believer Blueprint: Monthly Giving Summit [Register for free, virtual community 2-25 & 26, 2026]. Connect with your peers, review case studies, brainstorm with an expert, and much more over this two-day live and interactive virtual conference hosted by Dana Snyder of the Monthly Giving Mastermind.
WEBINARS, PODCASTS, ROUNDTABLES & 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!
Boards
Click-it: Build the Board You Need [Register for free webinar, 1-8-2026]. This 90-minute mini-course from Candid will cover the board’s role; ways to find the right board members to serve your nonprofit at its current stage; how to create positive relationships with and within the board, and how to navigate the common challenges that arise with boards.
Grants
Click-it: Modern Grantseeking 101: Practical Steps to Find, Match & Manage Grants [Register for free webinar, 1-14-2026]. Nonprofit Hub hosts Luke Keller, a founder of MatchGrant, who will help you learn how to quickly identify aligned funders and uncover non-solicitation opportunities that often go unnoticed. He’ll also walk through simple, repeatable systems to manage your grant pipeline — from first match to final report.
Major, Mid-Level, Capital and Legacy Giving
Click-it: Empowering Fundraisers: A practical guide to gain confidence and knowledge [Register for free webinar, 1-5-2026]. Kiersten Hill of Firespring will help you gain practical tools and strategies to help you approach fundraising conversations with self-assurance and clarity.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: The Ultimate A/B Testing Guide for Online Fundraising [Download free e-guide]. Learn how to set up, run, and document a/b tests in this free workbook from NextAfter
Click-it: How to Make Your Fundraising Accessible [Download free eBook]. Fundraising is hard enough — your donors shouldn’t have to work to understand what you’re asking or why their gift matters. This eBook from the Better Fundraising Co. walks you through the small, generous changes that make your fundraising easier to read, easier to feel, and easier to respond to.
Major, Mid-Level, Capital and Legacy Giving
Click-it: Major Gifts Made Simple: Unlocking Transformational Giving [Download free eBook]. Learn the storytelling secret — called “The Fix” — developed by Better Fundraising Company co-Founder Jim Shapiro and refined over 30 years of helping organizations unlock their major donors’ best gifts. It’s packed with real examples and step-by-step strategies.
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’s Real Purpose: Community, Belonging, and Meaning
😖 The Thank You Mistakes That Quietly Cost You Donors
💡 3 Top Strategies to Close Out the Fundraising Year Spectacularly
🧩Are Transaction Fees Quietly Undermining Your Donor Relationships?
🚫STOP Leaving So Much Money on Your Table
✨7 Magic Words that Increase Charitable Donations
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: What’s The Best Way To Run An Online Fundraiser For Multiple Charities?
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. Exclusive JANUARY tips have arrived — and they’re jam-packed. If you’re not yet an enrolled student, and don’t have direct, immediate access to ALL my blog articles, monthly tips, webinars, podcasts and much more, you can get in on the fun here — and grab a BONUS!
And now, a beautiful mushroom (actually two) I happened upon walking uphill in my neighborhood. At first I thought it was someone’s holiday decoration!
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