Clairity Click-it: Punchbowl of Nonprofit Links and Free Resources

Get ready to raise a glass of nog to celebrate your year-end fundraising success!

In this issue you’ll find a number of resources to help you get to the finish line, as well as resources to assist you in hitting the ground running in the new year.

[Yes, I’ve color coded them for you. Red means do it now! Green means it’s evergreen advice]

Please join with me in thanking my awesome sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to continue to offer these hand-curated resources to you for free. My motto is: “If I know it, I want you to know it.” Life’s too short, and our problems are too big, to keep information all to oneself.

Good luck with your end-of-calendar-year fundraising, and let’s get right to this issue’s links!

Thank you for doing the important work you do. You make our world a better, safer, stronger, more beautiful and caring place.

P.S. If you find these resources helpful, I hope you’ll consider enrolling in Clairification School to get a full year’s worth of ALL the wisdom I have to share! See what others say about why they’ve joined. I’m confident it will help you do your job more effectively, and with greater joy. Questions? Reach me directly at claire@clairification.com,

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Annual Fundraising

Click-it: Are You Mindlessly Employing ‘Best Fundraising Practices?’ Any practice that doesn’t move your reader to take the action you desire, is not a ‘best one.’ Check out my guest post on the Guidestar blog.

Database Management

Click-it: Three Ways the Back End of Donation Processing Keeps Donor Relationships Afloat. Bill Sayre, President of Merkle RMG, is an expert at using actionable data insights to improve the donor experience. In Nonprofit Technology News he discusses the donation processing elements that are the cornerstones of strong donor relationships.

Donor Acquisition

Click-it: Give to Get: The Need for a New Acquisition Model. If you’re enrolled in Clairification School, you know I say all the time “If you want gifts, you must give them.” Increasingly, that appears to be not just true for donor retention but also for acquisition. Check out this article, supported by data from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, by Nick Ellinger on The Agitator/Donor Voice blog.

Donor Retention

Click-it: Strategies to Retain Recently Lapsed Nonprofit Donors. Lapsed donors are too valuable to let them fade away without making a concerted effort to win them back. I’ve laid out 7 recommended strategies on the Bloomerang blog.

Major and Legacy Giving

Click-it: A bunch of reasons why January is NOT necessarily the best time to ‘hit your donor’s mailbox’. Greg Warner of Market Smart offers on-point strategies for communicating the benefits of legacy giving in our digitally revolutionized age. The key is not when to mail, but why your donor may or may not be ready to receive your message.

Management and Strategy

Click-it: The Frozen Middle Separates Management from Leadership (and Innovation). I’ll let you in on a little secret. Brian Solis is one of my favorite ‘big thinkers’ (his book, The End of Business as Usual, has been an influence in my work exhorting nonprofits to wake up to the digitally revolutionized zeitgeist in which we find ourselves) and I’m a huge fan of cartoonist Hugh MacLeod of Gaping Void. Here they team up for some hard truths about why many decision makers today suffer from “out of touchness.” See if this rings any bells for you.

Click-it: 3 Easy Holiday Gift Ideas for Nonprofit Staff. This comes from Joan Garry Consulting and offers some lovely ways to recognize staff for the important work they do.

Online Social Fundraising

Click-it: 5 examples of great fundraising appeal e-mails. If you’re still working on your year-end e-appeals you may find these examples helpful. All from the good folks at 4aGoodCause.

Click-it: How to Succeed on Social Media During Year-End Fundraising. Multi-channel campaigns give you the biggest bang for your year-end fundraising buck. Learn how to leverage your content – with examples — from this article by Mary Jane Ragusa on the Qgiv blog.

Click-it: 30 Power Words That Convert on Social Media. The right words can prompt folks to invest in your cause and spread your mission to the world. The folks at Classy have rounded up 30 words that do the job of moving people to action. Take a look, and sprinkle some into your year-end emails and social media posts. Get some up on your website while you’re at it!

Psychology of Giving

Click-it: How to Get People to Help You (and Donate). Nick Ellinger reviews Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You on The Agitator/Donor Voice blog and discusses how you might apply this research to fundraising. Spot on advice.

Writing

Click-it: 3 Ways to Use Writing to Inspire Donors. If you don’t relate to your donor’s values and passions you won’t get them engaged with you. Vanessa Chase of The Storytelling Nonprofit shares some foolproof donor-centered strategies here.

YOU

Click-it: 4 Steps to Year-End Balance, Energy, & Focus. Nancy Schwartz, Getting Attention, shares a 4-step ladder to well-being, and doing your best work year round – all tips from Beth Kanter. Guess what? If you do this as a team you’ll get more out of it, and begin to instill a culture of self-care, other-care and philanthropy.

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 Retention

Click-it: Unlocking the Mystery of Donor Retention [Register for free webinar, 12-13-18]. Get ready to retain all your year-end donors with this Firespring-sponsored webinar with Barbara O’Reilly, CFRE.

Major and Legacy Gifts

Click-it: Mega Donors: Find them – Cultivate Them – Keep Them [Register for free Flash Class, 12-12-18]. Bob Carter will guide participants through a methodical, donor-centered approach to position your organization to acquire and retain mega donors – sponsored by the good folks at Donor Search.

Online Fundraising and Marketing

Click-it: How to Promote Your Online Fundraising Campaign [Register for free webinar 12-18-18]. Julia C. Campbell is an online fundraising guru! I can promise your time won’t be wasted if you join this session hosted by Charity How To. You’ll get tactics to use for your website, email list and social media channels, plus how to use video in online fundraising.

Click-it: Facebook Birthday Fundraising Demystified [Register for free webinar, 12-19-18] Considering doing more peer-to-peer fundraising in the coming year? Check out this presentation from the P2P experts at Turnkey.

FREE DOWNLOADABLE MATERIALS

Donor Acquisition

Click-it: 10 Great Ways to Find New Donors for Your Non-Profit [Download free e-Book]. This guide from Joe Garecht, The Fundraising Authority, includes 10 smart strategies for finding and engaging new donors

Major and Legacy Giving

Click-it: Are You Ready for Gift Planning? [Download free book chapter + assessment]. This comes from Charity Channel authors Brian M. Sagrestano, JD, CFRE and Robert E. Wahlers, MS, CFRE. After you complete the ‘readiness assessment’ you can scroll down to read what each element of this tool means.

Management and Strategy

Click-it 5 Steps to Your Best Year Ever [Watch free video]. Plan ahead to hit the ground running in 2019 with these tips from Sean Triner of Moceanic. Even though you’re super busy with year-end fundraising right now, just take a listen and put a pin in one or more of these ideas for when January rolls around.

Online Fundraising and Marketing

Click-it: The Ultimate Subject Line Guide [Download free e-Book]. iContact has poured over three years of subject line data to uncover the secret of what makes the most effective subject lines for every message type, occasion and industry. [Also see my piece on nonprofit email subject lines under “Recent Articles,” below.]

Did You Miss My Recent Articles?

If I know it, I want you to know it!

Here are links to my most recent articles. Enroll in ‘Clairification School’ to get access to every single article I’ve ever written – with new ones delivered weekly straight to your in-box! You’ll also get free monthly tips from your own “My Clairification” dashboard. Plus bonuses, discounts and more.

If you find value in Clairification, your support via enrollment in Clairification School is a blessing. I promise to pay it back, and continue to offer lots of specific advice to help you raise greater awareness, more volunteerism and passionate philanthropy.

Hope to see you in Clairification School!

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Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
January 19, 2018

Clairity Click-it: Cornucopia of Free Nonprofit Resources
November 20, 2016

Clairity Click-it: Bounty of Free Nonprofit Resources for Year-End
November 9, 2016

Clairity Click-it: Cauldron Full of Free Nonprofit Resources
October 20, 2016

Clairity Click-it: Basket of Delightful Nonprofit Resources
October 5, 2016

Clairity Click-it: Fall Extravaganza of Free Nonprofit Resources
September 15, 2016

Claire is a fundraising ninja

Joanne Fritz

Nonprofit Charitable Organizations Guide, About.com

Engaging your help was such a huge pivot moment for me and the Board. We would never – not in a million years – have even dreamed of doing a significant challenge at our event without all of the teaching, support, resources and guidance that you brought to us. Sometimes there are these moments in life that you only realize in retrospect were miracles – and that is exactly how I look back at that decision to work with you on our fundraising engine!

Julia Wilson, E.D.

OneJustice

Your piece on attrition, Claire, is dynamite. Amazing. It’s precisely on target. Congratulations.

Jerry Panas

CEO / Jerold Panas, Linzy & Partners

Brilliant summary of the whole “story v. stats” thing, Claire. Thank you.

Tom Ahern

Principal / Ahern Donor Communications

Claire Axelrad has been a highly effective fundraiser for over 30 years and her blog is just a wealth of wisdom. What’s particularly notable about Clairification is that although the work is based on decades of past experience, Claire is always looking forward as well. She was the first among her veteran fundraising peers to embrace online and social fundraising and is now one of their most sensible and insightful proponents. She’s a great resource!

Keith Heller

CEO / Heller Consulting

You have been absolutely terrific to work with. Your roadmap and assessment of where we are and where we can go has been so instrumental in having the board stop and think about our future. Your audit is allowing us to move forward in tangible ways to improve our work so that we may help more clients in need of our services. I will count you among my many blessings throughout the year.

Silvia Argueta

E.D. / Los Angeles Legal Aid Foundation

I’m subscribed to a million fundraising blogs and the one I consistently open and read most of, is yours. The content is always carefully curated and helpful, not just sales pitch after sales pitch for your own stuff. You stand out, in a good way.

Juliane McLean

Development Coordinator / Bridgercare

You are one of the few fundraising experts that I read faithfully, and we have no shortage of those who publish regularly. But your material is always thoughtful and realistic. Thank you for your candor and good advice.

Richard Ajulani

, Senior Director Individual Gifts / LifeMoves

We have been loving the work of Claire Axelrad since we came across her work, every blog of hers is insightful, well thought out and enlightening.

Good Eggs Storytellers

Most lucid, most succinct checklist I have read on the engagement process. This is the best. Should be required reading for all concerned with major gift solicitation.

Giles Pegram, CBE

Fundraising Consultant / London, England

You are a forever flowing fountain of enormous information and a wealth of ideas. Thanks for being there for all of us small non-profits

Sharon Coleman

St. Francis House

I read your newsletter all the time and find your advice “spot on” and always usable. I pass it on consistently to the staff and other board members. I really appreciate all you do to help nonprofits. Thanks.

Hal Leeds

, Partner Global Sales & Marketing Consultancy / Working to Eliminate Poverty and Educational Inequality

You remind me about what is most important and why I love this profession. I just discovered you and your blog about three weeks ago and I wanted to write today to say thank you for sharing your wisdom and expertise. I find your posts, new and old, so spot on. You nail it.

– Heather Wardle CFRE

Vancouver BC

Everybody involved in philanthropy should read these articles slowly and with a very opened mind and a willingness to take from them the necessary components to change the manner and techniques we presently use in order to embrace what philanthropy is all about “Love”. I have no doubt it would be transformational.

Tom Walsh

Business Development Exec / Active Retirement Ireland

Suggest subscribing. Thanks, Claire! I am a regular- and I have forwarded your thoughtful and inspiring column and as well. Keep up the good work.

Margot Harrigan

Corporate Development Officer / Habitat for Humanity East Bay/Silicon Valley

I came across your website and I hit the goldmine! I was asked to join a board and found I need to understand how to build a donor base from the ground up. I searched, only to find expensive consultants or free info that didn’t offer any helpful information. Thank you for sharing so much valuable information!!

Erica Martinez

Claire, you consistently remind me of the proven basic facts of fundraising!! Thank you!! I consistently share them with our team and with the newbie fundraisers I am mentoring.

Margie McCurry

Fund Builders Alliance

Could not make it any easier… Claire Axelrad straightforwardly tells social media/marketing managers of nonprofit organizations that they need to change how they communicate with

UMV

Charity Chatter

Many thanks – this is terrific, impressive data! You are an impressive source. And I’ve been around a long time.

Sara Becker

Oakland Zoo

Wow! Inspiration out the wazoo! Many thanks — I keep up with trends and lots of blog-posts to stay on top of my game. This goes way beyond technique and reaches deep inside to remind me why I’ve done this work for 40 years!

Pam Montgomery

Executive Director / Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley

Thank you for your brilliant blog. I have been a follower for many years and learnt so much from you. Ultimately, it translates into many more families getting the support they deserve. You help me raise more money for my UK charity. Please never stop bringing the best out of me! You’re special.

Anna Henry

Eric.org

Exactly what our profession can use – clarification –- the title of your blog. You help us keep faith with the past while making sense of the present and future. You have a balanced and respectful understanding of what this is all about. Thanks.

James M. Schaffer

Partner / Charity Springs

I’d recommend you sign up. I signed up for about a dozen blogging fundraiser consultants, but have since canceled most. She’s one of two left standing. I like how she organizes her thoughts about fundraising, and her conversation planning techniques are very familiar to me from my work as a prosecutor. I believe that she was a practicing attorney and who changed careers like I have, and my best guess is that she was a litigator as well. This is a very good article and there are several other blogs (her own) that she links to within it, so even though this is a small article you could spend some time here.

Cole Eason, J.D. ’92

Office of University Advancement / Rockhurst University