Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
What story are you telling yourself today about you and your work? How often do you tell yourself “I’m really stressed?” I want you to stop that. I want to help you to stop that.
But I know it’s not as easy as saying “stress won’t help you.”
The solution to stress isn’t reassurance. It’s accurately understanding the world as it is, and making choices about what we do and how we do it. But far more than that, we relieve stress by making choices about the stories we tell ourselves.
— Seth Godin
Getting the details right, and waiting for some external reassurance after the fact, is a vicious cycle. Because tomorrow there’ll be a new stressor. You’ll never get enough reassurance.
Unless you learn to reassure yourself. Learn to tell your own story. Don’t wait for others to reassure you it’s a good one.
Whatever I can do to help you, it is my sincere honor and pleasure. I’m opening up more individual coaching spots, precisely for this purpose. So please let me know if you’d like to work with me. We can even break them into two 30 minute sessions if you wish; we can get a surprising amount done — enough to give you a big boost as you approach your work this fall!
While you think about it, please peruse this curated collection of completely free resources to help you with theory, tips and tools. Find a few things that speak to you, and… get clicking! I want to give a shout out to my Clairity Click-it 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,
Claire
P.S. Don’t forget to check out my recent articles on Clairification (see links below). I seem to have been doing a lot of metaphoric chopping, fishing and climbing over the last couple of weeks. Could I be restless? You? Please enroll in Clairification School as an official student so you don’t miss a thing – who knows what we’ll be up to next!
Claire
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
OPINIONS FEATURE
Donors Behaving Badly?
Click-it: Are donors the problem with fundraising? Mary Cahalane, Hands On Fundraising, makes the case that while some donors behave badly, most do not. And, mostly, donors are treated poorly. This article offers great suggestions for ways to deal with the unsavory characters, without turning away from a grateful, donor-centric approach to fundraising and stewardship.
Donors Behaving Well?
Click-it: Jewish philanthropists debate MacKenzie Scott’s giving strategy. This article from ejewishphilanthropy explores the concept of “trust-based philanthropy” – foundations giving longer-term unrestricted grants. Scott’s philanthropic style dovetails with “GrantED,” an initiative of the Jewish Funders Network and UpStart that aims to strengthen relationships between grant makers and grantees by fostering conversations about power dynamics between donors and recipients. It’s a worthwhile conversation to be having today.
ARTICLES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Do You Need To Send Donors Monthly Receipts? You’ll want to read this piece by monthly giving guru Erica Waasdorp on Nonprofit Pro. Here’s one piece of advice I particularly like: “every time you send an email, create a version for your donors/constituents and a special version for your monthly donors. Say thank-you for the monthly gifts, then go into the rest of the email.”
Boards
Click-it: 10 Tough Questions Every Board Member Should Ask. Joan Garry, Nonprofits are Messy, nails the role of the board and every individual member. I love many of them, but especially #3 and #8. You?
Click-it: Board Assessments with Sample Management Questions. Something not enough boards conduct is an annual board evaluation. Learn why and how to do it in this article from Ann Lehman on the Blue Avocado blog. It includes 20 sample questions!
Digital Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: How to Create Your Own Powerful Email Marketing Funnel. Neal Schaffer is one of my go-to authorities for digital marketing. When reading this comprehensive article, substitute “donor” for “customer” and “donation” for “sales.” You’ll end up with a step-by-step blueprint for attracting supporter leads, converting them to donors and sustaining their loyalty over time.
Click-it: AnalyzingTweets of Nonprofit Tweeters. I share this article from the Agitator-DonorVoice blog because of the way it forces you to think about the content, emotion and framing of your digital strategy. In other words, all tweets aren’t created alike. Think about what you want folks to think, feel and do!
Click-it: Text to Donate vs. Text to Give: Which is Right for You? Did you know between 2020 and 2021, mobile giving increased by 205%? Are you on the text messaging bandwagon yet? Rally Corp specializes in text messaging for donor acquisition, retention and upgrading. Here they explain the basics when it comes to using your phone for fundraising.
Events
Click-it: Why You Should Do A Cost-Benefit Analysis Before Throwing Your Next Nonprofit Fundraising Event. When it comes to hosting a fundraising event there are negatives and positives. Alas, the former outweigh the latter. You can turn all those negatives into a big giant positive, but you have to know going in this is your plan. Only spend more if you’ll net more. I explain how to crunch the numbers in this article for the Bloomerang blog.
Major and Legacy Giving
Click-it: Why Management Won’t Invest (More) in Legacies & What To Do About It. Are you using hyperbolic discounting to put off building a more robust legacy giving program? Perhaps temperal myopia? Ligia Pena, Globetrotting Fundraiser, suggests this may be the case, and suggests some strategies – including some simple words – to help you get around these cognitive biases.
Making Meetings Work
Click-it: Zoom Cameras On or Off? Running effective meetings is always a topic of interest, and here Beth Kanter tackles the subject of Zoom meetings. It’s based on research, extremely informative and offers plenty of food for thought.
Strategy and Management
Click-it: Learn How to Guide Nonprofit Leaders Toward the Truth Instead of Letting Them Rely on Their Opinions. In much of our culture, we glorify opinions over facts. Yet just because someone thinks they know best doesn’t mean they do. That’s why your job, as the professional fundraiser, is to guide your leaders toward the expertise that will lead to success. Learn how in this article I’ve written for the Bloomerang blog
Click-it: Top 2021 Fundraising Strategies. In case you missed my six-part series on the Bloomerang blog — with my recommendations for top areas to prioritize in the coming year — you can read part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5 and part 6 here. I would love to know what you think, and what you’re planning to devote your resources and energy to in 2021 Q4 and all of 2022. Email me to let me know: claire@clairification.com
Writing
Click-it: Think index cards, not toilet paper, for webpage length. Should you write for scrollers or clickers? Ann Wylie, Wylie Communnications, describes best practices for desktops, laptops and mobile. It may not be what you expect.
Click-it: 5 Tips for Using Big Numbers in Your Communications. You’ve probably heard people have difficulty comprehending scope. Kivi LeRoux Miller, Nonprofit Marketing Guide, describes strategies to get this across without having folks’ eyes glaze over.
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!
Boards
Click-it: Get Your Board to Help You Fundraise—Even if They Don’t Wanna! [Register for free webinar, 9-28-2021]. One of the most common comments I receive is “My board won’t help with fundraising.” The folks at Firespring hear this a lot too, and here’s what they have to say: “your board should function as a fundraising machine. If it runs more like a college clunker than a luxury sedan, this webinar’s for you” You’ll learn how to do all sorts of things, including developing individual board plans they can rock!
Events
Click-it: Incorporating Video with Events [Register for free webinar, 9-22-2021]. Join the folks at ThankView as they review four examples from Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Boys and Girls Club to show how video can be used in text and email, as invites and event follow-ups, and more!
Major Gifts
Click-it: Does Your Team Even Want to Go Back to the Office? [Listen to on-demand podcast]. Many front-line fundraisers are being asked to go back to the office this fall. But, with the Delta Variant causing more communities to reinstitute mask mandates and social distancing, is that wise? But here’s the real question: Should frontline fundraisers EVER be required to work from the office? And, if you are going to bring back your staff, how are you doing it in a way that honors and protects them? Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels of the Veritus Group, major gift fundraising experts, discuss what they’re hearing from fundraisers about the transition back to the office and what the research says about the merits of working remotely.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Nonprofit Innovation & Optimization Summit [Register for free 2-day live stream conference 9-22-23, 2021]]. This annual event from the folks at NextAfter is free to live stream this year – woohoo! Be sure to take full advantage, as you’ll find some of the most cutting-edge research, trends and just plain practical tips you can use. 16+ live speakers and sessions, live Q&A, peer conversations, on-demand videos and tools, and more.
Strategy and Management
Click-it: Banish That Scarcity Mindset and Thrive {Listen to free on-demand podcast]. Tune in to NonprofitNation where Julia Campbell interviews Nell Edgington, Social Velocity, on how to embrace abundance to create a healthier and more equitable world.
Trends
Click-it: How Donors Give During a Crisis: Fundraising Lessons from 2020 and 2021 [Register for free webinar, 9-21-2021]. If you’ve wondered what motivates people to give during troubled times you’ll want to attend this session offered by Qgiv and led by Woodrow Rosenbaum of Giving Tuesday. It will cover how to use donors’ current giving patterns to improve future giving.
Major and Legacy Giving
Click-it: How To Use Planned Gifts To Solve Donor Problems [Register for free webinar, 9-22-2021]. Want to learn how to match the perfect planned gift with your donors’ interests, current situations and challenges? This Stelter sponsored webinar will discuss a variety of planned gifts and the donor problems they can help solve. It’s always good to be alert to ways you can help your donors make larger gifts than they might have imagined were possible!
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, WHITE PAPERS & OTHER RESOURCES
Donor Retention
Click-it: Why Half of Your Donors are Disappearing – and How Smarter Stewardship Can Improve Retention [Download free white paper]. My good friends at Merkle outline many of the reasons you’re likely retaining less donors than you wish, and offer up strategies to improve your odds. Bottom line if you want to break the revolving door cycle? “It’s time for nonprofits to take a good, hard look in the mirror and ask themselves if they really know their donors and understand what motivates them.”
Major and Legacy Giving
Click-it: The Biggest Problems with Planned Giving (and What to Do about them) [Download free white paper]. Do you have a planned giving program that’s not going anywhere fast? You’re not alone. This paper from the Veritus Group delves into some of the reasons this happens, and gives you steps to take to get a robust and effective planned giving program operational in your organization.
Did You Miss My Newest Articles?
- Proven Strategies to Climb the Year-End Fundraising Mountain
- What Fishing Can Teach Us About Fundraising
- What “Chopped” can Teach Fundraisers about Productivity and Passion
- 7 Keys to Rock Thank You Calls and Retain More Donors
- Want a true philanthropic culture? Make it the air you breathe.
- R.I.P. Donor Pyramid?
Finally… if you have a question, any question…
Check out my free fundraising advice column on the Bloomerang blog! Ask your question here. Or email me with it directly. See How Do You Persuade Boards To Scale Back Events In Favor Of More Cost-Effective Fundraising Strategies?
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. SEPTEMBER tips are live! If you’re not yet an enrolled student, you can get in on the fun here!
My motto is: “If I know it, I want you to know it.” Don’t miss out.
Please support my extraordinary sponsors (see below). Clairification School is affordable because of their generosity.
