Clairity Click-it: Inner Filament Nonprofit Links + Resources

We begin this issue with a poem for you. It’s a call for you to share your voice in bolder, deeper ways. The world needs it. The world needs you!

The One Deep Inside Your Chest

Step back and watch your body, being a body.
Watch an arm move through space, watch an ankle turn.

Watch your body, as it likes things or doesn’t,
as it gets scrapes and bruises
as the skin darkens and falls into folds.

Step back to the perimeter of the theater
and watch your body on the stage.

Recede to that quiet knowing:
For now, I am associated with this body —
not inside it, or one with it —
just associated, for a time.

Casing. Only casing.
Be kind to the casing if you like — put oils
on it and nourish it and move it to keep it stronger, for a time.
Never become it. There, only suffering.

Can you feel the one deep inside your chest, who has existed forever?
Who has made a thousand journeys?
Who feels like a comet in the dark?
The inner filament?

I know, no one ever told you.
I know. It wasn’t the name you learned to write at school,
but that one is you.
That one is the real you.

– Tara Mohr

Here are the resources that have been speaking to me over the past two weeks. Twice a month I collect and curate articles, whitepapers, webinars, templates and guides I encounter in my travels across the web. This newsletter is free to you thanks to my sponsor, Bloomerang. I hope you enjoy these resources as much as I enjoy finding them for you.

Thank you SO MUCH for doing the important work you do, And may your inner filament shine through!

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. If you find value in Clairification, please sign up now for all the benefits ‘Clairification School’ has to offer. Feel free to check out what others say about why they’ve joined. If you’re not happy, I’ll refund you the $1.92/week. How’s that?

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

NEW OPINIONS FEATURE

This Issue: Donor Privacy

Click-it: A Victory for Donor Privacy. Roger Craver writes in the Agitator-DonorVoice blog about Americans for Prosperity v. Bonta, the recently decided U.S. Supreme Court case brought by a nonprofit funded by the Koch family but also supported by an ideologically diverse group of nonprofits including the American Civil Liberties Union, The Electronic Frontier Foundation and the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. The court struck down California’s law under which tax-exempt groups were to attach to their filings with the state a copy of their IRS form reporting the names and addresses of all donors who gave more than $5,000 or 2% of the organization’s total donations. The rationale as expressed in the nonprofit brief: “As partisan pendulums swing back and forth in governmental offices, and as online campaigns rage against perceived ideological foes, donors to causes spanning the spectrum predictably fear that exposure of their identities will trigger harassment and retaliation far surpassing anything reason able people would choose to bear.” The decision likely jeopardizes the validity of similar laws in New York and New Jersey.

Click-it: Still Publishing Donor Names? Ditch the List. Here’s a pragmatic approach to donor privacy that takes into account the time, money and risks inherent in publishing donor honor rolls. It’s from Blue Avocado, and based on experience and research.

Click-it: Let’s stop recognizing donors by donation levels. Here’s an alternative approach from Vu Le, Nonprofit AF. It’s not about what’s legal or intrusive, but about what’s equitable and fair. Food for thought.

ARTICLES

Donor Retention

Click-it: Stop Talking About Donor Experience. Start Measuring (and Acting on) It.. If you’re not measuring the success of your donor experience you can’t know what’s really working or not. With all the tools available today, the folks at the Agitator-Donor Voice say there’s no excuse (including cost!) for failure to measure. Otherwise, they suggest you pick your favorite excuse with “one hand firmly pressed on the mute button of experience and another holding the back door open for all those donors exiting.”

Events

Click-it: Don’t Expect Donors to Give at Your Next Fundraising Event. Lori Jacobwith, Ignited Fundraising, shares three critically important things you may be overlooking as you focus on logistics. Check it out, as you’ll also be able to download a brilliant PDF of more than 20 places to share parts of your mission moment story before, during and after your next fundraising event.

Grants

Click-it: How to Win More Grants for Your Non-Profit. You need a system. That’s right! Learn the nitty gritty from Joe Garecht. It’s excellent advice.

Online Fundraising and Marketing (aka Digital)

Click-it: Top 2021 Fundraising Strategies: Choosing Digital-First Options When It Comes to Fundraising and Marketing. In this first of a six-part series for Bloomerang, I cover one of the top priority fundraising strategies your nonprofit should be pursuing – this year and beyond. The times we’re in offer opportunities to demonstrate your effectiveness, relevance, and unique purpose in ways that weren’t previously accessible to organizations other than the largest nonprofits. In taking advantage of these opportunities, you can reach more people and raise more money. We’ve reached the point where all nonprofits need to take a digital-first approach. You don’t get a pass because you’re new, small, short-staffed, or “putting all your resources into mission work.”

Click-it: How to Find My Top Tweets – and Those from My Competitors – on Twitter? If you haven’t been measuring your social media engagement in a meaningful way, and are wondering what to do more/less of, read this post from Neal Schaffer. I learned a lot!

Click-it: Fundraising Email Measurement in an Age of Digital Privacy. The times they are a’changin.’ This article from Heroic Fundraising explains why moving forward you should be measuring conversions, not open rates. Because of recent changes, data on a large percentage of email engagement activity will become unreliable. So if you try to measure this year against last year you’ll be mixing apples and oranges. Take a read.

Strategy and Management

Click-it: Some Money Isn’t Worth The Chase: Why You May Want To Rethink Your Events And Grants Strategies. Rachel Muir outlines common mistakes nonprofits make that obscure the real cost – and lost opportunity – of these two strategies. In this spot on article for the Kindful blog the truth of what makes a strategy smart shines through. If you’re doing these things to the exclusion of others that might net more money, ask yourself some of the question posed here. It will be worth your while.

Writing

Click-it: How to Write an Email Subject and Opener That Will Actually Make People Pay Attention. Don’t start with “I hope things are well.” So says Ken Sterling of BigSpeak in this article for Inc. Be direct, drop weak vocabulary and use action language.

YOU

Click-it: Fundraising for introverts – how you can build genuine relationships. If you’ve ever felt not cut out for fundraising or major gifts work because you’re not extroverted enough, read this piece from Mary Cahalane’s Hands On Fundraising blog. At the end you’ll find all sorts of additional resources meant to help introverts and extroverts and everyone in between.

WEBINARS, ROUNDTABLES & ON-DEMAND AUDIO RESOURCES

If you can’t attend live, or are interested in sessions happening at overlapping times, note many are available via recording – but ONLY if you REGISTER!

Major and Legacy Gift Fundraising

Click-it: Winds of Change: An Organizational Shift in Non-Cash Assets Fundraising [Register for free webinar, 7-26-21]. Stelter graciously hosts Jackie W. Franey, CPGS, CAP®, Director of Gift Planning Fundraising at The Nature Conservancy, will delve into how they have embraced the mental framing research of Dr. Russell James and specifically highlight the evolution of their gift planning fundraising team. Like other organizations, they have met challenges along the way, but have been implementing a new model and are seeing great success.

Click-it: Do I Really Need to Qualify My Donors? [Register for free webinar, 8-5-2021]. Just meeting giving criteria or being “qualified” by Prospect Researchers is not enough when it comes to who should be on a major gift caseload. You must find the donors who want to engage in a relationship and deepen their connection to your work. Learn how from the best teachers in the business at Veritus Group.

Online Fundraising and Marketing

Click-it: Nonprofit Marketing Summit [Join this free, value-packed 3-day Summit [8-4 to 6, 2021]. Where else will you find 42 sessions) of incredible nonprofit marketing content – completely complimentary? (See the speakers list here).That’s because folks like Rally Corp have come together to sponsor this, and they’re even giving away 5 VIP passes in a drawing later this month so you can access more exclusive content. What are you waiting for?

Click-it: Doin’ It Right: A/B Testing for Nonprofits [Listen to free on-demand webinar]. You’ve probably heard a lot about A/B testing, but has anyone ever taught you how to do it? Wonder no more! Tune in here and you’ll learn from the team at NextAfter – the best in the business!

Trends

Click-it: Giving USA [Register for free webinar, 8-4-2021] You’re invited to join a panel of fundraising experts from The Nonprofit Alliance and TrueSense Marketing as they break down the latest findings from Giving USA 2021: The Annual Report on Philanthropy. Don’t miss your opportunity to listen in as a panel of nonprofit pros discuss the highlights of the report. If you’re wondering “what’s next” for your organization in the wake of COVID-19, this webinar is for you.

DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, WHITE PAPERS & OTHER RESOURCES

Donor Retention

New Donor Onboarding for Faster Conversion [Download free White Paper]. The folks at Merkle call a spade a spade with this statement: “New Donors: You Need Them More Than They Need You.” Alas, recent performance trends confirm nonprofits are acquiring fewer donors than ever before and retaining less of the donors they acquire. This comprehensive guide explores the challenges of donor acquisition, suggesting ways to refine your approach and develop a sustainable strategy moving forward.

Major Gifts Fundraising

Six Ways to Do What’s Expected in Major Gifts. What I love about the experts at the Veritus Group, besides the fact they’ve truly “been there; done that,” is their super practical approach. If you’re a major gifts officer, a development director with a major gifts portfolio, or a manager of either of the afore-mentioned, you owe it to yourself to read this paper. It will help you keep a lot more of your hair in your head!

Peer2Peer Fundraising

Click-it: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising | The Ultimate Guide [Updated]. Imagine the power in enabling people to raise money on your behalf, tapping into their existing social networks, using personalized fundraising pages. If you’re ready to learn more about how this strategy can work for you, read this Guide from the folks at Qgiv.

Storytelling

Click-it: Why Storytelling Matters and Five Simple Ways to Get Started [Download the free eBook]. You probably know how important storytelling is to branding, marketing and fundraising. But sometimes there’s a big gap between knowing and doing. It’s easier said than done. Need help? Look no further than this guide from Firespring. You’ll learn how telling your story can (1) Communicate your truth; (2) Build your personality; (3) Establish relationships; (4) Set you apart, and (5) Drive action. Plus, you will get 5 simple steps to start sharing your story right away.

Did You Miss My Newest Articles?

• How to Transform Reluctant Fundraisers into Ready Philanthropy Facilitators
• 10 Tools to Give You and Your Nonprofit Donor Space to Co-Create — and Change the World
• Hold these 4 Nonprofit Fundraising Truths to Be Self Evident Where Are Our Nonprofit’s Legacy Donors? 
• How to Rock Nonprofit Text Messaging Appeals
• Wrong Ways to Woo Nonprofit Donors
• Philanthropy is a Team Sport

Finally… if you have a question, any question…

Check out my free fundraising advice column on the Bloomerang blog! Ask your question here. And bookmark the Ask an Expert page!

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