Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
This issue marks the 13th anniversary of the Clairity Click-it Newsletter. That’s 364 issues (whoa!), all chock full of resources I hand select for you from across the web. And nothing I select will cost you a dime! I search assiduously, read every single article before sharing with you, and only select trusted resources for webinars, podcasts, e-guides, papers, reports and the like.
How can I afford the time, you wonder? I can’t! Which is why I have some sponsors to help underwrite what is, mostly, a labor of love. Please scroll down to the bottom of the page to see who they are, and maybe click on their links to learn more about them. They’re all terrific resources for you, and definitely worth your attention. I also want to extend a special shout out to my lead sponsor, Bloomerang, for all they do – beyond just their wonderful product — to help nonprofits make lasting change in their communities and the world.
If you’ve been along for the ride for a while, I hope you’ve gleaned some useful nuggets to help you in your work, and maybe even in your personal life. If you’re new, welcome! I love sharing insights, research and practices from other disciplines, including psychology, neuroscience, behavioral economics, mindfulness, for-profit marketing, and more. If you’ve found this newsletter thought-provoking, educational or just plain practical, please forward it to a curious colleague. They can subscribe here for free.
But why stop here?
ENROLL in ‘Clairification School’ (modest annual charge to cover my costs) and receive access to ALL original articles (including 1,000+ article archive) + exclusive members’ only benefits: bonus content with actionable tips and ‘how-to’s,’ specific monthly tips, access to webinars and podcasts, and generous discounts on products and courses. Get your exclusive member benefits here!
ANNIVERSARY ENROLLMENT SPECIAL:
In honor of this anniversary, anyone who enrolls in Clairification School through the end of this month will receive an additional, meaty (or veggie heavy) BONUS e-guide — “Use Gratitude to Build Relationships that Pave the Way for Future Gifts” — jam-packed with actionable tips.
Thank you for doing your vital work, and making our world a better place,
Claire
P.S. If you’d like to receive ALL my content, and the $100 Clairification School enrollment fee (under $2/day) is a hardship, let me know. No questions asked. No judgement. I want to help. Period.
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL FEATURE: Problematic AI – Yes, Again!
Let’s begin with this piece of borrowed wisdom from one of the great thought leaders of our time:
“Tech adoption often focuses on making things easier, simpler, and pre-decided.
And yet… we can also decide to use tech to do more work, insert more humanity, and amplify flexibility…
Professionals and organizations that use AI to save time, cut costs, and lay people off are taking a lazy road to failure and irrelevance.
Those who use it to do harder, braver, and more powerful work, who figure out how to create more value and charge more for it, and who end up hiring more people to do so, will be defining our future.”
Please keep this sage advice in mind as you approach the resources listed below.
ARTICLES
Click-it: Before You Hand AI the Keys to Your Fundraising…. The whole point of this kind of tool is productivity. If it’s bringing you more work than solution, you’ve got a problem. To effectively use AI, you need to know what it can and cannot expect from it. Read this piece on the Moceanic blog to learn more. James Herlihy takes you through the story of a real-life nonprofit who learned they needed to lead – not be led by – the AI tool they purchased.
Click-it: AI won’t fix fundraising. It will simply feed on what’s been broken for years. I think this article by Mark Phillips, Fundraising Insight, is important. Because we risk losing the very reason donors trust us, and connect with us, if we simply adopt AI as the shiny new thing. Yes, there are things it can do that are very helpful. But – and this is a big but – if you automate everything, and everyone else does too, where does that leave you?
AUDIO/VISUAL
Click-it: AI Without The Hype [Listen to on-demand podcast]. Nonprofit Hub hosts Sal Salpietro, Chief Growth Officer at Daytaro, to unpack what AI really means for nonprofits. He offers a simple filter for evaluating tools (does it still work with the AI turned off?) and distinguishes AI-enabled “helpers” from AI-native “doers.” Plus, he shows how to scale AI without losing the human side of fundraising, sharing real examples of predictive modeling that reorders donor outreach and slashes list-building time.
Articles
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Your Gift String Should Not Need a User Manual. Kevin Shulman writes for the Agitator/DonorVoice about the intricacies of putting together ask strings that don’t cause friction as the donor ponders them. Here, he outlines five common problems – so you can avoid them.
Click-it: You can stop listening to excuses and raise more money. This is solid, foundational advice from Mary Cahalane, Hands-On Fundraising. It works for organizations of all shapes and sizes. Don’t think you can’t do it because of your cause, size, location, age… or whatever other excuse you and your leaders dream up. You can!
Donor Retention
Click-it: The Real Problem With Recognition Societies (And What To Do Instead). This definitive article from the Donor Relations Group explores all the pros and cons of this hotly debated topic in fundraising circles. At its best, good recognition answers the donor’s quiet question: Would you notice if I wasn’t here? This will challenge you to think carefully about the differences between active and passive recognition. And you’ll learn how to tell when your recognition tactics are working.
Events
Click-it: How to Run an Online Sales Fundraiser That Pays Off. Thinking about moving your on-site silent auction online? Eventgroove explains the upsides, clarifies how to set goals, and describes items that sell well. With this information in hand, you can choose your sales platform, set up fundraiser pages, add a QR code you can drop into print material, and begin promoting your event.
Click-it: 8 Things Every Nonprofit Should Know About Silent Auction Items on Consignment. Heather Mansfield, Nonprofit Tech for Good, thoroughly explains eight important things every nonprofit should know before adding third-party auction items to your next fundraiser.
Psychology of Giving
Click-it: Why Donors Give: The Deep Human Need to Matter. I write on the Bloomerang blog about the human need to fill one’s cup, not drain it – and how you can use this to your advantage in your fundraising. Consider how you can offer meaning, purpose and belonging to your donors. When you meet their needs, they’ll be more inclined to meet yours.
Click-it: Same Cause, Different Morality. You may think folks should give just because you’re doing “good work.” But not all such work is created equal, and fundraising appeals aren’t morally neutral. The “good work” must be something that matters to the recipient of your appeal. Something they care about. Something with which they identify. Read more by Kevin Shulman on the Agitator/Donor Voice blog.
Strategy, Planning, Management and Leadership
Click-it: Hiring and Firing Mistakes Most Leaders Make (And How to Avoid Them). Here’s some useful food for thought from Amy Eisenstein, Capital Campaign Pro.
Technology as Tool
Click-it: What “Googling” will mean in 2027. Read this!!! – and share with your marketing and tech teams! M+R lays out the brave new world of search engine optimization, and explains: (1) why fewer people may visit your website in the future; (2) why your website still matters, and (3) how third party authority (from sites like YouTube, Quora, and Reddit) will become more important.
Click-it: Google Analytics for Nonprofits: Track and Improve Fundraising. Could you be missing out on a free tool that helps you determine which efforts are truly driving donations and engagement? This DoJiggy article explains precisely how Google Analytics can help, and what you need to do to install and use it effectively.
Click-it: The Modern Nonprofit Tech Stack: What Matters — and What Doesn’t. Mark Becker offers a clear-eyed explanation for NonProfitPro of the four foundational components you need in a healthy tech stack. Read this if you’re confused about all the shiny objects being pitched to you. Some you absolutely need. Others, maybe not. Make sure the features you purchase are ones your staff will actually use.
Year-End Giving
Click-it: Year-end success starts now. RKD Group Thinkers outline three audiences and one channel that deserve your attention now. Don’t wait until September or October to think about these important constituents.
Other Learning Opportunities
WEBINARS, PODCASTS, & 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!
Advertising
Click-it: The ‘Dirty Word’ Your Nonprofit Can’t Afford to Ignore: A Guide to Advertising [Register for free webinar, 6-24-2026]. Nonprofit Hub is hosting a special webinar with guest Meghan Speer. You’ll walk away understanding what avoiding advertising may be costing you, and what nonprofit advertising actually looks like at your budget and scale.
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Why Your Recurring Giving Program Isn’t Growing (and how to fix it) [Listen to on-demand webinar or read transcript]. Scott Holthuas of Virtuous speaks with Dave Raley, Center for Sustainable Giving, about the importance of recurring giving, why recurring giving programs flounder, and what you can do to improve results.
Donor Acquisition
Click-it: The Five New Rules of Digital Acquisition [Register for free webinar, 6-25-2026. Digital acquisition is more expensive, more competitive, and harder to measure than it was just a few years ago. The experts at True Sense Marketing will share what is actually driving performance today across search, social, and programmatic, and give you five rules you can apply to your acquisition strategy right now.
Events
Click-it: The Event Chair Reset: Build a Better Fundraiser This Year [Listen to on-demand webinar]. Join Laurie Hochman, Auctria, and her team to learn all the nitty gritty details of managing your event – complete with communication strategies, technology tips and case studies.
Major, Capital and Legacy Giving
Click-it: Major Donors’ Voices: Busting the Myths [Register for free webinar, 6-23-2026]. Fundraising Everywhere shares what they learned from over 150 donor interviews. This session will entertain, surprise, and challenge you to think differently about major donors, and will give you the confidence to challenge others in your organization about how you approach transformative fundraising.
Website
Click-it: How Nonprofit Professionals Can AI-Proof Their Careers [Register for free 30-minute webinar, 6-24-2026]. Early adopter marketing and fundraising professionals are experimenting with generative AI, but as we speed towards achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), working with predictive and agentic AI are also must-have skills of the future. Join Nonprofit Tech for Good to become AI-literate in the concepts most immediately to impact your career so you can start the process of upskilling now and thrive in your career for years to come.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Data Management
Click-it: The Ultimate Guide to Modern Nonprofit Gift Processing [Download free resource]. This guide from Double the Donation details the core stages of gift handling (receipt, batching, entry, coding, and reconciliation) and overviews the role of workplace giving in helping ensure financial accuracy and audit readiness.
Events
Click-it: How to Get Event Sponsorship: Your Ultimate Guide [Download free resource]. Wild Apricot has put together a comprehensive resource laying out: (1) What an event sponsorship is; (2) Why it’s important; (3) four types of sponsorships; (4) How to find a sponsor; (5) 11 tips for getting sponsors; (6) Examples, and (7) Sponsor management software.
Major, Capital and Legacy Giving
Click-it: Creating Strategic Plans and Goals for Every Major Donor [Download free case management checklist template]. The Veritus Group major gift experts lay out the exact step-by-step process they use with clients to build strategic donor plans that are realistic, manageable, and effective. A lot of MGOs think this level of planning is impossible given their workload — until they start doing it.
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: If you want to become a master of major gift fundraising I highly recommend this Veritus Group course: Certification Course for Major Gift Fundraisers. You’ll receive a certification + CFRE points, and set yourself up for excellence for the rest of your career. If you’re the executive or manager, there’s also a companion course for you! After completion, you’ll become a member of the prestigious Veritus Scholars. This is the best thing you can do to supercharge your fundraising for the coming year – and beyond! And you can grab an exclusive Clairification Community discount – a whopping 35% off – using this code: CLAIRE35.
Strategy, Planning, Management and Leadership
Click-it: 40 Nonprofit Trends for 2026 [Download free report]. NonProfitPro gathered insights from nonprofit professionals, consultants, technologists, and sector leaders. Explore how your organization can prepare for what’s next.
Technology as Tool
Click-it: 6 Best Paypal Alternatives for Nonprofits: An Honest Comparison. Are you using PayPal as your only fundraising solution? If so, Ronald Pruitt of 4aGoodCause suggests you may be leaving money on the table. This guide offers a straightforward candid assessment of six PayPal alternatives built for small to midsize nonprofits that are ready to move beyond basic payment buttons and start building real donor relationships and recurring revenue. Plus… FAQs!
Click-it: 12 Best Nonprofit Fundraising Tools: New for 2026. Charity Engine shares their list of the best, most tried-and-true, most successful fundraising tools. They note: “Take a look at your CRM; most of these are likely included off the shelf. If they’re not, ask if they are available as “add-on” features to round out your software.” Or consider switching to an all-in-one CRM that offers all of them – or, at least, all the ones you need.
Did You Miss My Newest Articles?
Here are links to the most recent articles on the Clairification blog. Remember, your goal is not simply to squeeze money out of people. It’s to give donors a squeeze and a hug for being caring and generous. This will make them feel good, which will move them to continue sticking with you.
Me at my favorite bakery. Notice how it gives me a warm GLOW? When you ask people to join you in your mission, the mere contemplation of giving will give them this happy glow as well!
💖 How to Inspire Passionate Philanthropy with Humility, Concentration, and Gusto
🎯 Act Fast, Raise Big: The Skills You Need to Win Major Donors Today
💸Major Gifts Fundraising: Pie in the Sky, Pie in your Face or Your Piece of Pie
📈Why Creating Donor Engagement Opportunities Boosts Fundraising
🪜Why You Need to Know about the Donor Hierarchy of Needs
❤️Make ‘Do Unto Others’ Your Nonprofit’s Golden Rule
💡 Top Strategies for Open Nonprofit Donor Conversations
🤔❓Finally… if you have a question, any question…
Ask your question here. And check out my free fundraising advice column on the Bloomerang blog! You can bookmark the Ask an Expert page for any time you have a question. Here’s one: What Are Top Tips To Retain First-Time Donors?
REMINDER for Clairification School students: Don’t forget to log in to your “My Clairification/Subscriber Dashboard/Monthly Tips” to grab your exclusive, timely tips for each month. JUNE TIPS are live. Your support is much appreciated, and helps me to support you. Thank you!
This week I’m sharing a piece of outdoor art — with a special rose for you! I found it painted on the side of a building. The artist is Fnnch, and he has a whole series of honey bears!
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