Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
By the time you open this, the groundhog will have let us know if we’ll have an early spring or more winter. Whichever way it turns out, I’ve collected plenty of resources to keep you busy.
Before we get into it, I want to send a shout out to my 2018 sponsor, Bloomerang, for keeping this newsletter free. Remember, my motto is: “If I know it, I want you to know it!” They’re making it possible for me to spend the time curating and sending the Clairity Click-it to you on a bimonthly basis. If you appreciate this as much as I do, please let them know!
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Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
Annual Individual Giving
Click-it:And Another Thing about Donor Advised Funds.Greg Warner of Market Smart suggest ways to tap into the increasing number of charitable dollars being parked in donor advised funds. If you don’t yet have a strategy to actively promote this type of giving, you owe it to your organization to read this article.
Boards and Leadership
Click-it: Helping Your Board Spring to Life. I am so pleased to share this article from the Guidestar blog written by my mentor and friend, Kay Sprinkel Grace. Read everything you can from Kay!
Data & Metrics
Click-it: New Year, New Benchmarks: How Does Your Organization Stack Up?. I’ve found it useful to benchmark my data against that of similar organizations. It’s a great way to begin a discussion with your E.D. and/or board about what you’re doing right, and where you could improve. Pair this useful article with The Fundraising Report Card’s free tool.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Why you should care about donor retention. In this Q & A post, Mary Cahalane of Hands-On Fundraising offers up some very practical advice in a number of areas – all designed to help you build lasting relationships with supporters.
Click-it: I Expected More. Awesome piece on Ann Green’s Nonprofit Blog on the importance of saying thank you warmly and staying in touch. Donor love time is all year round.
Click-it: Trust is a Must in Building Sustainable Donor Relationships. If you missed my article on Network for Good, please check it out for tips on how to win your donors over. It must be an ongoing practice.
Management and Strategy
Click-it: Some Things I Have Learned in My Years of Fundraising. Full confession: I love Jerry Panas. I’ve learned so much from reading his books and listening to his talks over the years, and now you can too. It’s all here in this concise article written for the Guidestar blog. Stop and think about each item on the list. Internalize the wisdom being offered. Think about what you could be doing better.
Click-it: We need to change our unhealthy attitude about email before civilization collapses. If you’re overwhelmed by your inbox, read these suggestions from Vu Le of Nonprofit AF. While the entire world may not play along, perhaps you can get those within your organization to agree to some rules.
Click-it: NCOA: The Easiest Way to Improve Fundraising Results, Jay Love of Bloomerang explains the single-easiest, fastest and arguably best thing you can do all year to enhance your fundraising efforts.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: 10 Ways to Use Social Media to Grow Your Nonprofit Email List. Julia C. Campbell is the nonprofit social media guru. Check out these in-the-weeds practical tips on the #501Social blog, because having a dynamic, growing email list is far more important than collecting fans and followers.
You
Click-it: How To Increase Energy (Even In The Midst Of Chaos). This article, by Sean D’Souza of Psychotactics, is not about fundraising. It’s about taking care of yourself so you can do whatever you do better. Read it if you want to learn about Work/Rest ratios, what depletes energy, and getting yourself a Backup Battery.
Click-it: 6 Tips for Nonprofits to Combat Digital Distraction and Improve Productivity. Beth Kanter explains on Beth’s Blog what nomophobia is and what you can do to combat its siren call.
FREE 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!
Major and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: Planned Gift vs. Major Gift Identification [Register for free webinar, 2-16-18]. Join Sarah Tedesco of Donor Search to learn the philanthropic and wealth factors that best identify planned giving prospects, and how those factors differ from major donors.
Management and Strategy
Click-it: How to Get Donors to a Yes – Revenue Boosting New Year’s Resolutions for Fundraisers [Register for free webinar, 2-1-18]. Join Rachel Muir and Bloomerang TODAY at 1:00 p.m. EST for this dive into how you can worker smarter, not harder, in the coming year.
Click-it: The Top 10 Things Nonprofits Should Be Doing in 2018 [Register for free webinar, 2-21-18]. Guidestar and Crowdrise collaborate to reveal the most important things to do to ensure 2018 is your most successful year ever.
Click-it: Combatting Distraction and Enhancing Productivity: Technology Wellness in the Nonprofit Workplace [Register for free webinar, 2-13-18]. Beth Kanter joins Salesforce to provide tips and personal productivity techniques for taming the digital jungle that bombards our brains everyday via email, social media, and other online tools.
Marketing Communications
Click-it: Soul-Searching: The starting line for non-profit communications planning [Register for free webinar, 2-6-18]. Join Vanessa Chase Lockshin of The Storytelling Nonprofit for this session on finding your voice and becoming proactive with your brand and communications.
Click-it: Donor-Delighting, Money-Raising Newsletters [Register for free webinar, 2-15-18]. Steven Screen joins Bloomerang to share a tested, proven model for creating a printed newsletter that delights your donors, increases donor retention, and raises money.
YOU
Click-it: How to Negotiate Your Nonprofit Salary [Register for free webinar, 2-22-18]. Mazarine Treyz of Wildwoman Fundraising presents with Top Nonprofits to help you improve your negotiating skills and get the salary you deserve.
FREE DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCES
Annual Giving
Click-it: 2017 Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Study [Register for free download]. As Nonprofit Pro summarizes: Nonprofits who have implemented a peer-to-peer fundraising strategy are seeing that it has engaged the organization’s supporters, increased the organization’s donor base, improved fundraisers’ relationships with the organization and provided an additional revenue stream.
Annual Reports
Click-it: Oregon Zoo Gratitude Report. Check out this great alternative take on an annual report, created by Agents of Good. It’s got it all: a great story; how donors make an impact, and lots of donor love.
Boards and Leadership
Click-it: Convert Your Board into a Fundraising Machine [Download free eBook] Check out these tips from Cindi Phallen of Create Possibility. Also see Stop Board Members From Overstepping Once and For All.
Click-it: How Effective is Your Board? Here’s a Simple Test [Download free board assessment tool] courtesy of Joan Garry Consulting.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Donor Thank You Lookbook [Download free eGuide]. This is a great swipe file from Network for Good.
Gratitude and Happiness
Click-it: February Happiness Calendar [Download for free]. I’m a huge fan of the Greater Good Science Center, who do a lot of work on the science of gratitude and happiness. When your own sense of well-being is enhanced, you’re able to extend that to your co-workers and donors. So… why not? Just read today’s article about How to Find Your Purpose in Life and I’m sure you’ll see connections to your work – especially with regard to helping your donors find greater meaning.
Did You Miss My 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!
Here are links to my most recent articles. You get six free articles; then you’ll want to enroll.
- Nonprofit Event Fundraising Part 1: What’s the Point?
- How Often Should You Mail to Your Nonprofit Donors?
- Risk vs. Reward: Rethink Nonprofit Marketing & Fundraising Best Practices
- Philanthropy, Not Fundraising: I Have a Dream 2018
Hope to see you in Clairification School!
