Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Your Pathway to Year-End Fundraising Success
First, the news.
In case you missed my recent announcement, Clairification has moved to a paid subscription model for articles and a host of other new benefits.
I’m bringing my dream of a mini online ‘fundraising school’ offered year-round, on a more-or-less complimentary basis, to fruition. And I’m asking for your help.
More-or-less complimentary means a modest ‘tuition’ to keep Clairification up and running. I think it’s a good value. I hope you will too.
My goal is to continue to keep you focused on passionate philanthropy, not forgettable fundraising.
There’s a difference.
- One is transformational, the other transactional.
- One is a journey, the other a destination.
- One will bring you donors for life, the other one night stands.
I’ll be your guide, so you can be your donor’s. You’ll both get more out of it.
Here’s what’s the same
You’ll continue to receive the bimonthly Clairity Click-it for free!
Here’s what’s new
Paid subscribers get access to the full, year-long Clairification “curriculum.”
This includes:
- Weekly research-based articles
- Archive of 600+ past articles you can search by category
- Exclusive monthly subscriber tips and bonuses
- Generous discounts on E-Guides and Courses (usually between 30% and 50% off)
- … and much more.
All for one $100 annual subscription fee (This month only, I’m offering an introductory “Early Admission” deal of just $67 plus a one-time subscriber bonus gift). Subscribe here now.
On to this week’s Click-it!
I’ve grouped resources into four areas that will boost your year-end giving:
1. Compel: Social media done well will drive awareness of your cause and the current opportunity to make an impact;
2. Kvell: Showering gratitude to show your donors how important they are to you will predispose them to give;
3. Tell: Creative, compelling content presented in the form of a story will trigger emotions that inspire philanthropy, and
4. Sell: Your user-friendly, up-to-date website will make it easy for would-be donors to connect with you, donate and then continue to stay connected over time.
Compel
Social Media Drives Awareness
Click-it: 7 ways to use social media to boost year-end donations. Take some advice from the folks at 4aGoodCause, and don’t miss out on the opportunity to engage your prospective donors so they’re predisposed to give to you when you ask.
Kvell*
Give Great Service
Click-it: How Are You Wowing Donors With a Smile? Read this article by Jeff Jowdy on Nonprofit Pro to remind yourself of the importance of good customer service.
Show Gratitude
Click-it: Major Gift End of the Year To-Do List. This post by Karen Osborne on the 101 Fundraising blog really falls into all four of these categories. However, one of the best tips is to call your major donors before the end of the year to simply let them know how thankful you are for them. There are other great suggestions too. Check ‘em out!
Click-it: Are You Forgetting the Most Important Part of Your Year-End Fundraising Appeal? You’ve still got time to perfect the thank you your donor deserves after making their end-of-year gift. I always say: “When you ask well, you get one gift. When you thank well, you get a lifetime of gifts.” Scroll to the bottom of this post on Nonprofit Pro for the free thank you letter template from Pamela Grow.
Click-it: A Heartwarming and Surprising Thank You! Lori Jacobwith of Ignited Fundraising shares a thank you made in her honor that meant a lot.
CLAIRIFICATION TIP: Ask your board this year to all contribute to a “Tribute Fund” that will enable your organization to make gifts in honor of special donors on such occasions as birthdays and anniversaries. Make sure to close the loop by letting your board know each month which donors were so honored. It’s a feel good all around, and creates a warm sense of community. NOTE: When you subscribe to Clairification you’ll get lots of tips like this one on your ‘My Clairification’ dashboard.
Tell
Demonstrate Impact
Click-it: Demonstrate Your Fundraising Impact on Social Media. The advice in this article from the Social Giving School holds true for both online and offline fundraising. There are 4 concrete tips suggested, each with specific examples.
Peer-to-Peer
Click-it: Year End Fundraising Infographic. There are so many ‘food for thought’ data points in this Infographic from MobileCause that I’d recommend using it as a starting point for a brainstorm session for next year. How might this data inform your plans? BTW: This is not just about P2P, but I’m including it here because I believe it’s such an important way to tell your story and leverage the power of word of mouth.
Stories Trigger Emotions
Click-it: 5 Tips for Telling a Better Story in Your Next Email Appeal. Vanessa Chase Lockshin of The Storytelling Nonprofit tells you how to build a strong, brief case for support by telling a story.
Click-it: The one thing you can’t afford to leave out of your stories. Guest blogger Jennifer Miller talks about the importance of using the “C” word on Future Fundraising Now.
and WIFM
Click-it: How to write a super fundraising appeal. Mary Cahalane of Hands on Fundraising covers the ‘whole ball of wax’ when it comes to telling a story that will connect with your donor in a manner that resonates personally. Focus on the SMIT – single most important thing. You have a SMIT. Your donor has a SMIT. Meld them and you’ve got a win/win.
Click-it: The awkward relationship between guilt and fundraising. Sometimes what’s in it for your donor is alleviating the guilt they have about not doing enough. Jeff Brooks of Future Fundraising Now explains how to use this to your fundraising advantage.
Sell
Websites Facilitate Giving
Click-it: How to Build an Effective Ways to Give Page from Ronald Pruitt on the 4aGoodCause blog offers concrete tips and examples.
Click-it: 7 Conversion-Sabotaging Words to Avoid at All Costs. Just a little tweak to your Landing Page or Donate Button can make a big difference – and you still have time! Heed the pointers from this WordStream blog.
Click-it: Donor Abandonment: What It Is and How to Avoid It. This is a great article from John Killoran on the Bloomerang blog offering solutions that can help you raise as much as an additional $150K for every $100K you’re generating now from your donation page. You read that right!
Peer-to-Peer
Click-it: Peer-to-Peer Fundraising: 6 Game-Changing Strategies. When a peer asks, it’s a shortcut to decision-making; the cause has already been vetted. Check out this guest post by Adam Weinger on the re:charity blog to see how you can make peer fundraising work even better.
FREE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES + RESOURCES
Annual Giving
Click-it: Convert Supporters with Powerful Landing Pages [Free Webinar December 13, 2016]. Firespring CEO Jay Wilkinson offers tips on how to assure potential donors don’t leave your site before making a gift.
Click-it: The Giving Season Game Plan [Free E-Book] was prepared by the folks at Network for Good. It includes a plan for maximizing your fundraising from now until the end of the calendar year – appeals, thank you letters and software to make your life easier.
Click-it: Cut Through the Clutter with your year-end fundraising [Free download]. There’s all sorts of useful stuff here, based on research and actual year-end fundraising campaigns, from the folks at NextAfter. Check out what you should and shouldn’t do in these critical December days.
Click-it: Would Your Board Rather Have a Root Canal Than Raise Money? [Free Webinar December 16, 2016]. Dennis C. Miller offers this presentation for Top Nonprofits to help you get your board members more engaged with their vital fundraising role.
Content Marketing
Click-it: The Power of Blogging & Thought Leadership for Nonprofits [Free Webinar December 13, 2106]. Firespring brings this free webinar by Jay Wilkinson on one of my favorite topics. I firmly believe your nonprofit should have a blog, for a whole host of reasons. Listen in to hear what Jay has to say!
Click-it: Definitive Blog Assessment Checklist [Free Download]. I encourage you to blog more in the coming year. It’s the oldest form of social media, and the only one where you own the platform and subscriber list. Heidi Cohen of The Actionable Marketing Guide makes it easy for you. [And you’re welcome to grab my 4-volume Nonprofit Blogging Playbook with a step-by-step road map to help you organize all your content marketing and social fundraising, using your blog as your hub.]
Online Engagement
Click-it: Doubling-Down on Virtual Engagement with Online Donation Platforms [Free Webinar December 15, 2016]. Wondering how online engagement and online donation systems work together to your nonprofit’s benefit? Grantspace offers a Q&A with Andrea Lloyd, Business Development Director at JustGive to help you figure out what works/doesn’t work when it comes to maximizing your opportunities to secure gifts at year-end – and any time.
Click-it: Turn Your Website Into a Membership Growth Engine [Free Webinar December 22, 2016] Wild Apricot shows you how to use membership management software to turn your website into a new member recruiter – while you sleep!
Overhead
Click-it: How Much Does It Cost to Do Good? Conversations on Nonprofit Overhead [Free Webinar December 19, 2016]. If you’re not spending as much as you need to because you’ve got a scarcity mindset, take a listen. You need to educate donors that there’s a cost to social change! It’s sponsored by Guidestar.
Subscribe to Clairification now at the “Early Admission” price of just $67/year
If you don’t subscribe, you’ll still get the bimonthly ‘Clairity Click-it’ – but you’ll miss out on weekly delivered, research-based articles, an archive of 600+ past articles you can search by category, exclusive monthly subscriber tips and bonuses, generous discounts on E-Guides and Courses (usually between 30% and 50% off)… and much more. I DARE YOU TO MAKE THIS MODEST INVESTMENT IN YOUR EDUCATION and not more than make up the cost of your investment!
Seriously, between the money-raising tips you’ll get and the discounts you’ll receive, I don’t think you can lose. Check out what others have to say about why they invest with me.
I look forward to guiding you along the pathway to passionate philanthropy in the year ahead. You are the best!
