Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Today’s Click-it, generously sponsored by Bloomerang, is a HUGE spring bouquet filled with an eclectic array of free resources for you. It’s time to wake up and smell the roses! (And daisies, daffodils, freesia, tulips, sweet pea and more).
It’s my pleasure to curate content for you across the web – all with the goal of helping you in your quest to facilitate passionate philanthropy. I’ve got lots more wisdom to share, and hope you’ll take advantage this year. Clairification School gives you a full year of tips! If you’re on the fence about enrolling, see what others say about why they’ve joined.
Enjoy, and may I be the first to wish you a happy May,
P.S. I’m also available for hourly coaching. Just email me if you’d like to explore this, or set up a 15-minute time to chat here.
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
Annual Giving
Click-it: Why is an annual giving program so scary? Just about everything Mary Cahalane writes on Hands-On Fundraising I wish I’d written. This is no exception, and makes a brilliant case for making fundraising from individuals the center of your resource development program.
Click-it: Direct Mail is not Yet Dead. Nick Ellinger on The Agitator discusses results from different reports showing mail still works wonders on donors, new and old. If you need ammunition to persuade your “powers that be” it’s worth the investment, this article is for you.
Click-it: Happy or Sad Fundraising Stories: Which Works Best? I often get this question. See what John Haydon has to say on the subject.
Click-it: Three Taboo Words for Fundraisers. To often we think folks should support us just because we’re doing important work, and if only they knew about us they’d certainly hop on board. Sound familiar? The folks at Windmill Hill Consulting explain why this thinking won’t get you where you want to go.
Content Marketing
Click-it: Yes, Your Nonprofit Newsletter Can Help You Raise Money. Here’s How. Vanessa Chase Lockshin of The Storytelling Nonprofit provides some useful advice here for creating a donor-centered publication your supporters will actually engage with.
Data and Metrics
Click-it: 3 Key Fundraising Metrics Your Board Members Want to See at the Next Annual Meeting. Zach Shefska of The Fundraising Report Card suggests donor retention, lapsed donor and lifetime donor value metrics to provide your board with meaningful insight into your fundraising progress. Plus, these are the metrics that should inform your strategy for the coming year.
Major and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: 3 Questions That Will Identify Your Most Committed Donors. Your best major donor prospects are those who have a deep identification with your mission, vision and values. Find out who qualifies by doing what Roger Craver and Donor Voice suggest in this article + video on the Bloomerang blog. It’s powerful stuff!
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: 4 Easy Fixes that Will Supercharge Your Online Fundraising. Michael Rosen of ML Innovations offers four ways you can enhance your “Donate” button or tab to get superior results.
Click-it: How Many of Your Donors Use Facebook? Here’s Your Answer! Get some simple, incredibly useful, advice from John Haydon about finding how many FB users are in your donor list so you can easily reach them using social media.
Special Events
Click-it: WOW Special Event Moments to Convert Guests to Loyal Donors. Check out my two recent articles on the Bloomerang blog. The first is filled with ways to make a positive impression on event attendees – coming and going. The second, How to Create Extraordinary Nonprofit Special Event Experiences, offers ways to inspire guests all during the course of your up-close-and-personal time with them.
FREE AUDIO-VISUAL LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
The more you learn, the more you grow.
Finding webinars you’d like to attend that overlap? Note that for many of these webinars you can obtain a copy of the recording if you’re unable to join live – as long as you register!
Annual Giving
Click-it: Matching Gifts and Peer to Peer Fundraising: A Perfect Match [Register for free webinar, 5-9-18]. Every year, anywhere from $6 to $10 billion in matched donations are left on the table. Double the Donation and Salsa want to make sure this doesn’t happen to you! Learn how to host a matching gift-optimized peer-to-peer fundraising event.
Donor Retention
Click-it: The Science of Fundraising and Why Recognition is a Powerful Motivator [Register for free webinar, 4-30-18]. I’m all about understanding WHY people behave as they do, so any time I can learn about principles of persuasion and influence I’m all in. If you want to intelligently shape more effective fundraising strategies, you should be too! Take advantage of this unique webinar from the folks at Turnkey and Qgiv.
Grantwriting
Click-it: So You Want to Write a Grant? (Instant-Access Webinar Video). Listen in as Diane Leonard helps you understand how to get started with the grantwriting process on Charity How To.
Leadership, Management and Metrics
Click-it: Investing in Future Leaders [Register for learning session on 5-24-18 about this free 12-week online program that begins 9-18]. This is an awesome opportunity from Bridgespan to bring your executive team together in a self-paced program to build talent in your organization. You can download the overview and FAQ by clicking on this link.
Click it: Evidence Matters…Today More Than Ever [Listen to free podcast]. Check out this episode of Vitreo’s Brain Trust Philanthropy, with Cathy Mann, Jay Love, John Gormaly and Tony Matters all weighing in on the importance of research in the independent sector. Set aside 57 minutes, as it’s jam packed.
Click-it: Diving in with Donor Acquisition Cost [Listen to free podcast]. Check what Zach Shefska of The Fundraising Report Card has to say about calculating your cost to acquire a donor, and using this data to make better decisions.
Online Fundraising
Click-it: ‘Best Of’ Digital Fundraising Examples: 45 Slides in 45 minutes [Register for free webinar, 5-10-18]. We learn best from example, which is exactly what Rachel Clemens will share on the Bloomerang free webinar program. Want to see what other nonprofits are doing to successfully engage supporters online? Then this is for you!
Click-it: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising When Disaster Strikes [Register for free webinar, May 25] The good folks at Blackbaud discuss how to be ready when disaster strikes, because donors tend to give within three days of the disaster.
Website
Click-it: From Good Intentions to More Web Donations [View slides]. See Beate Sorum’s recent presentation at the AFP International Conference for a nerd’s eye view of the information-gathering forms you put on your website. Hint: Less is more.
FREE DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES
Boards and Leadership
Click-it: The Wake-Up Call – A Study of Nonprofit Leadership in the U.S. and its Impending Crisis [Download free report]. Learn what needs to be in place if you’re truly to create positive change in this recently released research from Concord Leadership Group, Bloomerang, Donor Search, Boardable and Adrian Sargeant at Plymouth University.
Content Marketing
Click-it: How do we communicate without communications staff? [Listen to free podcast] Sarah Durham of Big Duck launches a new podcast with this piece on how to encourage staff to become effective brand ambassadors.
Management and Strategy
Click-it: New Study Explores the Undeveloped Value of New Donors [Download free report]. Blackbaud Institute has a two-part report out (this is Part 2) with lots of interesting information about how nonprofits have rebounded from and struggled with the immense technological, economic, and demographic disruption that has shaped the world since the Great Recession. It will help you develop fundraising strategy and tactics that will work today instead of what worked yesterday.
Online Social Fundraising
Click-it: 2018 Global NGO Technology Report [Download free report]. This 3rd annual research project sponsored by the Public Interest Registry and researched by Nonprofit Tech for Good, the summarizes how NGOs use web and email communications, online fundraising tools, social media, mobile technology, and data management and security software. See how effectively you’re using technology to inspire philanthropy!
Technology
Click-it: How to Buy Fundraising Software [Download free checklist]. I’m often asked about which fundraising software to buy, and there’s no one right answer. The folks at Donor Perfect have compiled this comprehensive guide to take you through the steps of evaluating your needs and options.
Did You Miss My Recent Articles?
Here are links to my most recent articles. Enroll in Clairification School to get access to every single article I’ve ever written (an evergreen resource)– with fresh new ones delivered weekly — straight to your in-box! You’ll also get free monthly tips from your own “My Clairification” dashboard.
- 8 Tools to Be a More Effective Nonprofit Writer
- Why Would a Donor Give to Your Charity?
- Create 5 Donor Experiences to Boost Online Fundraising
- 3 Content, Online and Social Media Venues for Every Nonprofit
And so ends another Clairity Click-it. If you find value in Clairification, your support via enrollment in Clairification School means a lot!
My motto is: “If I know it, I want you to know it!”
Hope to see you in Clairification School!
