Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
It’s not always easy to find all the good stuff across the web. That’s why I do the work for you! Thanks again to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the time hunting and gathering. You’ll find this is another robust issue.
Find a topic that interests you, and… click away! Whatever type of learner you are, there’s something here for you. Tactical advice. Theory and science. New approaches. Stuff to read. Stuff to listen to. Stuff to watch.
Per usual, I’d love to also share a bit of inspiration from the inimitable Seth Godin:
“It’s easy to get focused on the public-facing mouth of the funnel.
More followers.
More impressions.
More buzz, hype, promotion. Get the word out.
Just about all the time people who call themselves “marketers” spend is on this. Don’t worry about what happens later, just pour more attention into the top.
But the math is simple:
Most of the people at the top leave long before they engage, buy or spread the word.
Which means that doubling your conversion is exactly the same as doubling the number of people who are aware of you.
It means that by the time you get to 20 people (out of 1,000) who are ready to become committed fans, each of these people is worth fifty times as much effort as you’d put into getting one new stranger to be aware of what you do.
Don’t send a poorly-written mail merge to your best prospects. Send them a handwritten note.
It’s not the bottom of the funnel. It’s the foundation for your future.”
Are you spending your time wisely? Think about it. If you happen to be an enrolled ‘Clairification School’ student, this month’s Bonus Tip is largely about prioritization and time management. So don’t forget to go to your dashboard and check it out.
To everyone, it is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place.
Thank you for doing such vital and compassionate work, and giving to others on a regular basis,
Claire
P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? I am deeply appreciative to all who enroll in Clairification School. This is what enables me 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: Big Thoughts
ARTICLES
Click-it: We are More United than You Think. I found this article from Stanford Social Innovation Review fascinating; perhaps you will too. A neuroscientist warns philanthropy’s bridge-building efforts may be a waste of time and money, suggesting we begin from the mantra of “first, do no harm.” If disagreements are an illusion, advocates are better served by a “reveal” strategy that highlights shared experiences and desires.
Click-it: 2024 M+R Benchmarks Study. The team at M+R does amazing work, and they’ve gone the extra mile to put a year’s worth of data from 225 amazing nonprofit partners through the X-ray machine. They’re ready to take you on a tour of digital ads, social media, email, web traffic, and more. Want to benchmark yourself against their findings? Where possible, the findings are broken out by organization size and sector. This data is robust and, amazingly, all free! Some of the findings include:
- Average online revenue for nonprofits declined by 1% in 2023, failing to keep pace with runaway growth for many sectors during the first years of the pandemic.
- Monthly giving increased by 6%, and accounted for 31% of all online revenue in 2023
- Nonprofits raised an average of $0.94 through direct mail for every dollar raised online. Direct mail revenue fell by 6% in 2023.
- Digital advertising investment by nonprofits increased by 13% — but budgeting choices varied widely between nonprofits of different sizes.
- 50% of respondents worked with social media influencers in 2023. 17% relied only on paid partnerships, and 30% used a mix of paid and unpaid influencer work.
- TikTok audiences for nonprofits increased by 112% in 2023, far faster than other social media platforms. Facebook and Instagram follower counts grew by 6% and 11%. The number of Twitter/X followers declined by 1% on average.
- Email revenue declined by 7%. The share of all online revenue directly sourced to email was 16% in 2023.
- The majority of nonprofit website traffic came from users on mobile devices — 52%, with 48% of traffic from users on desktop devices. However, 78% of revenue came from users on desktop devices.
ARTICLES
Annual (Year-Round) Giving
Click-it: Nonprofit direct mail fundraising: What it is and why it still works. Here you’ll find strategies for engaging with donors through the mail, plus insider tips from GiveButter to make your appeals maximally compelling.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Why you should write a thank you from the heart. I find myself often sharing articles from my friend and colleague Mary Cahalane because I often wish I’d written the article myself! In this one you’ll also get a link to a thank you letter clinic from copywriter extraordinaire Lisa Sargent.
Events
Click-it: 3 Powerful Post-Auction Strategies for Long-Term Support. No event should stand alone. In fact, what you do after the event may matter even more than what you do at the event. The experts at Auctria have some great ideas and a road map for you to follow.
Leadership
Click-it: Crush Your Annual Review: 10 Steps For Executive Directors. Joan Garry offers an outline for putting your best foot forward with your boss. I particularly recommend ##1, 2, 4 and 6.
Major, Capital and Legacy Gift Fundraising
Click it: How to Present a Major Gift Offer That Can’t Be Refused. You’re maximally persuasive if you can give folks that which they most yearn for. In this article for NonProfitPRO, I suggest ways to uncover the things your donor is “hiring” you to do. You can then proceed to craft a fundraising offer that includes precisely those things!
Click it: Your Top-Secret Fundraising Tool? Empathy. Unless your donors are AI-enabled (not yet!), you need to relate to them like the humans you both are. On the Bloomerang blog I describe how empathy and sympathy differ, and how to activate a practice of empathy to emotionally connect with supporters.
Storytelling
Click-it: AI code of ethics for nonprofit storytelling and marketing. Perhaps you’ve been charged to come up with one of these for your nonprofit? As we enter a new age it’s critical to be thoughtful about both the opportunities and pitfalls new technology brings. Luckily, the folks at Storyraise have done the work to assure you never lose authenticity, empathy and the human connection so essential for building bonds with supporters. Build your own code on this 10-point foundation.
Technology Applications
Click-it: Myths Debunked: How to Engage Donors With AI for Nonprofits. Nick Fitz, Momentum, is truly an expert on using AI to enhance donor connections. Here, writing on the Virtuous blog, he describes the basic types of AI that show up in nonprofit fundraising, and then lays out 9 AI myths that hold folks back from leveraging this technology to their advantage. Learn how to use AI—aka your third hand—to take on administrative work, such as making updates to your CRM, adding summaries to your contact report, and drafting outreach communication, so you’re able to focus your time on initiatives that truly move the needle.
Click-it: How to Leverage AI to Enhance Major Gift Fundraising. Are you a “Curious Chamelion?” If so, you’ll want to check out this article on NonProfitPRO from Victoria Wheeler, Momentum, to see four ways AI can amplify your natural strengths, offering more profound insights, greater efficiency and enabling more nuanced engagements.
Click-it: Don’t let the AI robots steal your humanity. Mary Cahalane, Hands-On Fundraising writes about the ways using AI can gum up the works and make you come across as distinctly unhuman. The new tools are amazing, but must be put to work – thoughtfully – with the ideal of building human relationships at the forefront.
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!
ONLINE CONFERENCE OR COURSE
Click-it: Responsive Nonprofit Summit [Register for free virtual sessions over three days, 5-7 to 5-9-2024]. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to hear from 75 presenters on a range of topics – there are 36 sessions — while also earning up to 34 CFRE credits. All free! The Summit is hosted by Virtuous, in partnership with We Are For Good, and the topic list and presenters’ roster look awesome.
WEBINAR, VIDEO OR PODCAST
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Raise More with Less Effort with Monthly Giving [Listen to on-demand, free webinar]. Monthly giving is the secret sauce that will transform your nonprofit’s fundraising game. Join Ronald Pruitt of 4aGoodCause and learn how to maximize your impact while minimizing the effort required
Donor Retention
Click-it: How to Defeat Fundraising’s Silent Enemy: Donor Attrition [Register for free webinar, 5-6-2024]. Jay Wilkinson of Firespring is one of my favorite all-time presenters as his sessions are filled with meaty take-aways. Here you’ll learn: (1) How to create a powerful, engaging website; (2) Why donors leave and what to do about it; (3) 6 key drivers that can double the lifetime value of your donors, and(4) Methods for creating repeat donors.
Events
Click-it: Today’s Nonprofit Fundraising Event: What’s Working? [Register for free webinar, 5-16-2024]. Events have taken a beating since Covid, and you may wonder if they’re still worth it. Rally Corps is hosting nonprofit event expert, Samantha Swaim, who will talk about trends and answer all your questions.
Marketing
Click-it: A picture’s worth a thousand words: Fundraising Imagery in History [Register for free webinar, 5-23-2024] SOFII and Rogare join in this exploration of the neuroscience and behavioral science behind choosing an image that is effective for fundraising. Should you use images proven to raise more money or images that better reflect the experience of those you seek to help? What are the possibilities around using AI (artificial intelligence) images in fundraising? And so much more.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Dream Big: Ignite Donor Hopes and Passions [Replay two-part event]. I missed this when it was live, but you can still join in the fun from Neon One and grab all sorts of ideas to create memorable moments between you and your donors in the digital space. Plus, there are exercises so you can take away practices tailored just to your nonprofit. Build trust and make donors feel good!
Year-End Fundraising
Click-it: Taking Advantage of the Summer Lull: Prepare for a Powerful End-of-Year Campaign [Register for free webinar, 5-14-2024]. Too soon? Not at all. This engaging session from Social Impact Solutions and Better Unite will dive into strategic approaches and innovative tactics to harness the quieter summer months, setting the stage for a dynamic and successful end-of-year fundraising effort.
YOU
Click-it: What if Pizza Shops Were Funded Like Human Services Nonprofits? [Watch YouTube video] This is just for fun, though there’s a serious message here too. HT to Tom Ahern for sharing this from the Human Services Council of New York.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS TEMPLATES, ASSESSMENTS & OTHER RESOURCES
Annual (Year-Round) Giving
Click-it: How to raise more funds with a matching gift program [Download free templates, and more]. If you just passively wait for the occasional matching gift to arrive, you’re likely leaving a lot of money on the table. This article from Givebutter explains in detail how to get proactive. Plus, you get free templates to solicit and thank donors!
Capital Campaign
Click-it: Is a Successful Capital Campaign in Your Future? 4 Free Assessments. Capital Campaign Pro has developed four assessment tools to help you determine whether you are campaign-ready. Download to assess: Development Office Readiness; Board Readiness; Systems and Technology Readiness. And Overall Campaign Readiness.
Events
Click-it: The State of Event Sustainability [Download free report]. The folks at Eventgroove recently launched a survey focusing entirely on event sustainability. They received 230 responses from both for-profit and nonprofit event planners. Take-aways have to do with emissions sources; waste and materials; food, and obstacles to sustainability. You’ll also learn why shorter events are better.
Leadership
Click-it: Nine questions to assess and sustain healthy nonprofit leadership. You can read a bunch of referenced posts related to each of these questions posed by the Ross Collective. Each is related to your individual, organizational and communal leadership style. Then score yourself to see how much progress you’re making towards healthy leadership. It should be a useful, eye-opening exercise.
Major Gift Fundraising
Click-it: Creating Strategic Plans and Goals for Every Major Donor [Download free paper]. The Veritus Group papers are always jam-packed with useful info, and this is no exception. They actually share with you a step-by-step process on how to put together a strategic plan for each donor. It’s the same process they use with their clients to help them overcome what they think is insurmountable. And it’s yours for free!
BTW: If you want to learn everything you need to know about developing a systematic approach to major gift fundraising, take a serious look at this major gifts certification course. I LOVE this course SO much, and want you to take advantage. There are cohorts forming beginning June 10th and August 26th,. Use my exclusive Code – CLAIRE – and you’ll get 20% off if you register 30 days in advance. Don’t delay! These classes closer to the end of the calendar year fill up.
Strategy, Management and Planning
Click-it: NextAfter’s Definitive Guide to Nonprofit Value Propositions [Click and read this free guide]. You’ll get ideas, tested tactics and tools – a step-by-step roadmap to developing your own essential value proposition. It’s the heart and soul of your marketing and fundraising strategy – your most valuable tool in influencing someone to give. This is an important read!
Technology
Click-it: A Nonprofit Professional’s Guide to Incorporating AI [Download free e-book]. The folks at iWave put together this guide to help you thoughtfully incorporate AI into your work flow.
Did You Miss My Newest Articles?
Here are links to the most recent articles on the Clairification blog. The top three all offer some thinking about reframing your approach to fundraising, and I’d really value your feedback on whether you find them valuable. Let me know what you think!
How to Stop Being a Radiance Slayer
The Meaning of Philanthropy, Not Fundraising – Part 2
The Meaning of Philanthropy, Not Fundraising – Part 1
Find the above three articles useful? Please leave comments below. Or hit REPLY with any comments. I will read every single comment and email.
Do you wish you had a dime for… ?
Why You Must Put Real Resources into Building Nonprofit Donor Loyalty
Two Ways Nonprofits Get Donor-Centered Fundraising Wrong
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 Are Some Foolproof Phrases And Words For Successful Fundraising Appeals?
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 now live! If you’re not yet an enrolled student, you can get in on the fun here!
If there were a Mount Rushmore for Philanthropy, Claire Axelrad would certainly be on it. Every nonprofit would benefit by ditching forgettable fundraising in favor of passionate philanthropy with Claire.”
– Jay Wilkinson, Founder & CEO of Firespring
I just think Claire Axelrad is the most thought provoking and on point fundraiser I’ve ever heard. She has the answers I need to hear.
— Katora Cole, Chief Development Officer, Orchards Children’s Services
Claire’s approach is a rare blend of experience-based common sense gleaned from 30 years of senior management in the trenches.
– Chris Baylis, The Sponsorship Collective
And now, some fun things I found on walks over the past two weeks…
Seize the day!
Are you, too, in full bloom?
Are you letting yourself ROAR?
See what you’re able to find this week! Either within or without the Clairity Click-it. 😉
And please support my extraordinary sponsors (see below). The Clairity Click-it content is free, and Clairification School is affordable, because of their generosity.
