Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Here’s a spring bouquet of free resources for you to enjoy. It continues to be my great pleasure to curate content for you across the web – all with the goal of helping you in your quest to facilitate passionate philanthropy. This year’s Click-it comes to you for free due to the generous sponsorship of Bloomerang. Please check them out and send them a “huzzah!”
I’ve got lots more wisdom to share, and hope you’ll take advantage this year. Clairification School gives you a full 12 months of strategic advice! Articles, free webinars, monthly tips, bonuses and more. If you’re on the fence about enrolling, see what others say about why they’ve joined.
Enjoy, and may you go from strength to strength,
Claire
P.S. If you want to learn from 30 Nonprofit Experts over 3 full days — March 23–25** — — simply CLICK HERE. The Top Nonprofits Changemakers “Being the Change” Virtual Summit will address critical issues facing nonprofits TODAY in fundraising, marketing and operations, management and strategy. Since I’m speaking, I get to offer members of the Clairification Community – YOU — $50 off the already ridiculously affordable price (works out to about $7/session and you get access to all recordings for a full year)! Be sure to use CODE Claire50. Oh, and did I mention there will be CFRE credits, prize give-aways and live comedy?
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL CATEGORY: Tips for Not-So-Normal Times
ARTICLES
Annual (and all year round) Fundraising
Click-it: Keep Up the Urgency. Don’t worry people are tired of the need. Sure, we all get fatigued. But people don’t tire of meeting needs when it feels good to do so. And it feels good to deal with something that needs to be handled immediately. Can your mission really be put on hold? Check out this article from Steven Screen, the Better Fundraising Co.
Culture
Click-it: What Will a Post-COVID Nonprofit Economy Reveal? Staying in the same place is seldom a good idea. How can you iterate (doe what you’ve always done best) and simultaneously innovate (seize the opportunities recently revealed) to unlock new value? I discuss how to reimagine ways of working and delivering on your promises in this article for the Bloomerang blog.
Click-it: Conscience Crisis: The Impact of Your Nonprofit Not Living Your Values. Because of the times we’re in, the topic of culture has been weighing heavily for me. This article for the Bloomerang blog talks about the dangers of merely talking, not walking, your values. Please consider this, especially if you’re in a position of leadership with even a modicum of power and authority to shift your corporate culture towards greater generosity, abundance and gratitude.
Management and Strategy
Click-it: Why are some nonprofits surviving COVID-19 and some are not? Read about the strengths that saw nonprofits through this crisis, and see where your own strengths and weaknesses lie. From eJewishPhilanthropy.
Trends
Click-it: COVID-19 and Donor-Advised Funds in 2020: What Do the Numbers Tell Us? This thought-provoking article in Nonprofit Quarterly looks at whether DAF investments are serving the purpose of “rainy day funds” during challenging periods. This article gets to the heart of the purpose of philanthropy. Who’s job is caring for the common good?
Click-it: What Will Nonprofits Look Like In 2025? Nine Experts Weigh In. If 2020 taught us anything it’s that “business as usual” isn’t always the best plan. From new technologies to shifting consumer interests, there are countless things that could impact the way a nonprofit operates. A panel of Forbes Nonprofit Council members weigh in about what you should be thinking about moving forward. Are you on top of ## 2, 3, 5 and 8?
Click-it: A Powerful List of Nonprofit Fundraising Trends in 2021. The folks at Donor Box have put together a full array of suggestions as we move from the current pandemic mode to whatever is next. Technology will definitely be part of the mix, but not just for the sake of adding new bells and whistles. The best work is based in evidence and data. See what you should be considering.
Virtual Events
Click-it: Fundraising Ideas for Your Next Virtual Event. These aren’t going away for a while, if ever. Did you know 33% of employees are still working remotely? It behooves you to check out these great ideas and advice from the team at Rally Corp.
WEBINARS, ROUNDTABLES & ON-DEMAND AUDIO RESOURCES
If you can’t attend live, note many are available via recording – but only if you register!
Major and Legacy Giving
Click-it: How reopening and vaccines are reshaping major giving — and 3 steps to take now [Register for free webinar, 4-2-21].J oin Patrick Schmitt,of FreeWill, to learn how gift officers can plan for the end of lockdowns, manage a busy summer and fall, the likely trends we’ll see from donors, and how major and legacy giving officers can best adapt.
Click-it: Online Estate Planning and the Upside for Planned Giving in a Pandemic and Beyond [Register for free webinar, 4-28-21]. I promise, this joint venture between Stelter and Giving Docs will open your eyes to why, and how, you should be promoting legacy giving. Especially now. Calendar it now – it will be good!
Management and Strategy
Click-it: Are You Ready for the Hybrid Workplace? [Listen to on-demand podcast] In the post-pandemic world, many companies will embrace the lessons learned from more than a year of telecommuting and not fully return to the office. Prepare for potential rewards and pitfalls in this discussion from Knowledge@Wharton.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: How nonprofit fundraisers are evolving in the face of COVID-19 [Listen to on-demand webinar]. The definition of “normal” will be different moving forward. Nonprofits will have to evolve their fundraising and marketing functions, and the way they work internally, to continue to build meaningful relationships with supporters whose behavior and sense of prosperity may have changed. Merkle invited representatives from the National MS Society, Northwell Health Foundation and World Vision to share how they’re adapting to shifting consumer and donor behaviors.
Virtual Events
Click-it: Take Your Virtual Event to the Next Level [Watch free on-demand webinar]. The folk at Donor Perfect put together a group to explore different types of virtual events and the tools to manage them. Check out the written summary; then listen in.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, WHITE PAPERS & OTHER RESOURCES
Trends
Click-it: 2021 Nonprofit Leadership Impact Study [Download free research report]. Nonprofit Pro analyzed the latest trends, challenges and opportunities nonprofit leaders face on a day-to-day basis. This year’s research provides an inside look into how the COVID-19 pandemic has demanded the need for innovation and creative problem-solving.
Other Articles: The Beat Goes On
Board Development
Click-it: How To: Engage Your Board Members as Fundraisers. If you struggle to get board members more engaged it helps to define the problem. Too few members? The wrong members? An orientation failure? Lack of leadership? All this and more are covered in this article from the good folks at Flipcause.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Two Examples of How to Cultivate Your Donors (even When They Aren’t Your Donors]. This is a lovely piece from Zach Shefska, Market Smart, about how to do authentic, from-the-heart donor cultivation.
Legacy Gifts
Click-it: Help Donors Leave Legacies: Create Philanthropic Autobiographies. Legacy giving is even more aspirational than annual giving. Even those who don’t give while they’re alive may aspire to be seen as philanthropists after their deaths — which is where philanthropic autobiographies come into play. Learn how you can do a better job motivating legacy giving in this article I wrote for the Bloomerang blog.
Major Gifts
Click-it: My First Meeting with an MGO as a Donor. Read this story from Jeff Schreifels, major gifts expert at the Veritus Group. He tells a personal story where the tables were turned, and he was the donor prospect. Read it. This is how it’s done!
Click-it: 4 Strategies to Tweak Major Donor Approaches to Raise More Money. A recent report unearthed key areas where small changes by major gift officers to tweak major donor approaches could reap large benefits for their nonprofits. Check them out in my article on the Bloomerang blog. A little sometimes goes a long way.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: The dangers of a purchased email list. This is basic good practice. Alas, too many nonprofits get it wrong. From 4aGoodCause.
YOU
Click-it: Coaching and Conversation: Feelings of Guilt and What to Do with Them [Listen to free on-demand podcast]. Do you ever feel guilty? Perhaps because you didn’t please someone as you should have? Or you didn’t listen as well as you should? Or you should have done something differently? Tara Mohr explores how to examine cultural messages and move beyond them. And, when appropriate, how to apologize well and set boundaries (sometimes doing both at the same time). If you like thought provoking, this is for you.
Other Learning Opportunities
WEBINARS & ON-DEMAND AUDIO RESOURCES
If you can’t attend live, note that many are available via recording – but only if you register!
Culture of Philanthropy
Click-it: A Roadmap for Shifting from Scarcity to Abundance [Register for free training, 4-14-21]. Nell Edgington, Social Velocity, is offering this 90-minute training to help you gain a simple, step-by-step method for moving from fear to opportunity. Check it out if you want to transform your relationship with money, your board, your funders and your mission.
Events
Click-it: Are Your Fundraising Events Really Making Money? [Register for free webinar, 4-8-21]. Covid has helped us rethink events, but as things open up will you go back to an in-person affair? Join Brian Saber, Asking Matters, to learn how to dissect and calculate the real cost of your event so you can make wise decisions moving forward.
Major Gifts
Click-it: How to Ask for a $1 Million Gift [Register for free webinar, 4-7-21]. If the very idea makes you uncomfortable, you owe it to yourself to join this sure-to-be fun session with Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels of the Veritus Group. Never again fear rejection!
Monthly Giving
Click-it: Recurring Donations Rule! An Interactive Session with Erica Waasdorp [Join free session, 4-13-21]. Retaining loyal supporters should be near the top of your priority list in 2021. They tend to give more (and stay involved longer) than one-time donors. Join this Qgiv session with monthly giving guru Erica Waasdorp to learn how to build and grow a solid base of recurring donors.
Online Marketing
Click-it: Marketing Trends Nonprofits Need to Know (and Embrace) [Register for free session, 4-7-21]. Learn the marketing trends that’ll shape your nonprofit’s future and grow your impact, including: (1) How to use artificial intelligence (AI) to engage; (2) Micro moments and influencer marketing; (3) Gaming as a fundraising and awareness tool; (4) Differences between visual, local and voice search, and (5) How to automate your marketing. Firespring webinars are always dynamite. I will be tuning in!
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, WHITE PAPERS & OTHER RESOURCES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Phonathons: The Fundraiser’s Ultimate Guide & 14 Top Tips [Download free guide].This new resource from Double the Donation outlines top phonathon tips your team can use to maximize donations and matching gifts. Learn to create a standardized script, use phonathon management software, ensure proper training, when to schedule calls, and more.
Major Gifts
Click-it: How to Use Permission-Based Asking with Donors [Download free White Paper]. The Veritus Group have trademarked a system to guarantee you’ll get better results asking donors to give. Sometimes there really is a better mousetrap! BTW: You can take an entire course, Making Effective Donor Asks, on this. They have a new group beginning April 19th. Use my exclusive Clairification community discount CODE: CA%
Strategy and Management
Click-it: Nonprofit Talent: How to Get the Most from Your Leaders [Download free white paper]. Want a leader? Be a leader. Grab this collection of case studies, survey research, and practical tips for leading your nonprofit from the folks at JER/HR Group. Includes: How to Train Young Employees for Leadership Roles; 10 Steps for Success as a Nonprofit CEO; How to Close the Pay Gap for Women, and more.
Did You Miss My Newest Articles?
Happy Spring!
Here are links to the most recent articles on the Clairification blog. I think you’ll find these either thought-provoking, practical or both. Hope so!
- What Causes so Many Fundraisers to Leave their Jobs?
- Money Matters: Why a Good Nonprofit Fundraiser is Hard to Keep
- How 13 Nonprofit Donors Yields a $1 Million Philanthropic Legacy
- Nonprofit Marketing & Fundraising Are Like Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Why Donor Wooing Requires WOWing
- Nonprofit Content Marketing Should Help, Not Sell
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