Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
Wherever you are, here’s hoping you’re managing to keep cool!
And I don’t mean just physically. As we begin to ramp up for the busiest part of the fundraising year — during a time of unprecedented upheaval — try to let cooler heads prevail. Hopefully, some of the wisdom you find in this newsletter will help you with great ideas to lessen your stress.
Let’s begin with this wisdom from Seth Godin:
You don’t need a better camera
“They keep getting fancier. But you would benefit from investing in better lighting instead.
It’s tempting to upgrade your computer processor, your frying pan or your sneakers as well.
The thing is, once the foundational tools are good enough, technique and training outperform hardware. New snow tires are often more effective than a new car at getting to work, because traction matters more than horsepower.
Sharpening your saw or building resilience might be the best way to improve.”
This issue of the Clairity Click-it is filled with a curated mix of ideas and resources to help you improve your technique, training, and overall approach to your work. 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.
Thank you for doing your vital work, with gratitude,
Claire
P.S. If you’re already a Clairification School student, your AUGUST 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!]
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
Articles
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Why timing your monthly giving launch actually matters. It’s a good idea to launch or refresh your nonprofit monthly giving program before year-end fundraising craziness sets in. This article I wrote for Bloomerang explains how monthly and one-time donors differ, and offers a checklist of things for you to do. Plus, you’ll learn how to structure monthly giving asks and tiers; set up your thank you and stewardship sequence, and treat monthly supporters as ‘insiders.’
Click-it: How to Build a Super Successful Monthly Giving Program. This article is from long-time fundraiser Joe Garecht. Learn how to incorporate monthly giving into your full strategic fundraising program, beginning with your current donors. You need to go beyond simply adding a monthly option to your existing appeals. You need to run a dedicated monthly donor campaign at least once a year.
Click-it: Suggested Donation Amount: 9 Best Guidelines + How to Use AI. People ask me how to do this all the time, so I’m delighted to share this article from Virtuous. Mastering the art of proposing a suggested donation amount that lands with each and every donor is both data and technology based. They break down what actually works, and where donor data and AI now do a lot of that thinking for you.
Click-it: Who Are Your Fundraising Ambassadors? 4 Donor Personas. In Marketing for the Modern Nonprofit, Julia C. Campbell describes how to mobilize your most loyal supporters to fundraise on your behalf.
Content Marketing
Click-it: Make Them Look, Then Make Them Leave. Kevin Shulman, the Agitator-DonorVoice, is one of the smartest voices in fundraising. Here he breaks down the often asked question: “What kind of image should we use?” Happy or distressed? Single or group? It’s not as cut-and-dried as you might think.
Click-it: 10 Common Annual Report Mistakes for Nonprofits & How to Avoid Them. The folks at Nonprofit Tech for Good lay out some of the most common mistakes nonprofits make when creating annual reports and practical ways you can avoid them.
Click-it: Where Do People Actually Hear About a Charity? It Depends on Their Age. True Sense Marketing evaluates the research, suggesting ways to meet folks of different generations where they are.
Data
Click-it: Selecting a Prospect Research Tool: A Helpful Framework. If you’re thinking about purchasing prospect research, this piece from re: charity is enormously helpful. It tells you a lot about what data is helpful; then tells you what core criteria to use in your selection process. And, most important, it walks you through ten different software options.
Events
Click-it: The Timeless Power of Event Fundraisers. Because people are social beings, event fundraisers continue to thrive. The most successful ones are intentionally designed to meet human needs. So you can be intentional this way, this Auctria article explains the psychology underlying successful events. It’s a lot of valuable – and thought-provoking – information. Give it a read.
Click-it: The 60-Minute Volunteer Briefing That Saves Your Event Night. This article from Greater Giving offers specific advice – including scripts – for orienting each member of your volunteer team for the important role they’ll play during your event.
Major and Capital Giving
Click-it: Before the Big Ask: How to Use CRM Data to Find and Prioritize Major Gift Prospects. Check out this thorough post from the Blackbaud Engage Blog. The framework for approaching major gifts development is all here – step by step by step.
WANT MORE? Turn knowledge into action with the certification courses in Major Gifts & Mid-Level Fundraising. You might even suggest to your boss that they take a companion course – the Certification Course for Fundraising Managers and Executives — so they can hold you accountable. That ought to get their attention! Your entire team can learn the same language and implement a consistent system. Depending on your budget, you can sign up for the course that most meets your needs. OR… take advantage of the generous 20% discount if you enroll three or more from your team. Email me for details on the group pricing.
NOTE: The next cohort begins August 24, 2026. Make sure to use my exclusive Clairification Community discount code – CA5 — to save an additional $100 no matter what you choose! And if you have any problems enrolling – email me directly at claire@clairification.com. I respond personally to every email.
Online Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: How to Get Your Fundraising Emails Delivered. Moceanic advises how to avoid the “heartless AI bot guardians” so your would-be donors get your important emails. Write like a human. Use shorter subject lines. Don’t use “click here.” Vary length. Don’t use the same template repeatedly. Invite replies. And lots more specific advice. The times they are a changin.’
Psychology of Giving
Click-it: It’s OK to Write Fundraising That’s Emotional. Steven Screen, the Better Fundraising Co., is one of the most direct and practical folks in fundraising. Here he explains why you should run for the hills if someone tells you your appeal is “too emotional.” The people who became your donors did so because something touched their hearts. Fundraising that touches their hearts again is the surest way to get them to give again.
Strategy, Planning, Management and Leadership
Click-it: How Your Stress Can Actually Make You a Better Nonprofit Leader. What if, rather than stressing out about stress, you could learn to channel stress so it enhances rather than debilitates your work? Research over the past decade reveals how we interpret stress shapes how we experience it. It turns out there’s a difference between distress, which leaves us feeling threatened and depleted, and eustress — the positive experience of rising to meet a challenge. Read more about how to turn stress into purposeful action in my article for NonProfitPro.
Click-it: How to Increase Pay at Your Nonprofit. Per this Chronicle of Philanthropy article, nonprofits that managed to persuade board of the costs of low pay, and stopped treating staff salaries as “overhead,” were able to increase staff wages. Take a look at some of the strategies they suggest.
Other Learning Opportunities
ONLINE CONFERENCE, WEBINAR SERIES OR COURSE
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!
Business Sponsors
Click-it: What are Corporate Sponsors Really Looking for From Nonprofits? [Listen to on-demand podcast]. Joan Garry, Nonprofits are Messy, hosts Mariah Monique, CEO of The Sponsorship Catalyst, to help you learn why leading with your sponsorship package may be hurting your chances. Learn what really helps you stand out!
Major, Capital and Legacy Giving
Click-it: How to Turn Donor Conversations Into Joyful Yesses [Listen to on-demand podcast]. Andrea Kihlstedt, Capital Campaign Pro, hosts Kent Stroman for this discussion about “conversational asking.” And this is the antithesis of the type of confrontational asking that arises from a mindset of “let’s hit him up” or “let’s twist her arm.” Learn how to not push people, but to join them. It works tons better – and it’s so much more enjoyable for everyone.
Mid-Level Giving
Click-it: Mid‑Level Isn’t a Stepping Stone: Here’s How NAMI Turned It into a Growth Engine [Register for free webinar, 8-6-2026]. The teams at Allegiant Group & Pursuant and NAMI walk through a case study of an organization that changed their approach to managing their mid-level giving program, resulting in an increase in both donors and revenue.
Website
Click-it: What to Look For in Nonprofit Payment Processing [Register for free webinar, 8-6-2026]. Ron Pruitt, 4aGoodCause, is joined by George Crane, a nonprofit payments pro at Swipesum, to walk through the 10 questions you should ask to evaluate payment processors. Among the questions they’ll cover: Who owns the payment account — your nonprofit, or the platform? If you switched platforms tomorrow, would your monthly donors come with you? Whose name shows up on your donor’s credit card statement? This is not a sales session.
YOU
Click-it: How to Make Learning Last: Designing for Workplace Behavior Change [Listen to free, on-demand podcast]. Ever feel you “waste” what you learn in conferences and webinars? If you’ve had the experience of going right back to your old habits after a training ends, listen to this quick presentation from the Learning for Good Podcast where they share four components of lasting workplace behavior change.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Ultimate Guide to Peer-to-Peer Fundraising [Download free resource]. This Bloomerang guide is filled with tips and tricks to up your peer-to-peer fundraising game, including: timing, promoting, recruiting and stewarding participants.
Content Marketing
Click-it: Dignity Without Dilution: A Blueprint for Ethical Creative in Fundraising [Download free report]. SOFII just published this evidence-based report from Blue State about what donors think about the types of images used in fundraising, and what that means for performance. Included are full data, qualitative insights, and five practical recommendations for fundraisers navigating ethical fundraising – plus case studies from successful empathy-led campaigns. And they found you don’t have to choose between dignity and donations.
Grants
Click-it: The post-award grant management checklist every organization needs [Read 12-point checklist]. If you don’t have this, you need it. It will make your life so much easier when it comes time to report back to funders. And it will help your finance department with tracking, reporting and auditing as well. Grab it from Bonterra.
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.
🌳Top Strategic Mindset That Miraculously Transforms Philanthropic Giving: Legacy
🗣️Key Strategies to Give Meaningful Nonprofit Work Feedback
👆Is Your Finger on the Nonprofit Appeal Trigger?
🎯 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
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: Why Aren’t My Donor Meetings Turning Into Gifts?
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. AUGUST TIPS are live (Just log in to your Member Dashboard). Your support is much appreciated, and helps me to support you. Thank you!
Here are a few things that tickled my fancy over the past two weeks.
A friendly troll in the forest.
Whimsical mushrooms painted on an outdoor wall. [Seem to have an enchanted forest theme going on this week.]
Three giant honey bears — up high on the side of a building I just happened to drive by.
Nest in a forest.
May your weeks ahead be filled with happy surprises.
Please support my extraordinary sponsors (see below). The Clairity Click-it content is free, and Clairification School is affordable, because of their generosity.
I LOVE MY SPONSORS! If you’d like to become one, please reach out so we can have a chat.
