Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Let’s begin with a prayer for our brothers and sisters, and the families and friends, of those facing the Los Angeles firestorm. May they, and all the responders, find protection, shelter, support, hope and strength to start healing and rebuilding. And may the scorched land and devastated communities similarly heal. Should you wish to help, some options are listed at the bottom of this newsletter.
Now, time for some inspiration and, perhaps, a resolution for the new year.
“Nearly 150 years ago, George Eliot gave us a name for our project. She pointed out that we could ameliorate the problems of the human condition, day by day, year by year, toward better.
Max Roser highlighted three sentences that seem like they can’t all be true: “The world is much better. The world is awful. The world can be much better.” But of course, they are. And they continue to be.
I wish meliorism had a catchier name because the concept deserves to be more widely understood and embraced.
This is the point. This is at the heart of our work and the challenge of our days.
Toward better.”
— Seth Godin
Let’s make it THE YEAR OF MELIORISM!
I’m counting on you – each of you — to use some of the insights you glean in this week’s issue of the Clairity Click-it to be better, do better, and help others do the same. I hope, as you dig through this hand-curated content from across the web, it will make your job easier, and more fulfilling.
I pick every resource thoughtfully (no AI used here) specifically to bring you the big ideas and useful tools you need to make our world a better place. It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to succeed.
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.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.]
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL FEATURE: 2025 Secrets for Success
Here are some things you may not be doing at all, or may not be optimizing. Each of these are strategies to incorporate into your 2025 planning if you want to maximize your reach and funding success. This means including them in a written plan to which you assign dedicated resources (time and money). If you don’t commit and budget to do these things, they’ll constantly get back-burnered. These things are too important to let that happen!
ARTICLES
Click-it: 5 Critical Nonprofit Trends for 2025 (+18 Ways They Should Inform Your Strategy). Tim Sarrantonio, NeonOne, shares trends in the way nonprofits operate, engage, and inspire. They have to do with core identities, values, data integrations, impact reporting, mid-level donors and events as community gatherings. The way forward is about rethinking, broadly, how you do things.
Click-it: 10 LinkedIn Best Practices for Nonprofits. Did you know 51% of LinkedIn users are college-educated and the average salary for a LinkedIn user is $46,644 USD per year? It’s an ideal community to connect with co-workers, influencers, donors, and corporate sponsors. Are you prioritizing this as a social media, donor research and outreach strategy? Learn how with these 10 best practices from Nonprofit Tech for Good.
Click-it: It’s time to modernize your fundraising creative for performance. Her’s a potpourri of strategies from RKD Group to effectively use data to target your outreach and messaging. Here are five tips for a data-led creative approach.
And, finally, here’s one to help you stay ahead of the game in the coming year.
JUST FOR YOU:
Click-it: Happiness Break: A Self-Compassion Meditation For Burnout. This comes from one of my favorite websites, the Greater Good Science Center. Join Dr. Kristin Neff as she guides you through a calming practice to bring kindness and support to yourself during tough times.
ARTICLES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: 21 and ½ tips for writing better fundraising materials. Lisa Sargent is a master of fundraising copy, and here she shares her wisdom on the SOFII blog. These are simple tips, yet crucial ones. I like #18 and #21 ½ expecially.
Click-it: You can put more heart into your fundraising today, This message from Mary Cahalane, Hands-on Fundraising, is a terrific one to take into the new year. There’s so much good advice in this post that will help you develop stronger donor relationships year-round. Take a minute to savor it, and take it to heart
Click-it: The Easy Way to Raise More Money by Being Relevant to Each Donor. Here’s some super useful info on how much to ask each donor for. Different strokes for different folks. It’s from Jeff Brooks on the Moceanic blog, and it’s filled with practical tips.
Boards
Click-it: Two ways that the best boards are getting better. Renee Rubin Ross, the Ross Collective, shares with Train Your Board the practices the highest performing boards incorporate into their work. First are three overlapping strategies of formal and informal practices plus equity. Then there are two more key ideas for your consideration. Check it out!
Click-it: New Year’s Resolutions for Board Members. Here is Gail Perry’s list of board resolutions. Share them with yours, while encouraging them to reflect on their role and where they can provide greater value.
Culture of Philanthropy
Click-it:. Involving Your Staff in Your Capital Campaign and Why it Matters. I love this true story, told on the Care2 blog by capital campaign expert Amy Eisenstein, about the negatives that can ensue when everyone in your organization isn’t on board with why and how you fundraise.
Donor Retention and Loyalty
Click-it: What is a Donor Experience Officer? IMHO, this describes what all fundraisers and nonprofit marketers should be! The folks at Momentum nail how to approach your job as a philanthropy facilitator, even including a job description. See what you think.
Click-it: Does Your Thank You Message Need a Refresh? Want to up your thank you game so you develop greater donor loyalty? Karen Kendrick, the Veritus Group, has compiled a bunch of donor-centered thank you language for you to borrow this year. Use this to create your own cheat sheet.
Events
Click-it: How to Ask Companies For a Raffle Prize + A Sample Prize Request Letter. Here’s a template from Eventgroove to help you secure wonderful prizes for your event and/or auction. Plus they’ve got some unique raffle prize ideas to share!
Grants
Click-it: Picking Your Priorities: 4 Key Tests Before Grant Writing. If you’re new to the game, or just need a refresher, read this article from Nonprofit Hub. They outline tests to identify grants you have a decent shot at winning.
Major, Capital and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: Leveraging AI in Major Gift Fundraising: A Game-Changer in Philanthropy. AI tools enable major gift officers to do more with their time by minimizing administrative tasks, helping with research, and drafting communications. Are you on the bandwagon yet? This article on Blackbaud Engage explains why you should be, citing impressive new tools like the Momentum app which creates personalized touchpoints — and has averaged an increase of $60,000 in donations per month with Blackbaud clients.
Strategy and Management
Click-it:. How Compound Interest Can Transform Your Fundraising Strategy. Read this smart article from NextAfter about how reinvesting donor acquisition proceeds into more acquisition can exponentially increase both your number of donors and their lifetime value.
Technology as Tool
Click-it: Your Guide to AI & Fundraising: Everything You Need to Know. This is the year to get on board. If not, you’ll leave money on the table and also burn yourself out. The folks at Momentum spell it out for you – A to Z – showing all the ways AI can aid every aspect of the fundraising ecosystem. For more information how applying AI technology to major gift fundraising works, check out these case studies.
Website and Landing Pages
Click-it: How to Encourage Donations on Your Nonprofit’s Website. This guest post by Ira Horowitz on Ann Green’s Nonprofit Blog shares strategies to help you more intentionally drive donations. Every element plays a role in fostering trust and inspiring generosity.
Click-it: 5 Steps to Complete a Nonprofit Website Optimization. Nothing lasts forever, and that’s particularly true these days of websites. This comprehensive Soapbox Engage article by Kanopi Studios CEO Anne Stefanyk explains how upgrading your nonprofit site is critical to increase online fundraising and improve donor engagement. It doesn’t matter how good your appeals and messaging are if the infrastructure underlying them is causing you to underperform.
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!
Content Marketing
Click-it: Why Your Annual Report Should Be a Marketing Tool and Not a Snooze [Register for free webinar, 1-14-2025]. The dynamic Kiersten Hill, Firespring, offers this jam-packed session, beginning with what an annual report is and is not. You’ll learn how to determine whether you need one; the best way to write the report for your target audience, the most common mistakes to avoid, and much more. Be prepared for lots of practical tips!
Click-it: Personalizing your digital reports [Free, on-demand webinar]. When creating an impact report, personalization can help enhance donor engagement and retention. By tailoring the communication of your impact and mission to stakeholders’ interests, donors are more likely to recognize the direct effects of their contributions, reinforcing their connection to your cause and inspiring future giving. Here Storyraise and Lynn Wester combine, share examples, and offer practical tips.
Events
Click-it: Attracting a Younger Generation to Fundraising Events [Register for free webinar, 1-15-2025]. Connecting with younger generations requires reshaping fundraising to focus on transparency, tangible impact, and alignment with Gen Z values. Traditional galas may not resonate, but innovative, inclusive event formats can appeal to all. This Auctria webinar will explore how nonprofits can leverage trends to effectively connect with and engage this new generation of donors.
Major and Legacy Giving
Click-it: Say ‘Yes’ to the Gift: Using Third-Party Resources to Accept Gifts of Noncash Assets [Download free, on-demand webinar]. If you’ve ever had to tell a supporter your organization can’t accept a noncash or illiquid asset, or can’t create a charitable gift annuity because you’re not registered, or simply doesn’t have the capacity to administer the proposed gift, you’ll want to listen up! Stelter facilitates of panel of industry experts who offer tips on how a third party can help your organization accept gifts of noncash assets so you can say ‘Yes’ to the gift!
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Storytelling for ACTION [Download free e-book]. This is the resource you wish you had when you started in fundraising. If you want to know how to tell stories that cause donors to take action – and not just feel good – then this is a must-read from Steven Screen and Jim Shapiro, the Better Fundraising Co.
Online, Digital and Mobile Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Weekly Coaching Tips Via Text Message [Sign up for free service]. Rally Corp has a new service where they’ll send you weekly text messaging tips to help you engage, connect, and mobilize. It will be short, simple and practical. Jump at this chance to see text messaging modeled for you in real time.
Major and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: Mastering Major Gifts: The Ultimate Guide to Raise More [Click to read free guide]. Check out this comprehensive resource I created for the Bloomerang blog to help you learn all the steps involved in creating a major gift fundraising strategy.
NOTE: If you want to really 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 course from the Veritus Group: Certification Course for Major Gift Fundraisers. If you’re the executive or manager, there’s a companion course for you! The next cohort begins February 10th, and runs through May 9th, and after completion you’ll become a member of the prestigious Veritus Scholars. 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. USE MY CODE, CA5, FOR A DISCOUNT.
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.
Time to Catch Up on Last Year’s TOP 10 Hottest Topics
Don’t Blow Your Post-Holiday Opportunity to Thank Your Nonprofit Supporters
Key Strategies to Give Meaningful Nonprofit Work Feedback
Choose Your Tuesday: Greed or Goodwill?
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 Expertpage for any time you have a question! Here’s one: How Do I Credit DAF Gifts In My CRM, And Also Recognize These Gifts?
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. Your JANUARY special tips are live!If you’re not yet an enrolled student, and don’t have direct, immediate access to monthly tips, ALL my blog articles, webinars, podcasts and much more, you can get in on the fun here — and grab your BONUS! Don’t miss out. Please.
To send your love and support to the people, pets and places of the Los Angeles area, consider:
American Red Cross; California Community Foundation Wildfire Recovery Fund; California Fire Foundation; Canine Rescue Club; Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation; Pasadena Humane; Salvation Army Wildfire Relief; Wildfire Relief Fund; World Central Kitchen.
I am so grateful for you and all you do to repair our world. Thank you!
Please support my extraordinary sponsors (see below). The Clairity Click-it content is free, and Clairification School is affordable, because of their generosity.
