Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Today I want to remind you that part and parcel of your personal mission, as a philanthropy facilitator, is to bring supporters opportunities for meaning and purpose.
Because when you help increase others’ sense of wellbeing, not only is the world a better place but these folks are more likely to demonstrate gratitude by giving of themselves.
Meaning drives us to act with generosity and resolve.
There is no substitute for this, not even happiness – the pursuit of which is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution). But is that really what it’s all about? If so, the U.S. is failing. Did you know this year the U.S. dropped out of the top 20 happiest countries for the first time ever, dropping from #15 to #23?
“Point is: the good life isn’t about “happiness.” It’s about meaning. Meaning is more resilient. More significant. More enduring. It emerges when we live out our most noble motivations. It’s a process, not a point in time. It’s a never ending game. All we can do is choose to keep playing.
What would happen if we stopped measuring happiness, and started measuring the amount of meaning we experience? And more importantly, if we reoriented our lives, our work, and our organizations toward cultivating more of it?”
— Hugh MacLeod, Gaping Void. Why We’re Measuring the Wrong Thing
Or consider this:
“For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it.”
–Viktor Frankl
MacLeod argues that autonomy, purpose, community, mastery, and connection are far more holistic and effective heuristics than measuring “happiness,” as these have been shown to increase feelings of well-being. I would add these are things philanthropy facilitators should strive for as well, rather than focusing solely on monetary transactions.
If you help people find meaning and purpose, the money will follow.
Hopefully some of the resources I’ve collected over the past two weeks will help you enact your mission. 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.
It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to succeed.
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 [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 APRIL TIPS are live
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
ARTICLES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Unleash the might of the donor – power as a component of a fundraising plan. Would you like to learn three techniques to get inside your donors’ heads and add power to your fundraising appeals? Mark Phillips offers these in an article republished on the SOFII blog. Each one will help ensure your donors know that they DO have the power to make a difference.
Boards
Click-it: How to Run a Better a Board Meeting – and Liven Up Your Board. Holding a boring board meeting is no way to treat your valuable supporters! Here Gail Perry outlines how to avoid this with some proactive tips.
Click-it: The 5 Step Strategy for Getting Your Board Members Engaged in Fundraising. Joe Garecht offers five practical steps you can take to boost board participation in generating the revenue your organization needs to fulfill its mission. I tried to pick a favorite for you, but they’re all excellent.
Content Marketing
Click-it: The Art of Persuasion: How to Build a Case for Support. Don’t miss this comprehensive, step-by-step road map from Adam Wenger, Double the Donation. Learn what your case should contain/not contain and pitfalls to avoid. Plus get real examples, expert tips and answers to FAQs.;
Data
Click-it: Nonprofit Data Management 101: What You Need to Know. Read this article from Abby Jarvis at Neon One to learn how to effectively use data to boost your campaigns and build donor retention. There are simple best practices to get you started.
Click-it: Avoid These 8 Common Fundraising Metric Analysis Pitfalls to Make Better Nonprofit Management Decisions. Learn from the Fundraising Report Card how the usefulness of your fundraising metrics – even if they’re completely accurate – gets lost when you make any of the common mistakes discussed in this article. I tried to pick the best one, but… they’re all good.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Beyond Thank You Notes: Unique Ways to Acknowledge Donors. If you want to do a more effective job keeping the donors you have, check out these great ideas from Schoolmoney.
BTW: You can grab 72 Creative Thank You Ideas in my e-guide here.
Events
Click-it: How to Host an Online Raffle and Win! Per the experts at Eventgroove, raffles are “the little black dress of fundraisers.” Learn what you need to run a successful raffle, and get all sorts of strategic tips. Have fun!
Major, Capital and Legacy Gift Fundraising
Click it: Lights, Camera, Philanthropy: And the Oscar Goes to… Planned Giving! Stelter gift planning consultant, Lynn M. Gaumer, J.D, weighs in on the best planned gifts to promote in 2024. I 100% agree with these recommendations, so definitely wanted to share.
Online and Mobile Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: $600+ Average Donation Through Text to Give: How? Relationships. The experts at Rally Corp explore when and why donors are giving large gifts through text messaging and offer lessons to help your nonprofit reach your fundraising goals. Learn how to connect and build strong relationships using texting.
Click-it: Social Media for Nonprofits 101: Important Platforms to Know. It’s always a good idea to audit your communications strategy (at least annually) to determine what’s working, what’s not, and where you might improve. We live in a multi-channel world, and lots of folks today get their information from social media. Auctria suggests your best bets for supporter engagement and gives you data on each one.
Click-it: Nine ideas to market to young people who avoid marketing. This article from marketing guru Mark Schaefer is not about nonprofits in particular, but if you want to reach young people this is important stuff.
Storytelling
Click-it: AI code of ethics for nonprofit storytelling and marketing. The evolving landscape of storytelling + artificial intelligence (AI) presents unprecedented opportunities for nonprofits to create compelling narratives and engage audiences in meaningful ways. AI is just a tool, however, and shouldn’t replace the human element. The experts at Storyraise have put significant thought into this Code of Ethics reflecting values of authenticity, empathy and human connection.
Click-it: Finding the stories you need. Sometimes it’s challenging to find and craft compelling narratives. Check out this excellent step-by-step guide from Mary Cahalane, Hands-On Fundraising. You will definitely find something here you hadn’t thought of.
Technology: So Many Kinds of Digital Innovation
Click-it: 11 Time-saving AI Tools for Nonprofits. Everybody’s talking about it, but the firehose of information can be overwhelming. Enter Momentum! As specialists in AI tools for fundraising and donor retention and upgrading, they know all the available tools. Here, they’ve helpfully laid out a variety of options (e.g. donor engagement, research, writing, design, marketing, project management, and more) and described how you might put these tools to work.
Click-it: How to Navigate Your Nonprofit’s CRM Implementation Journey. There are a lot of choices, and this can lead to analysis paralysis. Get some help from this article by A Direct Solution.
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!
Corporate Sponsors
Click-it: How to secure corporate partnerships and matching donations [Register for free webinar, 4-10-2024]. Join Floyd Jones with GiveButter for this session covering how to identify, approach, and cultivate relationships with corporate partners. Plus, they’ll also cover how to secure matching donations!
Donor Retention
Click-it: The Magic of Birthday Recognition to Increase Retention [listen to quick podcast]. Dana Snyder, Positive Equa+ion, unpacks the art of engagement, zeroing in on birthdays as a powerful touchpoint. She guides you through strategies to seamlessly collect this personal detail from supporters and shows you how it can transform your connections.
Major Gifts Fundraising
Click-it: Asking Styles… Because Who You Are Matters! [Register for free webinar, 4-17-2024]. Join Asking Matters President Brian Saber to get a grip on your own, and others,’ strengths and weaknesses. You’ll learn how your Asking Style impacts: (1) partnering with teammates; (2) making your case for support; (3) setting up meetings, and (4) having intentional conversations. The session will also touch on boards and how the Asking Styles profile of your board impacts its dynamics.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Marketing Trends Nonprofits Need to Know (and Embrace) [Register for free webinar, 4-16-24]. I always love to hear from Kiersten Hill at Firespring because you’re sure to get a lot of useful take-aways. Here you’ll learn how to use: (1) storytelling; (2) influencer marketing; (3) digital experiences to create awareness; (4) automation; (5) SEO, and (6) AI to engage.
Click-it: From Inbox to Income: Monetizing Your Email List [Listen to free, on-demand webinar]. Ever wonder how to strike the optimal balance between email frequency and fundraising campaigns? Christina Edwards of Splendid Consulting addresses this in this webinar for Bloomerang. She also covers crafting story narratives that deepen trust, loyalty, and inspire meaningful action.
Strategy and Management
Click-it: How to Get Better Fundraising Results with Steven Screen [Listen to free podcast]. Steven Screen joins Julia Campbell for the Nonprofit Nation podcast. If your nonprofit’s growth has flattened out, it’s most likely a result of a belief – or several – rather than a tactic or a strategy. This is a great opportunity to hear from two terrific experts in one fell swoop.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Fundraising Offers [Download free resource]. Learn what it takes to make an offer your donor won’t want to refuse! The Better Fundraising Co. outlines what offers are; how offers work, and how you can make a great offer that raises more money.
Major Gift Fundraising
Click-it: Removing Obstacles to Major Gift Fundraising [Download free paper]. You may have been meaning to start or ramp up your major gift fundraising program for some time, but things keep getting in the way. Here, the Veritus Group experts outline five avoidable issues in order to help you identify where you need to improve if you want to build more transformational relationships with supporters.
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. So, use my exclusive Clairification Code – CA5 – to register and grab a nice discount! The next session begins April 22nd.
Online and Multichannel Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Email Audit Guide [Download free resource]. Katelyn Baughn at KB Digital recommends you audit your email program at least annually. Here’s a worksheet for a 7-step audit, complete with detailed instructions.
Click-it: Multi-Channel Marketing: The Powerful Strategy You Need To Know. Did you know you have 50 potential channels (whoa!), but you’d also be fine if you just chose two (cool)? I put this under “Guides” because this article from Beeline is a master class on this subject. Read, study and heed. I defy you not to find something useful here that you can put to work right away. But, more than that, it’s a planning template for today and tomorrow. Plus, there’s a great specific example from the folks at Build Good and links to some great tools to make your marketing easier.
Psychology of Giving
Click-it: The Behavioral Economics Nonprofit Playbook [Download free e-guide]. I absolutely love this. The good folks at NextAfter have put together the definitive guide to bridge the gap between the theoretical world of behavioral economics and the pressing needs of nonprofit fundraising. Discover 32 behavioral concepts, each unpacked with clarity and backed by real-world examples and experiments, tailor-made for the nonprofit landscape.
Strategy and Management
Click-it: Nonprofit Fundraising Metrics: 30+ KPIs To Measure Success [Free guide]. This comprehensive resource from Donor Search offers every formula you need to measure success and plan future goals, objectives and tactics. You won’t want to measure every single one of these, but I’ll bet you’ll find one or two you’re not currently measuring that may be useful.
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.
Color my world with joy because… you’re out there, restoring balance to our wobbly world.
These Fundraising Appeal Fallacies Will Cost You Money
Invite Nonprofit Donors Into Your Story, Giving Them a Powerful Role to Play
Loyalty is the New Nonprofit Donor Currency: Part 2
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?
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’s The Average Portfolio Size For A Full-Time Grant Manager?
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. APRIL TIPS are live! 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 colorful things I found on walks in San Francisco over the past two weeks…
A joyful resting spot for humans while their pets conduct their business.
The game of Twister, repurposed as joyful outdoor wall art.
The birthday girl apparently wasn’t home, so this delivery was left on the doorstep. I think it’s a cake?
Find something to celebrate this week!
And please support my extraordinary sponsors (see below). The Clairity Click-it content is free, and Clairification School is affordable, because of their generosity.
