Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Care of others and care of self. These matter a lot during times when the world seems crazily out of whack. So on this LUCKY Friday the 13th (it’s my birthday!) let’s consider all we can do to keep our loved ones healthy, happy and connected.
This issue of the Click-it, sponsored by my pals at Bloomerang, includes a plethora of free resources for your reading, listening and viewing pleasure. If you’re going out less, perhaps you’ve a bit more time to dig into some of these resources (always looking for the silver lining). Some will help you deal with how the current pandemic may impact your finances and fundraising. You should also find many ways to bond more meaningfully with prospects and donors, plus ways to also engage in much-needed self-care.
I’m on a one-woman mission to take the mystery, and misery, out of successful donor communications and fundraising. Because…
What you do matters. A lot.
It is my privilege and pleasure to help you do with as much joy, optimism and effectiveness as possible,
P.S. I hope you’ll enroll this year in ‘Clairification School.’ I spend an enormous amount of time creating meaty, researched, actionable articles for you – and enrollment gets you access to ALL my original content for a full 12 months, including monthly tips and exclusive bonus materials. Feel free to check out what others have to say about why they’ve enrolled.
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
Annual Giving
Click-it: The Non-Obvious Mistakes that Cost You Money. If you just copy others, you’ll repeat their mistakes. Steven Screen, The Better Fundraising Blog, is here to help you avoid inadvertently stepping on your own toes.
Click-it: You can stop guessing about what works in fundraising and what doesn’t. Want some basic truths about what always works? Look no further than fundraising guru Tom Ahern for tried-and-true wisdom. Check out his advice on the Candid blog.
Click-it: Should your staff be asked to give? Here’s an excellent piece on staff giving by Sarah McLellan on the Hands-On-Fundraising blog.
Click-it: What Does the Typical Recurring Donor Look Like? If you’re not yet rocking a monthly giving plan, you’re leaving money on the table. Learn from expert Erica Waasdorp, A Direct Solution, via this article with five useful tips — plus a link to a bunch of resources that will give you all the info you need to rock and roll!
Click-it: How to Launch a Viral Fundraising Campaign for Your Non-Profit. Joe Garecht offers tips and a timeline to build and promote a fundraising campaign that spreads. Here, contagion is a good thing!
Boards
Click-it: 4 tips for building a strong nonprofit board. Don’t miss this great collection of solid, actionable tips from Ronald Pruitt of 4aGoodCause.
Content Marketing
Click-it: What to Use When: Letters, Postcards, Catalogs, Folded Newsletters. Christopher Foster delves into how to use different kinds of direct mail for different jobs on the Nonprofit Pro blog.
Coronavirus (sadly, it deserves its own category right now)
Click-it: How will Coronavirus Affect Your Fundraising Efforts? Michael Rosen of MLInnovations suggests 17 ways your fundraising efforts could be affected, and proposes ways you can prepare for what lies ahead.
Click-it: How to Facilitate Effective Virtual Meetings. Now may be a good time to dust off your virtual meeting skills. Beth Kanter does so skillfully, outlining the barriers and solutions in this article on her blog.
Click-it: The way COVID-19 WILL destroy your fundraising — if you let it. Jeff Brooks, Future Fundraising Now, suggests your best line of defense may be continuing to fundraise. Not like there’s no tomorrow, but so there will be a tomorrow. Don’t despair: “Many organizations had great fundraising success during the recession. Some grew rapidly during that time.”
Database
Click-it: Buying Fundraising Software: 6 Important Factors to Consider. I get a lot of questions from folks searching for new fundraising software. This article on the Bloomerang blog is super comprehensive and offers links to other useful resources as well.
Donor Retention and Loyalty
Click-it: “They’re JUST $15 donors.” What’s Wrong Here? When you use negative words, or words implying a negative judgement, your words can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Read my article on the Bloomerang blog. It includes 5 steps to help you modify your habits.
Click-it: Donor Thank You Down and Dirty. ‘Thank you’ may be the most important element of your entire fundraising strategy. My recent article on the Bloomerang blog will provide you with the down and dirty basics. You can riff on the basics once you’ve mastered them.
Events
Click-it: Uncovering the secrets to Virtual Event success. Worried about holding an event in an era of pandemics? This article on the JustGiving blog can help.
Grants
Click-it: Grant Writing For Beginners: Where To Start With Research. There are two types of due diligence in which you must engage before beginning to write any grant proposal. Diane Leonard explains on the Charity How To blog.
Major and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: What if My Older Donor Stops Giving, but they Tell us They’ve Made a Planned Gift? I love this article – part of a useful 6-part series from Veritus Group – with a reminder that 50% of estate plan gifts get revoked. Unless… you carefully steward these donors, whether they’re giving to you currently or not.
Management and Strategy
Click-it: Why You Need Culture of Philanthropy as a Management System. Good morale is a by-product of a culture of generosity and abundance. A deliverable, so to speak, from what we in social benefit sector work call a “culture of philanthropy.” Such a culture doesn’t just happen. Learn how to get everyone in your organization on board the ‘love train’ in my newest article on the Bloomerang blog.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: How your nonprofit can get the most out of Twitter. Grab these useful tips – especially #4 — on the Socialbrite blog.
YOU
Click-it: The Overwhelm Virus: How To Get It Out of Your Daily Routine. “Find someone who is overwhelmed all the time, and they’ll tell you they have plans and routines, but they often have none. They complain they have no time to plan.” Sean D’Souza, Psychotactics, is a cartoonist and psychological marketer, with plenty of wisdom to share. Here he explains why you should stop using the word “overwhelm,” and suggests what to do instead.
Click-it: Empathy is a Nonprofit Leader’s Superpower. Nell Edgington of Social Velocity offers a heartfelt defense of empathy – towards others and toward yourself – as perhaps your greatest leadership skill.
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!
Donor Acquisition
Click-it: How NGOs Worldwide Can Use Digital Storytelling to Attract U.S. Donors [Register for free webinar, 3-24-2020]. Join Network for Good for this practical and interactive webinar to help you take steps to begin your international organization’s journey to access, attract and activate U.S. donors.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Is donor-centered fundraising really what our donors are looking for? [Listen to on-demand podcast] Ian McQuillan, Director of the fundraising think tank, Rogare, discusses whether donor-centered fundraising is necessarily what our donors are looking for and why fundraising professionals can’t find the time to think critically about what they are doing. On the Fundraising Talent Podcast.
Events
Click-it: How to Maximize the Impact of Event Honorees and Speakers [Register for free webinar, 3-17-2020]. You’ll get guidelines for recruiting honorees and speakers for your event and outlines to keep their messaging in harmony with that of your organization. Presented by A.J. Steinberg of Queen Bee Fundraising courtesy of Charity How To.
Major and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: How to Qualify Major and Legacy Gift Prospects with Predictive Analytics and Donor Surveys [Register for free webinar, 3-19-2020]. Katherine Swank, Principal Consultant at Target Analytics, and Jeff Giannotto, Senior Solutions Advisor at MarketSmart discuss how you can pair predictive analytics with donor surveys to enhance major donor prospect qualification.
Click-it: Legacy Challenge Programs: Implementing Your First (or Second) Legacy Challenge [Register for free webinar, 3-25-2020]. Two planned giving professionals from George Washington University join the Stelter company to share how they fielded successful challenges to generate new legacy gifts, and what they learned.
Management and Strategy
Click-it: Maximizing Happiness with Michael Norton from Harvard Business School and Co-Author of Happy Money [Listen to on-demand podcast]. Ever wonder how you can use money to maximize your happiness? What role does charitable giving play? How can you make donors even happier when they give? Check out this conversation about ‘buying experiences’ hosted by Brady Josephson of NextAfter on the Generosity Freakshow podcast.
Marketing
Click-it: 2020 Marketing Imperative One: Deliver the Total Customer Experience [Download on-demand webinar]. You know I love to borrow from the for-profit world, and one of my go-to authorities for marketing is Merkle – since they work in the social benefit sector as well. Rapid shifts in consumer expectations and behavior post-digital revolution dictate a shift in marketing strategy. Have you joined the customer experience bandwagon?
Online Marketing and Fundraising
Click-it: 5 Secrets of Email Marketing Geniuses [Register for free webinar, 3-18-2020]. There is more power and leverage in one email subscriber than 100 Facebook likes or 50 Twitter followers if email marketing is done right. Join Jay Wilkinson of Firespring as he shares the secrets of email marketing geniuses, including the 5 types of nonprofit emails, the anatomy of an email marketing campaign and 6 email marketing mistakes to avoid.
Click-it: Website & Email Marketing Best Practices for Nonprofits [Register for free webinar, 4-1-2020]. Packed with practical advice and customized for small nonprofits on a limited budget, this webinar with Heather Mansfield, Nonprofit Tech for Good, will cover affordable mobile-compatible website design, email marketing and social media strategy, and tips to grow your email list.
FREE DOWNLOADABLE MATERIALS
Boards and Fundraising
Click-it: The Do’s and Don’ts of Getting Boards to Fundraise [Download free cheat sheet]. When it comes to getting board members engaged in fundraising there are some very clear Do’s and equally important Don’ts! Use this cheat sheet from Rachel Muir, and the bonus sample board member engagement form, to set your board up for fundraising success.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Email Series: Boost Your Donor Retention! [Enroll in free e-course]. The folks at Qgiv have created an awesome 6-part email course on donor retention – complete with actionable tips! Don’t miss this fabulous complimentary learning opportunity.
Management and Strategy
Click-it: Here’s a Sample Fundraising Plan for Your Non-Profit [Download free plan tips + example]. Learn the elements of a plan from Joe Garecht Fundraising. You’ll also be able to download a sample fundraising plan you can use as a template.
FINALLY…
Check out my fundraising advice column on the Bloomerang blog! Ask your question here – and bookmark the Ask an Expert page! Here’s one about how to promote bequest giving. And one on raising major gifts for operating expenses.
Did You Miss My Recent Articles?
Here are links to the most recent articles on the Clairification blog. I think you’ll find these fairly practical. Hope so!
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- How Nonprofits Can Connect Virtually During Trying Times
- How to Improve Your Nonprofit E-Newsletter
- LEAP Day Resolution: New Nonprofit Board Leadership Model
- Fundraising Don’ts vs. Do’s: Major Donor Cultivation Strategy
- Super Strategies to Spoil Your Supporters
3 Rules for Thanking Nonprofit Donors that Should Never Be Broken
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