Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
The Clairity Click-it exists to bring you a range of voices from across the nonprofit world so you can resource, learn and digest at your own pace, and come up with new and better ways to do your job of changing the world.
Seth Godin wants to help you too!
How to change the world
All successful cultural change (books, movies, public health), has a super-simple two-step loop:
AWARENESS
TENSION
–>Loop<–It’s easy to focus on awareness. Get the word out. Hype. Promo.
I think that’s a mistake.
Because awareness without tension is useless.
The tension is like pulling back a rubber band.
WHY would someone who becomes aware take action?
Is the action to buy the book? To change one’s diet? To vote?
And then the third step, so important it’s often ignored, is:
Why would the person who became aware and then experienced the tension and release… tell someone else?
So, to recap:
- Tell 10 people.
- Create tension among the 10 so they take action.
- The action causes each of them to tell 10 people.
— Seth Godin
Spread your nonprofit’s word!
Create some tension that causes people to take action.
And use some of the wisdom gleaned in this weeks issue of Clairity Click-it to help you. 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. I’ve got a lot of great stuff for you this week, so let’s get right to it!
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 [NOTE: If the enrollment fee is a hardship, please email me and we’ll work it out.]
P.P.S. If you’re an enrolled Clairification School student, your MARCH TIPS are live – and they include a BONUS this month! If you’re not yet enrolled, there’s no better time.
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
ARTICLES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Pick. Up. The. Freaking. Phone. And. Call. Them.. I love this post from Patick Kirby at DoGoodBetter. As useful as all the digital tools increasingly at our fingertips are, if you really want to know something now – just ask! It’s more personal, and it obviates the need for list making, calendaring and endless back and forth, forth and back, until you’re able to get a task off your plate and move forward. Here’s a way to avoid too much treadmill, too little forward momentum.
Events
Click-it: 29 Great Raffle Prize Ideas. Having trouble coming up with cool ideas? The experts at Eventgroove have helped nonprofits run hundreds and hundreds of raffles, and they know what motivates folks to buy tickets. Check it out!
Grants
Click-it: The 4 Critical Steps to an Effective Grant Research Strategy. Seeking grants isn’t about throwing things at the wall and seeing what sticks; it’s about time, strategy, and resources — and about using them wisely. Here, from RGB Strategy, you’ll learn four steps to follow, and get specific tactics for each one.
Leadership
Click-it: For resilient leadership right now, ask these three important questions. Dr. Renee Rubin Ross, The Ross Collective, notes that to be alive in 2024 means holding grief and love. To find some hope in our shared future, and become an individually resilient leader, there are three questions for you to be asking yourself right now.
Major, Capital and Legacy Gift Fundraising
Click-it: How to Present a Major Gift Offer That Can’t Be Refused. Here one from me on the NonProfitPRO blog. I offer some super-actionable tips to help you be maximally persuasive. It’s about offering to folks that for which they most yearn.
Click-it: 10 Questions You Should Ask Your Wealthy Supporters to Motivate Them to Give. Major giving is ultimately about the donor and the story they want to tell about their own lives. This article from Greg Warner at Market Smart looks at 10 questions you can use in your conversations with major donor prospects that will help them discover how meaningful charitable giving plays a key role in their own stories.
BTW: I 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. So, use my exclusive Clairification Code – CA5 – to register and grab a nice discount!
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: 9 Emails Every Nonprofit Needs To Send. Here comes some practical advice from Pamela Grow. How many of these types of emails are you currently sending?
Click-it: Did You Get This? 14 Unprofessional Email Mistakes I’d Avoid at All Costs. Before you hit send, check your email against this list on HubSpot. You can also download some useful email templates.
Storytelling
Click-it: How to Tell a Story With Text Messaging. Storytelling sticks with people like nothing else. You should be using it in all your communications channels, including text messages. The experts at Rally Corp lay out effective ways to accomplish this, including examples and 15 specific tips.
Strategy, Management and Planning
Click-it: 3 Top Learning Strategies You Need To Change The World. Wondering what how you learn has to do with fundraising and nonprofits? Actually, it has to do with everything. If you don’t learn new things, you slowly wither. And with today’s rapid pace of change, confident learning has become critical to adapting, adopting, and feeling connected to the world we inhabit. In this article for Bloomerang, I suggest three innovative learning strategies for you to practice. I hope you’ll give them a try!
Click-it: How to start a nonprofit: A step-by-step guide. Here are 10 steps to get your dream off the ground. Everything from A to Z, including cost considerations, budgeting and financial planning tips, a timeline and FAQs. Plus, CNN has sourced good advice from social benefit experts such as Tony Martignetti. Tiffany Allen, and Ben Michael.
Click-it: How to Reimagine Your Money-Related Job Title. This one is fun to contemplate. It may seem unimportant, but… how you frame your work matters, both to you and to your donors. Richard Perry, the Veritus Group, walks you through why and how to think about this. Plus, there’s a link to some suggested alternatives. How about “Donor Advisor” or “Chief Generosity Strategist?”
Technology: So Many Kinds of Digital Innovation
Click-it: Your Guide to AI & Fundraising: Everything You Need to Know. You need to know a lot! And the experts at Momentum have you covered. Everything from what it is… to how it benefits fundraisers… to case examples… to top tools and what to look for… to best implementation practices. And don’t miss the FAQs!
Click-it: How AI Can Help You Personalize Your Fundraising Work. Don’t let the opportunity being presented pass you by. AI is a scalable solution to building connections with supporters. This article from Auctria, channeling research provided by Sarah Tedesco of Donor Search, provides an overview of the role AI plays in nonprofit fundraising and discusses how to leverage AI tools specifically for personalization.
Video
Click-it: Making Video Part of Your Nonprofit Marketing Strategy: Five Easy Tips. Short-form videos have exploded in popularity. Studies show viewers retain significantly more information from videos than text alone, making them a powerful tool for nonprofits aiming to engage with their audiences. Grab five quick tips to get started on the Firespring blog.
Writing
Click-it: Why is clear writing so hard? Jeff Brooks, Future Fundraising Now, makes the case when you write in a clear and easy-to-understand way, you raise more money. And there are tools at your disposal to make this happen.
Click-it: Unlocking Support: The Art of Clear Communication in Nonprofits. Mary Cahalane, Hands-On Fundraising builds on the case for donor-centered writing if your aim is to generate philanthropy. Using terms used by your staff won’t cut it. It’s important to move away from “insider speak” when you’re externally focused.
Other Learning Opportunities
WEBINARS, PODCASTS, CONFERENCES & 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!
Donor Acquisition
Click-it: The 4 core ways to acquire new donors [Sign up for three free short video trainings]. The folks at Buildgood are offering a straight-talking 5-part mini fundraising course to help you understand (1) what makes donors respond; (2) how to define and frame a problem donors can help resolve, and (3) how to call donors to action. This is good stuff! Takeaway? Keep the words ‘simplicity’ and ‘clarity’ pasted to your computer.
Donor Retention
Click-it: What Is Identity-Based Fundraising? Insights Into Why Donors Choose to Give Long-Term [Listen to free videos]. Tom Ahern is interviewed by Julie Cooper on the topic of identity fundraising. In this quick “Win it in a Minute” video, he outlines what makes people give long term. Learn how understanding your donors’ motivations more clearly can forge stronger connections and guide them to engage more profoundly with your cause. There are lots more of these short video interviews with fundraising thought leaders.
Storytelling
Click-it: Simplifying Digital Broad-Based Reports with Storyraise [Register for free session, 4-2-2024]. Lynn Wester, Donor Relations Group, hosts and Jeff Rum, Storyraise, for this gathering centered on creating web-based reports using drag and drop. Whether you’re charged with creating annual reports, impact reports or donor reports, you’ll learn how to make the best use of your time. Easily follow your own brand guidelines with customizable colors, fonts and photos.
Strategy and Management
Click-it: How can development and communications teams work better together? [Download free, on-demand podcast]. Big Duck hosts this illuminating conversation about why collaboration between your teams is so important. Useful if you want to convince a boss or board that marketing and fundraising must be integrated to be truly effective.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Best Blogs
Click-it: Top 100 Fundraising Blogs You Should Be Reading. Feedspot has come out with its annual list of top fundraising blogs. There are tons of free resources here, so definitely subscribe to some that look good to you. I’m in there too, so please enroll in my “Clairification School” to get full access to everything (if you’ve already done so, thank you)!
Boards
Click-it: An Onboarding Checklist for New Board Members [Download free resource]. Joan Garry explains exactly what a new board member needs. Then, she helps you deliver. Grab this!
Donor Acquisition
Click-it: Definitive Guide to Donor Acquisition [Click to read free guide]. The good folks at NextAfter have put together this comprehensive roadmap targeting online donor acquisition. You’ll get lots of examples, and learn what works best to both grab attention and convert leads to donations.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Donor engagement benchmark report [Download free resource]. Are you up to speed on the latest donor engagement tactics and benchmarks? This new report from Gravyty draws data from over 160 organizations to help you prioritize and plan ahead, including: (1) How often to reach out to donors; (2) Which channels are most effective for conversions and ROI, and (3) How to overcome common staffing and resource limitations.
Click-it: The Missing Middle: A Cross-Vertical Study [Download free report]. Alia McKee and Mark Rovner at Sea Change Strategies worked with Edge Research to survey 5,900 midlevel donors across 36 organizations, sussing out their key traits and what motivates them. If you’ve been worrying about downturns in giving, absolutely read this. If it doesn’t persuade you they deserve a closer look (and their own stewardship program), nothing will.
Trends
Click-it: 40 Nonprofit Trends for 2024 [Download free Guide]. Grab this guide complied by NonProfitPRO with predictions from nonprofit professionals across all areas of the social benefit sector. These experts delve into seven crucial areas, sharing insights on big ideas, fundraising strategies, donor engagement and behavior, the impact of technology, donor data and analytics, leadership and board strategies, and mission awareness and impact. I weigh in at Tip #35 with “A New Way to Lead.”
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.
Hooray to you for helping to repair our world!
Loyalty is the New Nonprofit Donor Currency: Part 1
4 Keys to Raise Money in Today’s Attention-Sucking Nonprofit Jungle
Why Would a Donor Give to Your Charity?
Don’t Worry, Be Happy: Useful Life Advice for Nonprofit Fundraisers
Strategic Nonprofit Board Recruitment
How to Craft a Nonprofit Board Orientation Strategy
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: Can A Check Dated In One Calendar Year Be Credited To A Different Calendar Year For Tax Deduction Purposes?
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. MARCH TIPS are live, and there’s a bonus this month too! 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! Your support helps me to support you.
And now, some things I found on walks in San Francisco over the past two weeks…
Decorated car on San Francisco street. WHAT?!?! Also, note it is parked in a towaway zone.
Planter mural. A harbinger of a new season.
Outdoor wall mural: “Volunteer Hope.”
May you blossom and grow as you reach for the light.
And please support my extraordinary sponsors (see below). The Clairity Click-it content is free, and Clairification School is affordable, because of their generosity.
