Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
My motto is: “If I know it, I want you to know it!”
So I offer plenty of original content all year round. Much of it comes from my 35 years’ experience – 30 of them in the trenches. Then there are also all the new things (plenty of them!) I learn every day in my practice.
The world in which nonprofits operate is changing at warp speed, and we’ve a lot to learn from each other. Which is why I sit in on webinars, attend conferences and read, read, read.
Here’s my newest collection of articles, webinars, templates, reports and guides – all free – that I’ve recently encountered in my readings across the web. They’re my gift to you, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoy finding them for you.
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Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
Annual Individual Giving
Click-it: Fundraising Dos & Don’ts. This is an article I wish I’d written. And it’s super useful as you roll into year-end fundraising season. The tips are spot-on, and practical. From the Puzzle Pieces blog.
Click-it: 3 Smart Year-End Email Fundraising Strategies. I did write this one! It’s over on the Network for Good blog. You may have your appeal letter already written. Good for you! Now make sure your online strategy is good to go too – get all your little duckies lined up! (Warning: bad duck puns ahead).
Annual Individual Giving Science
Click-it: The compelling power of “membership cards” in fundraising. This comes from Jeff Brooks via SOFII. I’m always fascinated by what works, based on science, vs. what I personally would think couldn’t possibly work. The same holds true about studies showing that other front-end premiums (like address labels) work. I wonder if there are current tests showing a diminishing return on investment now that we have “free” calendars on our phones and fewer people use the USPS to pay bills and/or send other mail. Will people care less about these free, yet ultimately useless, gifts? There is this showing premiums might increase donor acquisition but also push down average gift size and retention. Hmmn… It may be that the type of premium that helps your donor continue their support by helping spread awareness of your cause (e.g., proudly displaying your bumper sticker or fridge magnet) may do better than one that benefits just the donor. Whatever you do, if you don’t currently use premiums, test them before you go full bore. If you do use them, test new ones.
Major Gifts
Click-it: How to Do a Donor Cultivation Event [Download Free e-Guide]. Did you know 67% of respondents attending a donor cultivation event credited it as the reason why they made their gift? Cultivation events connect donors to your cause and offer a fun, relaxed, social setting for you to get to know your donors better. Rachel Muir shows you how to launch yours!
Management and Strategy
Click-it: How to challenge the White Walkers of nonprofit life. A beautifully written article about the problem with how most nonprofits – and donors – think about overhead. From Mary Cahalane of Hands-On Fundraising.
Click-it: Running Effective Virtual #Nonprofit Meetings: 9 Best Practices for Facilitating Engagement. Beth Kanter provides a super-practical list of tips that’s jam-packed with both theory and hands-on advice. I particularly like #1, 2, 4 and 9, but they’re all good!
FREE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
The more you learn, the more you grow.
Note: Don’t worry if you find webinars you’d like to attend that overlap. 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 Individual Giving
Click-it: Anatomy of a Successful Fundraising Appeal: Make a Compelling Offer Your Donor Can’t Refuse [Register for free webinar, 10-19-17]. Join me and sponsor Bloomerang for this 90-minute, jam-packed session – plus Q & A — to take your appeal from run of the mill to out of the ballpark.
Online Fundraising
Click-it: How to Use Facebook’s Free Fundraising Tools to Drive Donations [Register for free webinar, 10-25-17]. This will be good! Charity How-To features Julia C. Campbell who will specifically help you leverage your giving day campaign using social media.
Click-it: Data for Good: Fundraising and Technology Insights for your Year-End Campaigns [View slideshare; also download free report]. Nonprofit Tech for Good highlights data from the 2017 Global NGO Technology Report and the 2017 Global Trends in Giving Report. It’s a quick look at how much more philanthropy is happening online – just in case you need data to persuade the ‘powers that be’ that you should be doing more e-appeals and social media.
Management and Strategy
Click-it: How the Best Nonprofits Resolve Internal Conflict Quickly and Get on with their Mission [Free webinar 9-26-17]. Margaret Sumption presents for Wild Apricot, offering up proven communication strategies to prevent conflict, a reframing technique to turn interpersonal tension into creative solutions, and a pathway towards rebuilding relationships post conflict.
Online Social Marketing
Click-it: How to Launch a FABULOUS #GivingTuesday Campaign with Less Work and More Impact [Register for free webinar, 10-3-17]. I can’t believe this is free! Join Julia C. Campbell to learn key reasons that so many #GivingTuesday campaigns fall flat, and solutions to ensure that you don’t make the same mistakes.
Click-it: How to Leverage Blogging & Thought Leadership for #GivingTuesday [Free webinar, 10-20-17]. Blogs can play an integral role in your marketing mix, whether for a one-off giving day or otherwise. Get the magic formula for success from Jay Wilkinson of Firespring.
FREE DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES
Annual Individual Giving
Click-it: Creating a Third Party Program [Download free e-Guide]. I’m a huge proponent of adding new fundraising tools to your arsenal whenever these tools merit the investment. And I believe this to be the case with DIY P2P fundraising. The folks at Donor Drive are experts, and have written this free step-by-step guide to creating a complete ‘Do It Yourself’ fundraising program to get you up to speed. For my take on why this may be just the thing you need to acquire new donors and dollars, read this.
Donor Research
Click-it: The Burk 2017 Donor Survey [Download free Executive Summary]. I live and breathe by Penelope Burk’s research. There are some interesting new findings on monthly giving, as well as how you might persuade donors to make additional gifts. Also of note as you consider the role content marketing plays in your fundraising is the fact that 55% of Respondents conduct more research before making giving decisions today than they did five years ago. When they search for what you do, you want them to find something compelling!
Major Gifts
Click-it: How to Get Meetings with Donors [Download free white paper]. The Veritus Group specializes in major donor fundraising, and I always find their advice to be spot-on.
Did You Miss My Recent Articles?
Enroll in ‘Clairification School’ to get access to every single article I’ve ever written!
Most recently:
Nonprofit Donor Retention vs. Acquisition: Survey Results
Nonprofit Thank You’s: What are You Doing to Stand Out?
Why Aren’t You Doing More Online Fundraising?
Hope to see you in Clairification School!
