Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
This blew my mind:
Seth Godin wrote people are really making good use of the free AI on his blog – and so far, it’s pretty trustworthy. I gave it a try, and these were the results.
I asked “How do you choose a good vacation spot?” After all, it’s that time of year! AI answered with:
When it comes to choosing a vacation spot, Seth Godin doesn’t directly provide a method or criteria, but he does emphasize the importance of the journey, destinations, and perceived risks in our lives in general in his post on Destinations, risks and journeys. He states that our everyday choices about destinations shape the journeys we take, and along those journeys, we experience both risks and an internal narrative about those risks. With this in mind, you could consider selecting a vacation spot that provides a meaningful or enjoyable journey, with a balance between the desired destination and the risks you are willing to take or encounter.
Remember, the destination isn’t the journey, and your perception of the risks is up to you. Consider a vacation spot that resonates with your interests, allows you to enjoy and learn from the journey, and includes risks or challenges that are within your comfort zone or that inspire growth.
It then gave me links to five blog posts if I wanted to know what Seth actually said.
Whew! Such a great answer, and not at all superficial to my mind. In fact, it’s a good philosophy to apply to shaping donor journeys. And perhaps your personal career journey as well. I like the idea it should be meaningful, enjoyable and balanced. Food for thought.
Speaking of food for thought, you’ll find plenty in this issue of the Clairity Click-it. Set aside a little time to explore, and see what you find. I’ve sorted everything by category, and included a broad spectrum of materials for a range of adult learning styles.
As always, a big thank you to my 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 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. For a modest $100/year you get all my new blog articles, monthly tips, bonus tips, templates and worksheets, course and product discounts, and access to archived posts, webinars, and podcasts. I am deeply appreciative for your support! [If the enrollment fee is a hardship, please email me and we’ll work it out.]
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL FEATURE: Generative AI
Are you thinking about how to embrace chatbots and incorporate them into your development toolboxes, rather than reject them as threatening? Here are some resources that may help you with your thought processes.
Click-it: Bye-bye ChatGPT: AI Tools As Good As ChatGPT (But Few People Are Using Them). This may or may not be for you, but it’s fascinating stuff. AI scares the you-know-what out of me on most days, but I’ve no doubt it can be used for good. Published in Artificial Corner by Frank Andrade.
Click-it: AI Revolution: Jasper’s VP of Marketing Shares Expert Advice (Don’t Get Left Behind) [Listen/watch quick video]. If you’re a writer, this may make you feel better about not losing your job. If you work with writers, there’s a way to help them make the most advantageous use of generative AI tools. Listen to Meghan Anderson, V.P. of Marketing at Jasper.
Click-it: ChatGPT Did NOT Write This Headline (But It Probably Could Have). The Veritus Group ways in with some practical steps you can take to introduce AI into your organizational and individual work. One good piece of advice: Write down the parts of your job that take time away from your fundamental task of building authentic relationships with donors. Now, see if you can harness a chatbot to help you with these tasks.
Click-it: Should You Turn Supporter Care Over to AI? Kevin Shulman, Donor Voice, explains how GPT is used in the commercial sector for this purpose and how it can boost productivity. But, overall, he does not answer this question in the affirmative for nonprofits
ARTICLES
Advocacy
Click-it: Advocacy for everyone: 6 ways to help your supporters take action. When you call your supporters to meaningful action, you engage them in a journey that inclines them to stick with you. Get some great ideas in this post on the EveryAction blog.
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: The Magic of an Evergreen Fundraising Offer. Do you have one of these? If not, this is a super useful article from Sarah Lundberg, on the Better Fundraising Co. blog.
Click-it: Creating a Monthly Giving Program: Tips for Nonprofits. I really want more of you to begin, or ramp up, monthly giving. Which is why I’m sharing this excellent, comprehensive article from Jay Love at Bloomerang. Would you like to increase overall average donor retention from 42% to 80-90%? Read the article!
Content Marketing
Click-it: Best Nonprofit Annual Report Templates [2023]. The folks at Yearly are annual report experts. Here’s a comprehensive article about all the different ways to use, and build, annual reports that connect and engage.
Events
Click-it: Which Fundraising Events Bring in the Most Money for Small Nonprofits? You’ll get ideas galore from Sandy Rees, Get Fully Funded. Fun events… heartstring events… signature events… learn all the ins and outs to help you choose the right fundraiser for your organization.
Click-it: 7 Mental Health Tips for Event Professionals. Did you know this has been identified as one of the top 10 most stressful jobs? What better shoulder to lean on than a company dedicated to helping nonprofits put on events? If you’re an event pro, Eventgroove has your back. All these years in the business, and I never knew there was an Event Therapy Network. Did you?
Major and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: How to Face Your Fears About Cold Calling a Donor. There’s a myth that good fundraisers have no fears around making donor calls. Karen Kendrick debunks this on the Veritus Group blog, calling out the various things we do to avoid doing what we fear. And how we, and our donors, miss out on tremendous connection and joy as a result.
Click-it: What We Can Learn About Fundraising From a College Tour With My Teen, Another great article from Lisa Greer, Philanthropy 451, with the donor’s perspective on the relationship between fundraising staff and major donors. It matters!
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Top 4 Strategies to Engage New Supporters Through Email. Here, on the NonProfitPro blog, are my thoughts on top email strategies for nonprofits. What’s your favorite? Have any of these not worked for you? Which would you add?
Strategy and Management
Click-it: Important Fundraising Interview Questions To Ask Before You Hire Fundraisers. Too often people just hire people they like. Or people who held the job someplace else. That’s not enough to make a good match. Check out these useful questions from whydonate to find out how your candidates think, feel and define success.
Technology
Click-it: What Is Trackable in Google Analytics?. If you’re not using Google Analytics, here’s a thorough article from Nonprofit Hub about why, and how, to do so
Writing
Click-it: How to share feelings. Emotional copy works a zillion times better than reportorial or educational copy. At least if you want to move people to create change. Want to do a better job connecting with your audience? Mary Cahalane, Hands-On Fundraising, is a terrific fundraising writer. So, you can’t go wrong stealing these tips!
YOU
Click-it: The Easiest Way How to Add Your Portfolio to LinkedIn. Neal Schaffer is the expert. You’ll love these tips to help set yourself apart from others in your field.
ONLINE CONFERENCE OR COURSE
Click-it: Community Conference Refresh [Register for free sessions, 6-6 and 6-7-2023]. Donor Perfect hosts 11 fundraising consultants to weigh in on important strategies that will help you regroup and recharge amidst major changes in the landscape.
WEBINARS, PODCASTS, ROUNDTABLES & 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!
Business Support
Click-it: Introduction to corporate giving [Register for free webinar, 5-25-2023]. Join Candid and learn about the different types of business support available, and how to find and seek corporate philanthropy.
Data
Click-it: Revenue Recognition: A Nonprofit’s Guide to the Rules for Recording Gifts and Grants [Register for free webinar, 5-24-2023]. Gina McDonald, Managing Director at BDO, has made herself available for a one-hour master class for nonprofit financial leaders on revenue recognition for contributions. Join with sponsor Nonprofit Financial Commons to explore the practical implications: donor -imposed conditions and gift restrictions; how to evaluate multi-year awards; government grants, and long-term pledges receivable.
Storytelling
Click-it: Storytelling for Impact [Register for free webinar, 5-30-2023]. Join Firespring’s Kiersten Hill as she goes through tips, techniques and tools to help nonprofit marketers tell better and more impactful stories to activate their audiences. Plus you’ll get exercises your team can use to enhance and refine your storytelling process.
Strategy and Management
Click-it: Top Tips for Your Best Year-Round Fundraising Plan! [Register for free webinar, 5-23-2023]. Don’t feel bad if you don’t have a written plan. 57% of fundraisers don’t. But don’t use this as an excuse – unless you enjoy feeling overwhelmed all the time. Or feeling you’re underperforming. Join Qgiv and Rachel Muir to learn a simple three-step process to building your plan. Plus learn how to set realistic, measurable goals and get examples and templates.
Technology
Click-it: How AI Will Impact Your Nonprofit [Watch free on-demand webinar]. If you learn best by example, you’ll find this presentation from James Martin of Rally Corp helpful. Get ready to look at AI tools, see them in action, and then talk about what it means for nonprofits. I promise a lot of food for thought!
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, REPORTS & OTHER RESOURCES
Benchmarks
Click-it: M+R Benchmarks [Download free data report]. If you want to know how you’re doing compared to your peers, don’t miss this annual report from M+R with tables, toplines, trends and more – all compiled from online results (email, SMS messages, website visits and social media) from nonprofits like you. The evolution of digital fundraising is here on full display. Use it to guide your future investments of time and money.
Events
Click-it: 77 Fundraising Event Ideas for Nonprofits and Charities [Download free resource]. Let Classy be your brainstorming partner!
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: The Nonprofit Email Report: Data-Back Insights for Better Engagement [Download free report]. Did you know 48% of donors prefer to receive updates and appeals via email? This means you probably need to up your email game! In this Neon One report you’ll find data on average list sizes, open rates, and click-through rates for nonprofits of all sizes, along with data-backed insights your team can actually use.
Technology
Click-it: The Digital Fundraiser’s Guide to Google Analytics 4 (GA4) [Free step-by-step guide]. Google Analytics will be different as of July. Personally, I was stressing over the changes because I’m no tech guru. Thankfully, NextAfter has come to the rescue with this comprehensive “how to” piece!
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.
- Do You Know How to Use AI for Your Nonprofit?
- 5 Guaranteed Ways to Raise Money Through Storytelling
- Evolving Top Nonprofit Storytelling Practices
- Nonprofit Major Donor Fundraising A B C’s
- Could Gifts of Stock Be Your Nonprofit’s Magic Genie?
- What The Latest Fundraising Effectiveness Project News Means for You
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: Is Our Major Gift Ask Too Big or Too Small?
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 live! If you’re not yet an enrolled student, and don’t have access to ALL my blog articles, monthly tips, webinars, podcasts and much more, you can get in on the fun here!
And now, just for fun, my “discovered” mural of the week — doesn’t it make the world a happier place?
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