Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
As this year draws to a close, I want to share something from the heart. This isn’t just about saying thank you — though gratitude is at the center of it. It’s also a reminder for anyone feeling uncertain or a bit unsteady right now: you are not alone. Your community surrounds you. And even when the road ahead feels unclear, we’ve always found our way by walking it together. That hasn’t changed, and it never will.
This issue of the “Clairity Click-it” brings together a carefully curated mix of ideas and resources to help you engage more effectively with the people you serve and lead. Every piece is selected thoughtfully — by me personally, not AI — with an eye toward practical insights and tools you can use to strengthen your work and its impact.
You’ll find content to support leadership, communication, and decision-making, all organized by category so you can easily scan for what’s most relevant to you right now. Or come back when your priorities shift.
As you read, I invite you to look for just one idea you might try or adapt. If something resonates, save it, make a note, and put it on your calendar so it’s there for you when the moment is right.
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 our critically important social benefit sector.
Thank you for doing your vital work, with gratitude,
Claire
P.S. If you’re an enrolled Clairification School student, your DECEMBER TIPS are live. If you’re not yet enrolled, please consider helping me simply cover my costs. [This is a labor of love, but if the enrollment fee is a hardship, please email me and we’ll work it out. I want you on board – even if it costs me money. My motto: “If I know it I want you to know it!”]
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL FEATURE: Leadership in Trying Times
Click-it: When Funding Is Under Threat, Your Mission Is the Strategy. Nonprofits are facing a political environment where essential missions are under attack and public funding is disappearing. This dynamic has led some nonprofits to self-censor. While this may offer short-term relief, this may come at the expense of long-term trust with communities and with donors. This piece in Nonprofit Quarterly is a reminder the mission is your funding strategy, not a liability to be managed.
Click-it: When Pivoting in Times of Crisis, What Should Small and Medium-Sized Nonprofits Prioritize First?. Also from Nonprofit Quarterly, this article offers sound strategic advice about assessing where you’ll get the biggest bang for your buck, while staying mission-aligned.
Click-it: What Nonprofits Are Hoping For This Holiday Season. Just wanting to share this aspirational list from my local AFP chapter in the San Francisco Bay area. From more engaged donors and stronger community connections, to creative campaigns that spark joy, to helpful tools that make work easier, these “wishes” highlight what fundraisers hope will make a meaningful impact during this season of giving – and beyond. Check it out, and really think about each “wish.” What might you do in the months ahead to adapt to the current environment and make these come true for your nonprofit and community?
ARTICLES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Effective Follow-up Strategies for Incomplete Donations. Here are some common-sense strategies for assuring you don’t leave money on the table. True Sense Marketing reminds us when someone shows an interest, but then “abandons cart,” it doesn’t necessarily mean they are no longer interested in giving. A combination of well-timed reminders, remarketing, and trust-building elements can increase conversions.
Content Marketing
Click-it: 26 Proven Nonprofit Newsletter Tips to Raise More Money. If your nonprofit is sending newsletters mainly for informational purposes, you’re missing a big opportunity. When you invest time and money in a newsletter, it should support your fundraising goals. In NonProfitPRO I write about 26 proven, field-tested tips to make your next newsletter impactful and profitable.
Culture of Philanthropy
Click-it: It Takes 2 Cultures to Make a Great Nonprofit — and That Can Be Hard! Jeff Brooks writes on the Moceanic blog about the baked-in conflict – about the very nature of how you do your work — between program and fundraising staff. Only when you understand why it’s this way can you approach finding a solution. This article explores both.
Donor Retention
Click-it: What are you doing for your loyal donors? Per Mary Cahalane and Barbara O’Reilly, sometimes, focusing on the upgrade is not the best strategy. While you can offer opportunities to increase their gifts, you don’t want to push them away by implying what they give isn’t enough. Here are some ways to pull these donors closer so you don’t lose them.
Events
Click-it: Achieving ROI for Fundraising Events: 5 Tips and Tricks. Achieving strong fundraising event ROI isn’t about cutting corners. It’s about making intentional investments in the guest experience, sponsorship development, technology, and follow-up. The experts at Auctria explain how, with the right structure and fundraising strategy in place, events can deliver both immediate revenue and long-term donor value. If you’ve been doing this the same way for years, give some thought to #4.
Giving Tuesday
Click-it: Giving Tuesday 2025 Email Review. From Ephraim Gopin, 1832 Communications, comes this 4-parter analysis of all 576 GT emails he received from 104 nonprofits of all sizes. He offers expert advice, tips and best practices about fundraising, marketing, email, storytelling, content, images, and more. Since I too am a firm believer in flipping the table and having the nonprofit do the “grateful giving” on this day, I really enjoyed this. See what you think.
Grants
Click-it: Storytelling in Your Grant Proposal Budget. Learn how to make your budget work side by side with your narrative to tell your story in multiple ways. Each supporting the other. D.H. Leonard is a grant writing expert who can help. You can also download her free Grant Budget Storytelling Guide.
Legacy Giving
Click-it: Residual Gifts in Wills: The Unsung Hero of Legacies. This suggestion, from Ligia Pena of the Globetrotting Fundraiser, is one I often shared with donors when I worked in the trenches. If a donor is making a will, this is a simple thing they can do that takes their loved ones into account first. It’s an easy win/win. Be sure to read this, as you’ll get suggestions for how to promote these gifts – even down to the wording!
Major, Mid-Level, and Capital Giving
Click-it: Why the Last Board Gifts Are the Hardest to Secure, And What to Do. This advice from Capital Campaign Pro also holds true for capturing board commitments for your annual campaign. You’ll learn both why some board members are stragglers (5 common reasons), and what to do to address reluctance head on.
NOTE: To become a master of major gift fundraising – a highly valued skill –consider exploring certification. I highly recommend this Veritus Group course: Certification Course for Major Gift Fundraisers. 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. Check it out – it is game-changing! And you still have time before January 9th to grab the Early Bird discount.
Online Social Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Yes, you still have time: 10 Act-now tips to boost your year-end email success. Lisa Sargent shares ways you can still do more with email. Pay attention to #2 and test it out. #4 is a favorite of mine. #5 and #6 are “must do’s” any time of year. And #10 is one I find too few nonprofits take to heart. There is a lot of good advice here!
Psychology of Giving
Click-it: How to tell donors what they need to know. This article from Jeff Brooks, Future Fundraising Now, explains why you need to talk to donors differently than how you talk to insiders. While you may believe abstract language is more dignifying to your beneficiaries, it simply won’t raise as much money. The ability to get outside of your own head and talk to donors, rather than to yourself, is the first and most important step to a donor-focused brand. And, bottom line, that’s what will assure you can fulfill your important work.
Strategy, Planning and Management
Click-it: Fundraising Best Practices for Nonprofits. As you begin planning for next year, use this comprehensive blueprint from Eventgroove to consider where to expand, contract or simply do a more effective job. There’s an “Implementation Guide” at the end to help you better assess your needs and put them into a strategic plan for moving forward with intention.
Click-it: What a Fundraising Consultant Can Do for Your Nonprofit (And 4 Things They Usually Don’t). If you’re thinking about hiring a consultant, you’ll want to read this 3-part series from 4aGoodCause [see also Part 2 and Part 3]. It’s important to understand a consultant is not a replacement for in-house staff. They’re a guide. They help for the short-term, but also set you up for success in the long-term. You’ll find a lot of your questions answered in these articles.
Tax Deductibility
Click-it: Tax deductibility is changing. Your donors need you to lead them through it. (Part 1). Donors are counting on you: start the tax reform conversation today (Part 2). I wrote these two articles for the Bloomerang blog to help you guide your donors through changes in the law impacting what donors can/cannot deduct this year and next. Of course, you should always recommend donors consult with their own financial and legal advisors. But a savvy philanthropy facilitator, who alerts donors to benefits which they may not have otherwise considered, is worth their weight in gold.
Technology as Tool
Click-it: AI Chatbots, Donor Questions, and the Quiet Rules That Govern Trust. The future is upon us. Will you be ready. This fascinating article from Kevin Shulman, the Agitator/DonorVoice will blow your mind. Yes, the use of AI will be impacted by human psychology. The more you’re able to use both together, the more effective you’ll be.
Click-it: AI for Nonprofits: Master Prompts, Workflows, and Human Touch. Charity-How-To features Kristina Leroux with a helpful article on how to maximize AI as a digital assistant – and more. There are also some ways AI can serve as an unexpected partner in strategic tasks.
Writing
Click-it: Can fundraisers tell the difference between AI and human-written thank you letters? Read on the SOFII blog about recently conducted research finding even seasoned fundraisers could not reliably pick out the AI-generated product, particularly when just basic ChatGPT was used. Success was slightly better with a fundraiser-trained product. Better prompts matter. Most astounding? When fundraisers rated letter quality (no matter what they guessed as the source), AI won! However, when it came to acts of gratitude (vs. simple thankfulness), humans won. Thinking about using AI where it works best, and saving the human touch for where it’s necessary.
Click-it: How Nonprofit Jargon Ignores Real Fears of Violence. This, from Chronicle of Philanthropy, is a cautionary tale about the use of jargon. If you want to be an effective communicator, avoid it!
Year-End
Click-it: What Financial Advisors Recommend For Year-End 2025 Donations To Wealthy Clients. It’s important to keep abreast of the advice your donors may be receiving from their financial and legal advisors. Especially when it may impact their giving, both this year and next. This Forbes article talks about changes in the tax law, and how it may impact donor philanthropy considerations. If you have supporters who’ve given to you through a DAF or IRA rollover gift in the past, talk to them about how they’d like to handle their giving this year and next.
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!
Click-it: Mid-Level Matters: Turning Overlooked Donors Into Loyal Supporters with Kel Haney [Listen to on-demand podcast]. Learn the art and science of making phone asks through authentic conversations with the donors in the “messy middle” who need their own strategy. This Virtuous Responsive podcast will teach you a lot about leading from passion. A little bit of research (ideally embedded in your donor CRM) and a 5-minute phone calls is all it takes. You can do this!
Online Communications and Fundraising
Click-it: How Targeted Texting Drives Real Donor Response [Watch on-demand webinar]. As email inboxes become increasingly overcrowded, learn from the Moore team how, with open rates above 90% and messages read within minutes, it offers the immediacy today’s donors expect.
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]. This 8-step workbook from NextAfter will help you know what to test; set up an a/b test; discover a/b testing tools, and run and document your tests.
Major, Mid-Level, Capital and Legacy Giving
Click-it: Charitable Conversations tip sheet [Download free pdf.]. Here’s a great resource from the Planned Giving Agency to help you facilitate gifts from donor resources other than current income. It’s perfect for letting donors know the benefits of appreciated stock gifts, charitable rollover gifts from IRAs, and bequests.
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.
🧩Are Transaction Fees Quietly Undermining Your Donor Relationships?
🚫STOP Leaving So Much Money on Your Table
✨7 Magic Words that Increase Charitable Donations
💸 Giving Tuesday: Don’t Take the Money and Run
🧁Piece of Cake Strategic Year-End Fundraising Ingredients You May Not Be Thinking About
🥧Easy-as-Pie Year-End Nonprofit Email Series
Plus… get tons of great information all year long in the Feedspot Top 100 Nonprofit Blogs. Bookmark this page, and subscribe to your favorites! You’ll find me at #10. 😊
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: Why Aren’t My Donor Meetings Turning Into 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. DECEMBER tips are live! If you’re not yet an enrolled student, you can get in on the fun here!
You are having a ripple effect in the many nonprofits you inspire through folks like me – and I hope you experience the joy in that every day. Thank you for sending out such great resources. I look forward to your regular emails and the helpful content you deliver.
– Jennifer M. Standen, Development Manager, Bethany Christian Services
I just wanted to reach out to you to say that your post today about interviewing for a fundraising job really hit home with me…I read it twice! Thank you for writing such an inspiring article as it really hit the nail on the head about feeling not ready due to my inner critic. I particularly loved this passage and will print it out to keep me motivated as I move forward in trying to secure a major gifts position.
— Kelly Pearson, Director of Donor Management & Strategy, Regis Jesuit high school
Claire is a superb professional, deep thinker and creative spirit in the service of philanthropy. I have worked with her in a variety of roles for nearly two decades, and have admired and supported her work. She is a person of utmost integrity, and a brilliant mind.
– Kay Grace, Principal, Transforming Philanthropy
My motto is: “If I know it, I want you to know it.” Your enrollment supports my efforts to share important insights as widely as possilbe — and is deeply appreciated!
Please enjoy these photos from a “Lightscape” immersive show I attended, outdoors at the San Francisco Botanical Gardens. Absolutely magical.
May the year ahead be illuminated with light, love and abundance.
Please support my extraordinary sponsors (see below). The Clairity Click-it content is free, and Clairification School is affordable because of their generosity.
