Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
It’s What Happens Around The Coffee Cup That’s Interesting.
Joe Boxer, the company best known for its fun and stylish underwear, once made a sharp, insightful observation about their retail: “Our stores are museums, our products are the souvenirs.”
Very meta, right? Then again, all brands, all symbols are like this.
A brand isn’t a set of services. Nor is it a product catalog. A brand is an idea. An attitude. A worldview.
How about a Temple? Museum? Movement? Stage? Platform? Performance Art?
Attach a brand to something, and you give it new meaning.
Clothing retailers Uniqlo, Coach, and Ralph Lauren have opened cafes. Capital One too. LVMH has a Dior cafe in Dallas and a Louis Vuitton cafe in New York. There’s also Tiffany’s Blue Box Cafe. Prada has some in London, Singapore, and, according to rumor, New York soon. Let’s not forget Barnes and Noble and Target, which have long partnered with Starbucks.
Why are these companies doing this? Let’s hear it directly from their executives…
Nico Cessot, Uniqlo head of marketing, said the point is to help customers “be part of the brand, to feel the brand.”
Coach executive Marcus Sanders said it’s about enabling people to “experience their favorite brands in a different way.”
Jennifer Windbeck, Capital One’s head of retail bank channels, said, “bank accounts, credit cards and money are things that don’t always feel tangible. And so the cafes can show up as a personification of what is Capital One.”
As Joe Pine, author of the Experience Economy, put it, “It’s not just about the coffee, it’s about immersing you in the brand values, in the brand colors, in what it stands for.”
The way we see it, it’s all an exercise in attention generation, the holy grail of all businesses. Attention isn’t simply the currency of social networks, but at the core of every successful leader.
See the pattern?
The brand is an idea – that’s all well and good – but the idea takes on new power when it is “experienced” and “felt.” All of these tactics lead to greater attention on the brand and therefore its leader.
The idea gives meaning to the physical artifacts. The physical artifacts give form to the idea.
To be clear, this doesn’t just apply to clothes or financial products. It matters for anyone who wants to spread any idea.
Great leaders make their ideas visible, tangible, and undeniable. Not just something you think about, but something you can actually feel and see.
Only then do those ideas catch and spread; only then do people want to bring home the souvenir.
— Hugh MacLeod, the Gaping Void
This issue of the Clairity Click-it is filled with a curated mix of ideas and resources to help you learn how to better express and share your ideas so they catch and spread – generating the philanthropy you need to fuel your vision, mission and values. As you peruse the available selection, 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.
And, yes, I will always love you for doing your vital work,
Claire
P.S. If you’re already a Clairification School student, your SEPTEMBER TIPS are live. If you’re not yet enrolled, please consider helping me cover my costs. [This is a labor of love, but your support through enrollment is greatly appreciated!]
My motto: “If I know it I want you to know it!”
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
Articles
Boards
Click-it: 7 Ideas to Build a Healthy Board Nominating Process. A healthy nominating committee should be one of the most critical and strategic standing committees a nonprofit engages. This Blue Avocado article examines why a healthy nominating committee is so integral to the nonprofit’s overall health, and suggests seven ways to make it happen.
Content Marketing
Click-it: The True Cost of Your Nonprofit Annual Report. This piece by Olivia Lopez-Wheeler on Nonprofit Hive is a reminder your annual report is useless – to you or anyone else – if you just treat it as a “check the box” exercise. Learn how to make it work for you, so the effort doesn’t take more than it gives.
Culture of Philanthropy
Click-it: Who Will Raise the Money When the Money Raisers Are Gone? This Stanford Social Innovation Review article calls attention to the crisis of fundraiser retention due to cultures that value transactions (with actual quotas) over transformative, long-term relationship-building. The author calls it “the most consequential threat to the long-term health of the philanthropic sector that I’ve witnessed in four decades of this work.”
Donor Retention
Click-it: How to write a thank-you letter that builds relationships. Mary Cahalane, Hands-On Fundraising, always offers terrific advice on writing a worthwhile thank you letter. This article is no exception.
Click-it: First-Time Donor Segmentation: How to Nurture New Supporters. This piece from Donor Perfect is a “must read” if you don’t currently have a written-down strategy for renewing new donors. Because, unless you do something proactive, less than 20% of these donors will give to you again. So, all that work you did to acquire them? Down the drain. This article offers 6 practical segmentation strategies.
Events
Click-it: 6 Common Mistakes even the Most Successful Event Organizers Can Make. This article on the Auctria website offers specific advice to overcome common pitfalls so your event is as successful as it can possibly be. Think: ticket prices; auction items; volunteers; mission moments; post-event follow-up and more.
Click-it:
Major Giving
Click-it: New Research: Understanding Why Donors Choose DAFs, Stocks, and More. More people are giving from non-cash assets, so M+R decided to dig into why this is happening – and how your nonprofit can take advantage. It’s not so much about donor awareness of these vehicles; it’s about your pitch. And how easy you make it to give these ways.
Click-it: The Major Gift Officer Role Is Evolving. Brad Smith writes on the Market Smart blog about the problems with a shift towards metric-driven fundraising. Because it ignores the time required to build trusting human relationships. He notes today’s MGOs function as something closer to a concierge relationship manager: coordinating with a donor’s financial advisor, their attorney, their family, a dean or a physician or a researcher, to help that donor accomplish something deeply personal. That’s high-value work. It’s also slow work.
Click-it: Identifying Planned Giving Prospects in Your Current Donor Pool. Graham-Pelton offers seven tips for finding potential legacy givers in your own database. Use this as a blueprint to build your own major gifts pipeline.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Avocados and Fundraising. this is a terrific, metaphor-laced article about why fundraising and marketing cannot be siloed. From Kevin Shulman at the Agitator/DonorVoice.
Click-it: Every Nonprofit is Now a Media Company. Joe Garecht explains why, in today’s information overload digital world, you have to show up – over and over and over – with your compelling story. Learn how to grab people’s attention before you send them an appeal.
Click-it: Call to Action Examples That Convert: The Ultimate Guide. Beehiv offers top tips to get your CTA clicked on and acted upon. And this is super important. Their research reveals the best content in the world won’t do much for you – unless the CTA is clear, compelling and easy to use.
Psychology of Giving and Asking
Click-it: Shame and Fundraising. Marc Pitman, the Fundraising Coach, writes about beliefs – ones you and/or your leaders may share – that make fundraising hard. He writes: “fundraising is not shame, not guilt, not entitlement, but joy and gratitude. It’s like you’re watching a miracle and you want to let other people in on it.”
Technology as Tool
Click-it: How Automation Streamlines Your Donor Acknowledgment Process. Tim Badolato offers great advice on the Fully Funded blog for assuring donors feel genuinely thanked, welcomed and informed – so they want to stick with you. Automation can’t do it all, but if you set it up correctly it can certainly help.
Other Learning Opportunities
ONLINE CONFERENCE, WEBINAR SERIES OR COURSE
Click-it: 2026 Year-End Corporate Fundraising Summit [Register for free virtual conference, 9-16 to 17, 2026]. Don’t miss this event from Double the Donation, specifically designed to help nonprofits and schools capture the massive influx of corporate giving that happens every December. Learn how to integrate corporate philanthropy into your year-end appeals, and get plenty of specific take-aways.
Click-it: Nonprofit Social Media Summit [Register for free online 2-day event, 11-17 & 18, 2026]. Julia Campbell brings nonprofit communicators and fundraisers together for two days of practical strategy, all action, no fluff. Live Q&As, in-session chat, polls, games, whiteboard and brainstorming sessions are all part of the fun.
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!
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: How the Paint Joy Foundation Recruited 116 Founding Donors Before Its First Birthday [Listen to on-demand podcast, or read accompanying article].. Join 4aGoodCause and the brand new Paint Joy Foundation for this discussion about how they invited 116 founding members to join them in just one month. A huge percentage of these new donors became monthly supporters – which means they’ll be much more likely to continue giving. They emphasized being a part of their artistic vision and community – as they build a sustainable foundation. It’s an inspiring success story.
Major, Capital and Legacy Giving
Click-it: Hiring for Major Gifts: What Predicts Success. Whether you’re hiring, or considering your next job move, this article from the Gail Perry Group should be helpful. The people who excel in these positions generally do two things well.
Strategic Planning and Leadership
Click-it: Strategic Planning Isn’t an Implementation Problem [Listen to free, on-demand podcast]. Join Donor Box and Dr. Renee Rubin Ross for a discussion about inclusive strategic planning – a 5-step breakdown. And why traditional methods often fail. You’ll also be able to download a planning template.
Click-it: Protecting Momentum in Nonprofit Leadership [Listen to on-demand podcast]. In this episode of Nonprofit Hub Podcast, Alison Teitelbaum of AST Strategies shares practical insights on how executive directors and boards can protect strategic direction, reduce friction, and keep teams energized through transition and change. Specifics include: transitioning from working boards to strategic boards; training and term limits, and cadences for startup leaders to keep strategic plans active and align board vision with daily staff realities.
Technology as Tool
Click-it: Reading the signals: How intelligence is changing fundraising [Register for free webinar, 9-1-2026]. Learn the value of connecting data in one platform; predictive insights; on-demand donor research; automated data hygiene management and other tools that will help you maximize fundraising in today’s technologically-revolutionized environment. Full disclosure: Bloomerang is running this, and will certainly tell you about what there software does. But whichever software you choose, it’s important you know these are the capabilities you should be looking for.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Culture of Philanthropy
Click-it: What’s your Philanthropic Culture score? [Click to take free quiz]. I love a good quiz! And here’s a useful one put together by the folks at the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy. Answer questions (6 or 36, depending on the time you have to spare) to determine if you have a strong philanthropic culture or, if not, where you can improve. The tool looks at donor connection, case quality, professional support, innovation, and the wider culture. I RECOMMEND: Invite others on your team to take the assessment; then use it as a tool for discussion.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: 10 Ways to Grow Your Online Giving [Download free e-book]. Grab this Virtuous field guide on turning donation page visitors into lasting donors, with real life examples and even a self-audit to score your own page. Most nonprofits’ donation pages could be vastly improved. See how yours stacks up!
Technology as Tool
Click-it: 2026 Nonprofit Tech for Good Report [Download free resource]. Based on survey responses from 826 nonprofit professionals, with 77% located in the United States and Canada, this is how today’s nonprofit organizations use technology for digital marketing and fundraising. From Nonprofit Tech for Good, this reveals trends in digital marketing and fundraising over the last seven years.
Writing
Click-it: Communication Audit Tool [Use this for free]. Bloomerang is providing this awesome donor-centricity and readability tool. Just paste in your copy, and it will analyze reading level and “you test” best practices.
Year-End
Click-it: Use This Checklist to Help You Plan Your Year-End Fundraising Campaign [Download for free]. Ann Green has put together a checklist you can use for year-end or to plan any other kind of campaign. It begins with a plan, timeline, task list, outlines, distribution channels, and all the details you’ll need to include. Then, it asks pointed questions about your goals and readiness. Check it out.
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.
❤️How to Persuade New Donors to Join Your Nonprofit Mission
🪜 4 Step Guide to Successful Online Nonprofit Fundraising Today, Not Yesterday
💝 The New Rules of Fundraising: Human First, Digital Fast
🎯 Time to Reframe How You Do Nonprofit Fundraising
💡 Proven Strategies to Make Monthly Giving the Natural Choice
🌳Top Strategic Mindset That Miraculously Transforms Philanthropic Giving: Legacy
💡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 Build A Nonprofit Mailing List.
Clairification Members: Log in to your “My Clairification/Subscriber Dashboard/Monthly Tips” to grab your exclusive, timely tips for each month. SEPTEMBER TIPS are live. Your support is much appreciated, and helps me to support you. Thank you!
And now… apparently the dahlia is the “city flower” of San Francisco. Went to a Dahlia Fair recently, where they awarded prizes to the best home-grown blooms. Who knew they came in so many shapes, sizes and colors?! Absolutely gorgeous. So, I’m sharing.
Hope you find some time to smell the flowers this week!
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