The survey results are in!
By overwhelming popular demand, nothing about the Clairity Click-it will change. Thanks to all who weighed in. Your input is invaluable. And you are the best! Here’s what you told me:
Is the current amount of content too much, not enough, or just right?
Which type of content is your favorite?
Thanks for letting me know! First up today: I’ve got a timely free webinar coming right up (!) with Jay Wilkinson of Firespring. So… Click-it: Convert Supporters with Powerful Landing Pages [Register for free webinar, 11-14-18]. Personally, at this time of year I can’t get enough of this topic. And Jay is an expert at this! Just a few tweaks can make all the difference. Be sure to sign up.
There are LOTS more free resources below. Once again, I want to thank my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible to offer this to you for free. In this approaching season of gratitude, please let them know you consider their support a blessing. I’m sure they’d be delighted to hear from you. Simply email steven.shattuck@bloomerang.co with a “Thanks so much for sponsoring the Clairity Click-it. Your support, in so many ways, means a lot!”
To your success,
P.S. It’s been another challenging week. Thank you, as always, for doing the tremendously important work you do. You make our world a better place.
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
Annual Giving
Click-it: When your fundraising story and photo don’t match. George Crankovich of The Clued-in Copywriter tackles a problem that, sadly, too many appeals suffer from. It’s on the Future Fundraising Now blog.
Boards and Leadership
Click-it: TOP Strategy You Need to Know about Nonprofit Board Fundraising. When Bloomerang gave me the opportunity to share a range of important strategies I’ve learned over three decades of working with boards, I jumped at it! Because, for most nonprofits, nothing is more important than a board’s willingness to lead the way when it comes to generating the funds you need to survive and thrive. Begin with this article about one important pre-condition that undergirds any chance you’ll have at success. Next read 4 Strategies to Leverage Nonprofit Board Giving to Getting. Then top it off with 5 Strategies to Set Nonprofit Boards up for Fundraising Success – this one is critical!
Content Marketing
Click-it: 3 Non-Traditional Nonprofit Annual Report Styles. Face it. Few folks read the long vanity pieces anymore. Plus they cost a small fortune. For some better ways, check out this article on the Bloomerang blog by Laurence Paagnoni
Click-it: How to Create Video Content for Your Social Media Sales Funnel, This is an eye-opener from Vinay Kushy on the Maximize Social Business blog. Yes, it’s applied to for profit companies here, but the principles hold true for nonprofit as well. And you can steal some really cool ideas!
Click-it: 7 Steps to Ethical Storytelling (G.R.E.A.T. Stories). I often get questions on how to go about ethically sharing stories. Lo and behold, the wonderful Nancy Schwartz of Getting Attention has written a killer article on the topic.
Donor Retention
Click-it: 7 creative ways to thank your donors. NOW is the time to be thinking about how to thank all the year-end donors you’re going to get between now and December 31. Ronald Pruitt of 4aGoodCause suggests strategies that will help you stand out, and sustain your donor’s warm glow. The “bonus” idea is my personal favorite!
Click-it: Underestimating the power of gratitude – recipients of thank-you letters are more touched than we expect. This is a fascinating article by Christian Jarrett in the British Pyschological Society Research Digest that will make you rethink the power of a thank you letter, both in your professional and personal life. It’s well worth your time, and it’s brief.
Events
Click-it: The Expert’s Guide to Nonprofit Fundraising Events. Like everything else, the digital revolution has changed event fundraising. Whether you choose to remain traditional or switch to more tech-savvy methods, here are some lessons from Patrick Coleman on the Guidestar blog that can help you increase your revenues.
Management and Strategy
Click-it: How to Sustain Nonprofit Relevancy and Fundraising Effectiveness and 5 Strategies to Determine If Your Nonprofit Is Keeping Up. Check out my two-parter for the Guidestar Blog. You’ll find some great questions you should be asking yourself to make sure you’re not simply standing still or accomplishing less than you could/should.
YOU and Role of Philanthropy and Civil Society
Click-it: The Tree of Life shooting and how we as a sector must respond. After a difficult couple of weeks, it’s a good time to reflect on what is in our power to do to restore balance to the world. Here’s one perspective from Vu Le of Nonprofit AF.
Click-it: How the Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting Affects Us in the Nonprofit Sector. Here’s another reflection from the Amy Eisenstein blog, emphasizing why generosity and kindness are so important in fundraising.
Click-it: Remember Who We Are: Philanthropy Facilitators. Here’s my own take on the role of philanthropy – love of humanity – in our world. What are you doing to facilitate philanthropy so we love our neighbors as ourselves?
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/Year-End Giving
Click-it: The Year-End Donation Page and Other Website Essentials [Register for free webinar, 11-15-18]. Enrolled Clairification School students were treated to a bonus webinar yesterday by Brady Josephson of NextAfter. That one was about year-end emails. This one is open to everyone, and is all about optimizing your Donation Page for year-end fundraising. Don’t miss it, as it’s based on research!
Donor Retention
Click-it: Put Gratitude Back Into Your Fundraising [Register for free webinar 11-14-18]. I talk about this topic all the time. Sometimes, I know, it’s good to hear from folks other than me on the topic. Two experts from Douglas Shaw & Associates will remind you why gratitude is important in your direct response, proving it with results, and tips on how to execute it properly.
Major and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: Major Gifts vs. Planned Giving [Register for free webinar 11-26-18]. It’s that time of year! Sarah Tedesco and Donor Search map out the benefits and differences between major gifts and planned giving, and how each can make a difference!
Click-it: How to Have Coffee with Your Favorite Donor [Listen to free on-demand webinar]. David Sena of Bold Leading joins Qgiv to help you ace those all-important visits with your major donor prospects. He’ll help you overcome any fears you may have by giving you some straight tips to overcome fear and bring your donors joy. After all, having a hot beverage together is fun, right?
Management and Strategy
Click-it: Is Your IRS Form 990 Telling the Right Story? And What Can You Do About It? [Listen to free on-demand webinar]. Too often nonprofits raise more questions for readers than they answer when preparing their required Form 990. Two Nonprofit Quarterly experts, Ruth McCambridge and Michael Wyland are here to help!
FREE DOWNLOADABLE MATERIALS
Annual/Year-End Giving
Click-it: Top 10 Strategies to Involve Nonprofit Boards in Year-End Fundraising [Download free e-Book]. So much needs to get done this time of year it should be easy to find more than one way to involve each board member. That’s why I’ve teamed up with Bloomerang to create this comprehensive “top 10” list — all to help you organize and prioritize your board fundraising involvement strategies.
Click-it: Cut Through the Clutter [Download free e-Book]. The folks at NextAfter run thousands of experiments and are dedicated to reporting the results so nonprofits everywhere can benefit. Here they offer up 12 new strategies to grow your year-end fundraising. These are AWESOME. Did you know 790% is the average percentage of additional revenue generated on December 31st compared to Giving Tuesday? What are you planning for that date? Were I still leading up a development department, I’d definitely try #1 to get a 196% increase in conversions! (Actually, I’ve been recommending this to all my clients since I became a consultant seven years ago.) And #4 blew me away. If you’re planning to use a video, this is a must read.
Branding
Click-it: Brand stickiness: Building, integrating, and managing your nonprofit’s voice so it succeeds [Download free e-Book]. In the middle of a branding process? Considering making improvements to your messaging? This ebook from Big Duck will help you make stickier, more impactful, choices.
Donation Processing
Click-it: The Ultimate Donation Page Course [Download 10 free 20-minute lessons]. Get this awesome resource from Caryn Stein of Network for Good — just in time for year-end fundraising. Don’t make your landing page an afterthought. It matters. A lot.
Click-it: Putting the Mission First: How Nonprofits Can Benefit from Outsourced Donation Processing [Download free white paper]. This may be useful if you’re finding your current method of direct mail processing stressful and less than cost-effective. From the experts at Merkle RMG.
Donor Retention
Click-it: 6 Steps to Improving the Donor Giving Experience and Fostering Donor Loyalty [Download free White Paper]. This paper from Nonprofit Pro shows you how to shift your focus from getting as many donations as you can, to fostering donor loyalty — because the more loyal the donor, the larger the gift and more frequent the gift. This is what will sustain you over the long term.
Click-it: Learning to Say Thank You: The Role of Donor Acknowledgements [Download free study]. This newly released report from the Philanthropy Center addresses four questions: 1) How do fundraisers define acknowledgment programs; 2) What purposes are served by these programs; 3) What are the biggest barriers that prevent effective implementation and, 4) How can acknowledgment programs be made more effective? Lots of food for thought, based on real testing.
Click-it: Words that Work: The Phrases that Encourage Planned Giving [Download free e-Book]. This great resource is a collaboration between Market Smart and Dr. Russell James, the premiere planned giving research wizard. I can’t even believe this is free. Grab it!
Did You Miss My Recent Articles?
Here are links to my most recent articles. Enroll in ‘Clairification School’ get access to every single article I’ve ever written – with new ones delivered weekly straight to your in-box! You’ll also get free monthly tips from your own “My Clairification” dashboard.
- Remember Who We Are: Philanthropy Facilitators
- 7 Powerful Ways to Increase Recurring Giving [Benchmark Study] Guest post
- #GivingTuesday: It Ain’t Over ‘Til it’s Over
- #GivingTuesday or #GratitudeTuesday? Choose!
- Show Me You Know Me — 5 Strategies To Sustain Donor Relationships
- Does Your Nonprofit Promote Stock Gifts? You Should!
If you find value in Clairification, your support via enrollment in Clairification School means a lot! See what others say about why they’ve joined. It’s literally just pennies a day, and it will help you raise a lot more awareness, volunteerism and money.
Hope to see you in Clairification School!