Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
From whence do you derive your meaning?
From whence do your donors derive their meaning?
There are so many ways to treasure it… so many ways to deliver it… and, alas, so many ways to fail to treasure or transport either ourselves or our supporters to that singular important place of significance.
It is not only through our actions that we can give life meaning — insofar as we can answer life’s specific questions responsibly — we can fulfill the demands of existence not only as active agents but also as loving human beings: in our loving dedication to the beautiful, the great, the good…
… How human beings deal with the limitation of their possibilities regarding how it affects their actions and their ability to love, how they behave under these restrictions — the way in which they accept their suffering under such restrictions — in all of this they still remain capable of fulfilling human values.
—Victor Frankel
What are you doing, in the midst of this pandemic, this economic depression, this time of great inequity, uncertainty and upheaval… what are you doing to actively give life meaning? How are you dedicating yourself to the beautiful, the great, the good?
How are you helping your constituents fulfill their most cherished values and act in such a manner it gives life meaning?
This, my friends, is the job of the philanthropy facilitator.
So do not be despondent, dismayed or distracted by the difficulties we face.
Apply reason to difficulties; harsh circumstances can be softened, narrow limits can be widened, and burdensome things can be made to press less severely on those who bear them cleverly.
— Seneca
I’ve gathered some resources to soften the blow and widen the parameters within which you may be stuck operating. It’s a time for innovation and empathy. I hope you find some of these articles, webinars, guides, white papers and more helpful.
Thank you for all you do to make our world a better place.
With gratitude,
Claire
P.S. Many thanks to Bloomerang for sponsoring the Clairity Click-it. And please also take advantage of all my original articles on this blog by enrolling in Clairification School!
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
SPECIAL CATEGORY: Tips for Not-So-Normal Times
ARTICLES
Asking
Click-it: Fundraising Mid-Pandemic: Your Honor and Responsibility. On the Bloomerang blog I explain why it’s super important to offer donors the opportunity to give right now. For you. For them.
Board and Leadership
Click-it: Join the Movement: A Call for Boards to Lead on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. This article from Robin Stacia on the Sage Consulting Network blog discusses the leadership imperative board members have to face the issues of inequities within the communities you serve. Terrific food for thought, plus guidance in key areas.
Events
Click-it: 20+ Engaging Virtual Fundraising Ideas for Nonprofits. Jay Love, Bloomerang founder, shares specific ideas for all sorts of ways to engage with your supporters via online events. I dare you not to find at least one fun and useful idea!
Strategy and Management
Click-it: Changes in Fundraising Since Quarantine Began. I’m answering questions on the Bloomerang blog regarding changes I’ve seen in fundraising since Covid-19 reared its ugly head. Plus I offer a ‘pandemic silver lining!’ It’s taken this quarantine crisis for some nonprofits to do what they should have done before. Carpe diem!
YOU
Click-it: A Psychiatrist’s Tips for Calming Your Pandemic Stress. Everyone is feeling it. You. Your staff. Your donors. Take a little time to read this article on the Greater Good Magazine. You’ll find tools to help yourself and to create a supportive community.
NOTE: You’ll find more of my own ‘what to do in this crisis’ articles on Clairification (just scroll to the bottom of the Click-it).
WEBINARS & PODCASTS
Creativity
Click-it: How to Fuel Creativity in the Workplace [Register for free webinar, 8-6-20]. This article is good for any time, but don’t you feel in the need for a creative approach to your work right now? Organizational Psychologist, Elisa Valenzuela, Ph.D. tells you how to unlock and ignite your creativity in this webinar sponsored by The Content Wrangler. Understand the power of emotion, intuition, divergent ideas, social activities, and the questioning process, as tools to ignite your secret skills.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Peer-to-Peer: The Future of Giving is Here [Register for free webinar, 8-6-2020]. Top Nonprofits hosts Megan Rouse of Turnkey to discuss how to maximize the potential of current supporters as virtual ambassadors, especially in the time of COVID-19. For some time I’ve been strongly recommending P2P as a strategy for our digitally revolutionized world, and if you’re not doing it yet… the time is decidedly NOW.
Click-it: The Next 90 Days: How nonprofit fundraisers are evolving in the face of COVID-19 [Watch free on-demand webinar]. Merkle hosts fundraisers from National MS Society, Northwell Health Foundation and World Vision for a discussion on how constituent behavior has changed and what the pandemic-induced coming recession may mean for your work. Nonprofits will have to evolve their fundraising, marketing, and communications functions to continue to build meaningful supporter relationships.
Strategy and Management
Click-it: Impact of Coronavirus on Fundraising [Register for free webinar, 8-12-2020]. Ragnar Research, in this conversation with Alex Lazcano, discuss time-tested solutions informed by four decades of research for identifying why and how to communicate value with donors and members during these trying times.
Trends
Click-it: Giving Outlook 2020: Navigating the Unknown [Register for free webinar, 8-11-2020]. Pursuant data analytics experts will share industry-specific trends and benchmarks and provide tools to help you forecast scenarios and validate your projections are on track.
Other Articles: The Beat Goes On
Content Marketing
Click-it: 10 Best Practices for Your Nonprofit’s Blog. I’m a huge fan of blogs as a nonprofit communication and relationship building strategy. Here the folks at FlipCause lay out 10 best practices. I’ll bet there are at least one or two you could add to your bag of tricks!
Click-it: 15 Best Practices in Setting Up and Sending Nonprofit Newsletters. Check out this thorough ‘how to’ for nonprofit e-newsletters – A to Z – from Sandy Rees, Get Fully Funded. It covers what to include and how to set it up for success.
Major and Legacy Giving
Click-it: Latest Research: Planned Giving’s Positive Impact on Annual Giving. Stelter shares new research from Dr. Russell James proving current giving goes up dramatically after people include a charity in their estate plans. Which is why they argue planned giving should be promoted at least in tandem with annual giving. The organizations that best weather economic storms plant seeds years in advance. Give it a read.
Online Social Marketing and Fundraising
Click-it: How to Use Pinterest to Market Your Nonprofit Organization. I found this article by Jessica Campbell on the Out in the Boons blog refreshing, as I hate Facebook (sorry, but they just don’t care about privacy; never have) and they own Instagram, so… Pinterest is my favorite visual social media option. Feel free to check me out on Pinterest as I have lots of nonprofit tip boards. Or grab my Pinterest “Hop On The Boards’ EBook (it’s a bit outdated, but most of the marketing advice is still solid – and if you don’t find it useful, I’ll refund you).
Other Learning Opportunities
WEBINARS & ON-DEMAND AUDIO RESOURCES
Major and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: One way to bring in an additional 400K per year. In this Episode of ‘Movie Mondays’ from Chris Davenport you’ll learn from one executive director how they jump started a flat annual campaign by investing in one simple major donor cultivation .Right now, of course, you’ll need to bring folks together virtually. I’ve done it, and it works!
Click-it: The Real-Time Way to Raise Major Gifts, and How it’s Different Than Five Years Ago [Register for free webinar, 8-6-2020]. This is part of the Donor Search ‘Mastermind Series.’ Join Scott A. Koskoski, Founder & Principal Consultant, Carpe Diem Fundraising. The title pretty much tells the tale.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: 5 Secrets of Email Marketing Geniuses [Register for free webinar, 8-12-2020]. I’ve taken this webinar and it’s fabulous. Jay Wilk of Firespring really knows his stuff, and you’ll come away with plenty of actionable tips!
YOU
Click-it: How to Move Up in Your Fundraising Career by Building Your Personal Brand [Access free webinar recording]). Getting known is no longer just about your paper resume in our digital world. Robin Cabral offers career advice on CharityHowTo, with step-by-step instructions to create a successful fundraising brand no matter your position or length of time in the field.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES
Storytelling
Click-it: Nonprofit Storytelling eBook [Download for free]. Our friends at Qgiv have put together this useful resource with all sorts of tips and advice to tell a story with words and visuals. Plus you’ll get worksheets and examples from other nonprofits.
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!
- Master Chef vs. Line Cook: How Do You Prepare Your Nonprofit Fundraising Plan?
- How to Write a Foolproof Nonprofit Grant Proposal
- Plan ‘Random Acts’ of Nonprofit Donor Kindness, Especially Now
- 4 Types of ‘PERSONAL’ Your Nonprofit Must Adopt Today
- How to Improve Your Online & Monthly Giving Donation Processes
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Hope to see you in Clairification School!
