Unity Clairity Click-it: Useful Nonprofit Links + Resources
Last Monday would have been Dr. Martin Luther King’s 92nd birthday. He challenged us to recognize the privilege of being part of the struggle for goodness to prevail. While he did not live to get to the promised’ land, he saw it from the mountain top. Today, we are all on that mountain top.
Look from your vantage point to 2021 – and beyond. I dream this is year will be the one in which your organization will move:
- Beyond defining yourself by what you’re not (nonprofit); to what you are (social benefit).
- Beyond an attitude of taking and hitting people up (aka “fundraising”) to a mindset of giving and lifting people up (aka “philanthropy”).
- Beyond enacting transactions (money) to enabling transformation (meaning).
Fundraising is merely servant to philanthropy. Through your fundraising practice, you become a “philanthropy facilitator.” Your job is to invite others to be a part of the struggle for goodness to prevail.
What a noble job you have!
My Clairification tagline is “philanthropy, not fundraising.” I encourage you to adopt this as a framework for your own practice. It will help you overcome the fear and distaste conjured up by the loathed “F” word. You see, for most people, ‘fundraising’ conjures up the taboo subject of ‘money.’ While ‘philanthropy’ means, literally, ‘love of humanity.’
Love your donors as you would have them love you. In fact, love all your stakeholders – internal and external – this way. Embrace a culture of abundance, not scarcity. Embrace a culture of unity, not division. Ask not what your donors, volunteers and staff can do for you, but what you can do for them.
When you come from a place of love, you’ll find it will transform your work. As my mentor, and founder of ‘The Fundraising School’ Hank Rosso used to say: Fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.
Here are some collected resources to help you with your important work. Once again, I want to thank my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible to offer this biweekly newsletter to you for free.
With gratitude for all you do to make our world a better place,
Claire
P.S. If you find value in Clairification, your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ is a blessing. You’ll be able to read every single article I’ve ever written, plus you’ll get access to all my webinars, monthly tips, bonuses and more. I promise to pay it back, and continue to offer lots of specific advice to help you raise greater awareness, more volunteerism and passionate philanthropy.