Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
How about taking a moment, as one year ends and a new one begins, to take a good hard look at yourself in the most favorable light possible? See the good. Dwell on the beautiful. Smile when you recognize the essential “youness” of you.
LOVE AFTER LOVE
by Derek WalcottThe time will come
when, with elation,
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror,
and each will smile at the other’s welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was your self.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved youall your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.Here comes another feast of a sort: It’s biweekly newsletter time again! My hope is some of the free resources I’ve collected and curated for you will help you share your passions and guide others on the pathway to passionate philanthropy. As always, a big thank you to my Clairity Click-it 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 as you navigate the pathway to passionate philanthropy.
Thank you for doing your vital work, and making our world a better place,
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 access to all my webinars, and offer up exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more!
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL FEATURE: Insights to Close the Year
Click-it: 8 major nonprofit fundraising trends as we close out 2022. RKD‘s experts have identified eight major trends that are affecting nonprofit fundraising. Check them out, and consider how you might want to alter your strategic development plan moving forward. As the external landscape changes, so should your internal landscape.
Click-it: The Top 10 Insights from the “Science of a Meaningful Life” in 2022. The good folks at the Greater Good Science Center have collected the most provocative and influential findings on individual well-being from the last year. I really, really like the first insight, but they’re all good – from practicing kindness to experiencing awe to engaging in collective action, and more. I find them useful on a personal and communal level, and particularly relevant to our work in the social benefit sector.
ARTICLES
Donor Retention
Click-it: Nonprofit Donor Retention 101: Always Do This. Learn straight from the mouths of nonprofit donors how, and why, you’re leaving money on the table. In this article for the Bloomerang blog, I tease out ways you can boost donor loyalty through both your words and actions. Do you have a “welcome series” scheduled to launch after a donor gives? If not, read this.
Click-it: The Four Types of Donors to Consider When Building a YMAD. That’s a “You Made a Difference” strategy, and now is one of the best times of the year to give this your focused consideration. Kara Ansotegui of the Veritus Group suggest there’s no “one size fits all,” but you’re likely to get it right if you consider meeting the needs of four different types of people.
Culture
Click-it: How creating kindness on nonprofit boards or teams is an active process. Our brains are wired for comparison, and collaboration. Which one wins? Dr. Renee Rubin Ross explores how creating kindness and inclusion on boards is an active process.
Click-it: You Can’t Go Far Without A North Star. Food for thought from Hugh MacLeod, the Gaping Void. Complete with a cartoon!
Major and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: Top 8 Nonprofit Major Gift Asking Blunders. Check out my article on NonProfitPRO. I think #2 and #3 are my favorites, but they’re all super important. See what you think.
Click-it: Questions to Ask to Advance the Donor’s Hero Story. If you don’t follow Dr. Russell James, and you’re interested in growing your major and legacy giving, you should! He’s been offering a lot of in-depth advice on the Market Smart blog of late, and this article is no exception. It is filled to the brim with provocative ideas – a real road map for approaching major donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship. Time to get smarter!
Click-it: The Short Answer to the Most Asked Question. The question is “Why should I support you?” Lisa Greer, a major donor herself, answers succinctly on Philanthropy 451. They’re all good tips; I particularly like #4.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: 4 DIY Fundraising Ideas to Share With Your Volunteers. When you get volunteers engaged, they not only give you more but also leverage their networks to give to you as well. Win/win! Grab some great strategies on the TopNonprofits blog.
Click-it: 100 Fundraising Email Subject Lines That Will Get Donors to Open Your Email. There is SO much good information in this meaty article from Sandy Rees, Get Fully Funded. Spend some focused time on this aspect of your campaign and you’ll be richly rewarded.
Strategy and Management
Click-it: 7 Best Practices for Effective Donor Management. Donor management is the steps you take to acquire new donors, collect donor information, and use that information to cultivate strong supporter relationships. It’s helpful to look at the donor management process through the lens of the donor journey or lifecycle. As you work to streamline each step of the donor lifecycle, these seven tips and tools from Bloomerang are sure to help!
Click-it: How Nonprofits Can Create a Flexible Work Environment That Works for Everyone. This article on the NonProfitPRO blog will be useful to you is you’re a new manager, or want to surreptitiously pass this along to your boss.
Click-it: A/B Testing Turkey? Tim Kachuriak, NextAfter, makes some astute observations about the why and wherefor of testing. If you read all the way to the bottom, you’ll find links to some amazing tests they’ve done with their clients. Some of this stuff you may have never thought about; you’ll be impressed how little tweaks can positively impact donations!
WEBINARS, PODCASTS, COURSES & 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) Fundraising
Click-it: Top Ideas of 2022: Number 7. Check out this brief yet pithy reminder of the MOST important thing you can do when it comes to fundraising copywriting. From Steven Screen at the Better Fundraising co.
Branding
Click-it: Why is a clear voice important for nonprofits? [Listen to free podcast]. Hear what Sarah Durham, Big Duck, has to say about developing your nonprofit’s voice and common branding questions. She connects the work of establishing a clear and consistent voice to building deeper relationships and mindshare with audiences.
Digital Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Social Media 101 for Nonprofits [Register for free webinar 1-10-2023]. Kiersten Hill, Firespring, covers the basics of using social media for your nonprofit and gives you handy tips for the “big 3:” Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. You may be surprised to learn Facebook is less important than you’ve been told and LinkedIn may be more important.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Gratitude Matters: How Nonprofits Can Say Thanks [Register for free webinar, 1-12-2023]. Anybody can throw out a reflexive thank you that doesn’t mean much. James Martin of Rally Corp explores what you can do to stand out, including the perfect timing and what you can say to maximize your connection.
Grants
Click-it: How to Find & Engage The Right Grant Funders For Your Nonprofit [Listen to on-demand webinar]. To win a grant, you need to submit the right proposal to the right funder, at the right time, and for the right amount. How to figure this out? Qgiv hosted grant writing expert Lesa-Kaye Holtham, MPH, GPC to walk you through the framework for finding and choosing the best funders to grow your mission and community impact.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, WHITE PAPERS & OTHER RESOURCES
Donor Engagement and Retention
Click-it: Develop & Launch Your Own Insight Panel [Download free step-by-step workbook]. Build your own donor feedback loop to benchmark donor loyalty, test messaging and gauge attitudes toward issues of concern, with the goal of boosting the efficacy of overall fundraising. This “recipe” guide puts the power of listening to your donors in your own hands. It’s an important resource, developed and generously offered gratis, by the good folks at Sea Change Strategies. [NOTE: I happen to have participated in one of the Insight Panels they developed for a client, and it’s an effective strategy for keeping me engaged as a donor. And, yes, I upgraded.]
Events
Click-it: Raffle for Success [Download free brand new E-Guide]. In this e-Book, Eventgroove shares key insights and strategies to run successful fundraising raffles. You’ll get real life examples from other nonprofits.
Major and Legacy Giving
Click-it: Planned giving – A Complete Guide to Legacy Programs [Download free White Paper/eGuide]. This comprehensive resource from FreeWill will tell you everything you need to know, but didn’t know how to ask, to secure the largest gifts people will ever make to your organization. Learn what it’s all about, why you should do it, and – most important – how to get started.
Online Fundraising
Click-it: The Ultimate A/B Testing Guide [Download free resource]. You’ll get all sorts of useful info, including analysis of eight real-life experiments on donation pages. Grab this from the amazing folks at NextAfter, courtesy of Nonprofit Hub.
Did You Miss My Newest Articles?
Here are links to the most recent articles on the Clairification blog. You can see I really don’t want you to squander the good feelings you’re triggering during this season of giving! The 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.
- Why Donor Wooing Requires WOWing
- Fundraising Don’ts vs. Do’s: Mailed Fundraising Appeal Strategy
- Will Your Year-End Fundraising Be Sound and Fury, Signifying Nothing?
- Nonprofit Strategy: Three Things to Cleverly Finagle
- Last Minute Strategic Year-End Email Appeal Tips
- How to Help Donors Give Astutely Before Year-End
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: When should we give donors 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. JANUARY tips are live! If you’re not yet an enrolled student, you can get in on the fun here!
Excellent, substantive and oh so relevant! TeenSmart has benefited immensely from your shared wisdom.
— Catherine Lindenberg, TeenSmart
Thank you for this article. I was just writing a thank you letter and included a story, making it much more impactful. Your article reminded me that we don’t have to save the world. It is enough to save one person, one animal, one place.
Jeanne Patrican, Eastwick College Foundation
I read your blog all the time and find your advice “spot on” and always usable. I pass it on consistently to the staff and other board members. I really appreciate all you do to help nonprofits. Thanks.
– Hal Leeds, Partner Global Sales & Marketing Consultancy, Working to Eliminate Poverty and Educational Inequality
My motto is: “If I know it, I want you to know it.” Don’t miss out.
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