Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
This very title by Maria Popova, The Marginalian, speaks to me: How We Render Reality: Attention as an Instrument of Love.
You know I talk a lot about philanthropy as a manifestation of love, right?
Popova also notes D.H. Lawrence wrote “An act of pure attention, if you are capable of it, will bring its own answer.” She means it in so many ways; I, of course, read it through the lens of a philanthropy facilitator. That’s you! One who pays quality attention to other people, leading to a relationship comprised of what you make of them and what they make of you. And how, together – with feeling — you make a meaningful whole that lights both of you up.
What might happen were you to give your donors pure attention – coming from a place of love and curiosity – rather than sticking to your script of pursuing your own agenda?
What if you were to be truly responsive to your donor, thereby nurturing their gifts – not just money, but their unique talents, interests, and passions — into being? This is how you might “feel into each other,” unconsciously using empathy to discover the true foundation of love – and philanthropy (“love of humanity”).
This issue of the Clairity Click-it has a special section on empathy. I’ve also brought together a curated mix of ideas and resources to help you invent a better future. As you read, I invite you to look for just one idea you might try or adapt. If something resonates, save it, make a note, and put it on your calendar so it’s there for you when the moment is right.
As always, a big thank you to my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible for me to spend the hours of time hunting, gathering and choosing the eclectic resources I believe will best meet the needs of the diverse range of folks who comprise our critically important social benefit sector.
Thank you for doing your vital work, with gratitude,
Claire
P.S. If you’re an enrolled Clairification School student, your JULY TIPS are live. If you’re not yet enrolled, there’s no better time.
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL FEATURE: Empathy Needed
Click-it: Overcoming an Empathy Deficit in US Hearts. I write a lot about empathy as being among the most needed skills in today’s topsy-turvy world. [See here, here, here, here, and here for a few.] Empathy is also, by far, the best way to connect meaningfully with your constituents. This is why this Nonprofit Quarterly article struck a chord. Yes, it’s political. But it’s also human. And let’s not forget politics is about much more than money and power. It’s primarily about people. And this is something those of us working in the philanthropy (literally translated from the Greek as “love of humankind”) sector must never forget. We need to lead each other toward greater empathy – especially now.
SPECIAL FEATURE: What Disruption Asks of Us
Click-it: The Forward-Thinking Nonprofit: Leading Through Change. To help you navigate a way forward, Blackbaud gathered insights from leading voices across the world in this collection of 19 insightful essays. If you read one a day, or even one a week, they will help you to adapt, grow, and navigate change.
Articles
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: 9 Key Elements to Include on Your Monthly Donation Forms. Your donation form is often the crucial moment when a supporter chooses how deeply they want to engage with your mission as a nonprofit organization — and where you can encourage monthly giving from the start. The monthly giving experts at 4aGoodCause clearly lay out everything you need to know. It’s simpler to set up than you think, and the long-term benefit is substantial.
Click-it: Suggested Donation Amount: 9 Best Guidelines + How to Use AI. This is the article I wish I’d read years ago! This Virtuous article is a must-read if you want 9 genuinely helpful guidelines to follow when setting your donation amounts and gift arrays. Learn what actually works, and where donor data and AI now do a lot of that thinking for you.
Click-it: Why You Should Have a Monthly Giving Program. Monthly giving is a lot more than a “nice to have” in a fundraising program. It is a cornerstone for sustainable fundraising. Learn about why, and what you can do, in this article by Jeff Brooks for Moceanic.
Content Marketing
Click-it: 10 Common Annual Report Mistakes for Nonprofits & How to Avoid Them. This Nonprofit Tech for Good article outlines some of the most common mistakes nonprofits make when creating annual reports. Plus, it offers practical ways you can avoid them. They’re all good, but I think #4 is my favorite.
Culture of Philanthropy
Click-it: The Minotaur Was Never The Problem. Okay, this article is about culture, straight up. It’s from the inimitable Hugh MacLeod, The Gaping Void, who is just brilliant when it comes to diagnosing, understanding, and fixing toxic culture. You may walk away feeling a bit chastised. But also, I hope, uplifted
Data
Click-it: 4 Expert Tips for Keeping Nonprofit Data Clean & Updated. Data analytics are the key your nonprofit needs to unlock personalized communications, stronger donor relationships, maximized revenue, and efficient operations. But, as Julia C. Campbell points out, “garbage in, garbage out” (GIGO). This article explains the importance of data hygiene for your nonprofit and explores four tips to keep your data healthy.
Donor Cultivation
Click-it: A Beginner’s Guide to Donor Cultivation. If you’re a young nonprofit, or just new to the field, the primer by Riley Young of NextAfter will be invaluable. Learn what cultivation is, why it’s so important, and how to measure it. Plus get three specific strategies, and some research-backed tactics you can use today.
Events
Click-it: Beyond the Gala: How Events Fit Into Your Bigger Fundraising Strategy. You know you raised a lot of money for your organization. But, after all the hard work, a question creeps in: “Was it all worth it?” Laurie Hochman of Auctria puts events in their place, helping you to position them so they help you accomplish multiple objectives.
Legacy Giving
Click-it: Their Legacy, Your Mission: Engaging Single, Childless Donors in Planned Giving. According to Pew Research Center, fewer American adults plan to have children than ever before, and the share of never-married adults has reached a record high. This points to a growing population of single, childless adults in the years ahead. For nonprofits, now is the time to develop and refine your planned giving outreach strategy for this audience. Did you know, according to the IRS, 43% of single donors leave a bequest to their favorite charitable organizations, compared to only 7.4% of married adults? This Stelter article discusses how to connect with these folks and make the asks that will become transformational for your mission.
Major and Capital Giving
Click-it: 8 Ways to Find Major Donors for Your Small Nonprofit. Sandy Rees, Get Fully Funded, dives into why you should focus more on major donors; what motivates these folks to give; eight ways to find such supporters, and how to cultivate them.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: 10 Online Fundraising Best Practices for Nonprofits. Did you know the first “Donate Now” button was released in 1999 by a project of the Tides Foundation? Today, nonprofits worldwide have access to online fundraising tools that could not have been imagined at the turn of the millennium. This Nonprofit Tech for Good article outlines 1o online fundraising best practices shaped by 20+ years of innovation and experimentation.
Website and Search
Click-it: When Donors Ask AI About Your Event, What Does It Say? For two decades, getting found online meant ranking on the first page of Google. That was SEO, search engine optimization, and it rewarded sites with the right keywords, fast load times, and credible inbound links. That model is shifting. This article from Greater Giving describes 6 things you can do today to get favored in search results by AI. Bottom line: Give the machines the facts they need to find you. Give the humans the story that makes them care once they arrive.
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!
Major, Capital and Legacy Giving
Click-it: Is Your Organization Really Ready for a Capital Campaign? [Sign up for free webinar, 7-23-2026]. In this engaging and interactive webinar from Capital Campaign Pro, you’ll uncover your readiness score with their 10-question Capital Campaign Readiness Quiz and gain expert insights to confidently plan your next steps.
Strategy, Planning, Management and Leadership
Click-it: Giving USA Explained [Register for free webinar, 7-23-2026]. Gina Vaughn of Giving USA joins the Gail Perry Group to discuss the real story behind the headlines, and what the numbers don’t tell you. Learn what national trends mean for your organization, plus how to leverage more DAF dollars – and more.
Click-it: Giving USA 2026 Deep Dive: Explore the Data and What It Means for Your Fundraising [Register for free webinar, 7-29-2026]. Barbara O’Reilly of Windmill Consulting joins Virtuous to explore who’s giving, to which causes, and how fast, and that’s what decides whether your fundraising gets easier or harder from here. Some numbers are worth your attention; others are just noise.
Technology as Tool
Click-it: Tell The Robot To Get Some Water [Listen to free, on-demand podcast]. Meghan Speer, Nonprofit Hub, hosts Lizzie Neufeld, CEO and founder of Strat Labs for this session on how focusing on your approach to AI – rather than just flashy new tools – can help you focus on the right areas and automate major donor follow-ups while keeping humans in control. You’ll learn why operations thinking and storytelling are the two skill sets that will matter most moving forward.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Events
Click-it: Your Nonprofit Organization’s Ultimate Guide to a Successful Raffle [Download free e-book]. Thinking about planning a raffle, and wondering what you need to know? Eventgroove put together this guide filled with key insights and strategies from their nonprofit clients. It includes online vs. in-person raffles; event length, and what you need to know about the law.
Major, Capital and Legacy Giving
Click-it: 42 Questions to Ask Major Donor Prospects [Download free e-book]. Here’s a resource I wrote for Bloomerang – and especially for you! It’s got all sorts of questions: Getting to know you; Ascertaining next best steps, and Getting your donor more involved. Plus, it has real life examples. I think you’ll enjoy it, and find it useful.
THE TRAINING I WISH EVERY FUNDRAISER COULD HAVE: If you want to become a master of major gift fundraising, and set yourself up for excellence for the rest of your career, I highly recommend the Veritus Group Certification Course for Major Gift Fundraisers. There are also companion courses for Mid-Level Fundraisers and Managers & Executives. NOTE: The next cohorts begin August 24, 2026, and you get $200 if you register before July 24th. Be sure to use any of the three links provided here to check out and grab the early bird savings. This is the best thing you can do to supercharge your fundraising for the coming year – and beyond!
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: How to Grow your Email List with Instagram [Free guide with 9 strategies]. You know you don’t own the names of your Instagram followers, right? Want to learn how to turn them into email subscribers? That’s what this guide from Email Tool Tester is all about. And it’s super thorough.
Storytelling
Click-it: The best speaking career advice I ever received. Read this from Mark Schaefer, speaker extraordinaire and other of The Grow Blog. If you plan to do a lot of public speaking, these tips will be invaluable. I definitely wish I’d known these things earlier in my career.
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.
🎯 Give Major Donors Something They Actually Want to Fund
❤️ Stop Hosting Charity Gala Spectacles: Create Events Where Everyone Belongs
🚀 Boost Gift-Giving with These 5 Donation Page Improvements
💡 Fundraising Do’s vs. Don’ts: Online Memorial Donation Example
🌱 Bottom Line: Philanthropy Culture Improves Fundraising
💖 Top Strategy to Get 100% of Nonprofit Board to Give Passionately
🔥 How to Inspire Passionate Philanthropy with Humility, Concentration, and Gusto
💡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: How To Make a Realistic, Successful Nonprofit Grant Request?
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. JULY TIPS are live. Your support is much appreciated, and helps me to support you. Thank you!
Here are a few pics that tickled my fancy over the past couple of weeks!
I don’t know what these are really called. I call them Lantern Blossoms.
Moanarch butterfly painted on a street utility box
Abandoned lamp or candelabra by the side of a tree.
Painting of a woman on an outdoor wall — of all places!
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