Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Your defining moment
It’s easy to wait for it. The movies have taught us that when the music swells and the chips are down, that’s when leaders arrive and when heroes are made.
It turns out, that’s not how it works.
Our work is what happens in all the moments. Leadership doesn’t simply appear when the script announces it does: it is the hard work of showing up when we’re not expected to, of seeing what’s possible when few are willing to believe.
Your defining moment is whenever you decide it is, and you get a new chance to lead every day…
… Possibility is where you find it. We each have more to offer than the world expects. And growth is something we’re capable of, as soon as we’re committed to seeing what we can contribute.
…Our current worldwide tragedy is a slog, but it will have another side. And the organizations that thrive will be the ones that don’t rely on top-down management to go forward. It’s peer-to-peer leadership and innovation that produces resilience, and leadership that turns any moment into a moment where we can make things better.
— Seth Godin
Sometimes (often actually) Seth Godin just says it all. I am constantly in awe. So… sharing.
To help you turn your moments into moments that can make things better, here are resources I’ve collected for you. I hope you’ll find something that speaks to you. Something you can share with a colleague. Something you can put your strength into, and create one or more actions to help repair our world.
With gratitude,
Claire
P.S. Many thanks to my sponsor Bloomerang for making it possible for me to spend the time to create and curate ‘Clairity Click-it’ content for you on a biweekly basis. It is a labor of love to help you find your defining moments.
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL CATEGORY: Tips for Not-So-Normal Times
ARTICLES
Annual Fundraising
Click-it: Fundraising Tips for Election Season 2020. Here are a few timely tips from the good folks at Merkle. I found #1 pretty interesting and, of course, #2.
Grants
Click-it: 6 Grant Writing Tips during a Pandemic (With Examples!) Here are 6 tips from the FundraisingIP blog to make your grant proposals stand out amidst increased competition during a pandemic or other crisis.
Strategy and Management
Click-it: How Nonprofits Juggle Too Many Balls. If you’re to be able to champion the initiatives that will restore balance to a world completely off its axis, you’ll need champions too. Active ones. This begins by getting all your stakeholders equally on board. Make this a priority. It’s easy to overlook this step when you’re overwhelmed with putting out fires, but it’s necessary to assure you have the firehoses and water you’ll need to get the job done. See my article on the Bloomerang blog.
Click-it: Leading Your Nonprofit with Intention in Tough Times. The world is in great turmoil; there’s no time for simple ‘busy work.’ At the heart of great leadership is a desire to serve others, to empower them and foster their success. It’s about engaging and empowering people to do what they are capable of doing, and building confidence and trust in your team. This extends to all your stakeholders – staff, volunteers and donors. See my article on the Bloomerang blog.
Click-it: Three Organizational Decision-Making Best Practices That Embrace Inclusivity. In this article on the Bridgespan Group blog, three nonprofit leaders share their approaches to more inclusive decision making.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES
Events and Video Meetings
Click-it: Unmuted: What works, what doesn’t, and how we can all do better when working together online [Download for free]. A recently released Goodman Center report offers data-driven recommendations for designing and leading more inclusive, engaging, and productive videoconferences. The report addresses questions as all-encompassing as “What makes a web meeting a positive experience?” and as granular as “Should I leave my camera on or turn it off?” If you work remotely (or supervise people who do) and spend much of your day in videoconferences, this report was written for you.
Trends
Click-it: FEP for the Second Quarter of 2020 [View free infographic highlights]. If you need data to show your leaders giving is strong, despite current events, this infographic prepared by the folks at the Agitator/DonorVoice and derived from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project second quarter fundraising report are just what you need.
Other Articles: The Beat Goes On
Annual Fundraising
Click-it: Why “Does this sound like us?” is not a good question. “Sounding like us” is rarely one of the keys to fundraising success in direct response. Steven Screen explains the better question to ask in this post on the Better Fundraising Co. blog
Click-it: What’s In My Inbox | See how giving your donors some fun can inspire them to give! Pamela Grow shares an example of a fun, hopeful and interactive way to inspire donors to engage and invest.
Click-it: Getting grief about your year-end appeal?. Mary Cahalane, Hands-On Fundraising, nails it with another article likely to ring a bell and help you persuade your leaders of tweaks you should be making.
Donor Advised Funds
Click-it: Strategies to Leverage Donor Advised Fund Philanthropy – FAQs. The use of Donor Advised Funds as a means for individuals to make philanthropic gifts continues to rise and grants from DAFs are becoming a growing source of contribution income for charities of all sizes and shapes. An ever-broader group of Americans are embracing them to approach philanthropy in the thoughtful, strategic way once reserved only for mega-donors who could afford to set up private foundations. I’ve outlined answers to frequently asked questions on the Bloomerang blog to help you understand (1) how they work, and (2) how they may be of benefit to your charity.
Donor Retention
Click-it: How Often Should You Thank Monthly Donors, and How? Do you wonder if these folks should receive an acknowledgement every month? If so, is it okay to automate this process? I answer these questions, and more, in this “Ask the Expert” feature on the Bloomerang blog.
Events
Click-it: How to Get Sponsors for an Event. This is where the bulk of your real money is made. Learn what you need to know in this comprehensive article from Joe Garecht Fundraising.
Click-it: End-of-Year Event Fundraising in 2020. This article from FlipCause is jam-packed with virtual event ideas, for year-end and beyond. At the end of the article you’ll also find links to a bunch of useful resources.
Online Fundraising
Click-it: Last Minute Ways to Boost Online Gifts [Register for free webinar, 11-5-2020]. Qgiv hosts Rachel Muir to help you prepare for the busiest fundraising time of the year. You’ll get 13 tips to boost online gifts plus thank you tips to ensure future gifts. Hooray!
Other Learning Opportunities
WEBINARS & ON-DEMAND AUDIO RESOURCES
If you can’t attend live, note that many are available via recording – but only if you register!
Annual Fundraising
Click-it: The Year-End Fundraising Accelerator [Listen to 3 on-demand trainings]. NextAfter developed this timely series to support you as you craft your year-end online fundraising campaign. What makes this training special is it’s based on discoveries from their library of over 2500 online fundraising experiments. Session 1 covers 3 specific kinds of emails you need to weave into your campaign throughout the season. Session 2 focuses on Giving Tuesday. Session 3 offers specific tactics and strategies to get the most out of the last week of the year. This stuff is gold!
Click-it: Horror Stories of Fundraising: The 2020 Edition [Register for free webinar, 10-27-2020]. Halloween will be different this year, but you can still get in on some fun as Donor Search presents three veteran fundraisers telling hilarious and horrifying tales to make your laugh and cry.
Major and Legacy Giving
Click-it: Baby Boomers and Planned Giving: A Very Special Generation or Just Typical Old People? [Register for free webinar, 11-18-2020]. Dr. Russell James, one of the best planned giving experts in the country, joins Stelter company for this important session to help you secure some of what will be the largest generational transfer of wealth in history.
Website Landing Pages
Click-it: Convert Supporters with Powerful Landing Pages [Register for free webinar 10-28-2020]. A poor landing page can completely tank what might otherwise be a successful appeal. To assure this doesn’t happen to you, join Firespring for this informative and practical presentation. A few tweaks now will make a huge difference later!
Did You Miss My Recent Articles?
Here are links to the most recent articles on the Clairification blog. I think you’ll find these fairly practical. Hope so!
- Show Me You Know Me* — 5 Strategies To Sustain Donor Relationships
- How to Segment Nonprofit Donors: Identity vs. Identification
- Bottom Line: Philanthropy Culture Improves Fundraising
- You Deserve to Rock Nonprofit Email Subject Lines!
- Before Sending a Fundraising Appeal Do This, Not That
- Survival of the Most Loving – and Loved (aka, Why do so many charities have ♥♥♥ in their logos?)
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My motto is: “If I know it, I want you to know it.” Don’t miss out.
