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Vaccination Clairity Click-it: Useful Nonprofit Links + Resources

Talk of vaccination is in the air, so I looked up the definition: “treatment with a vaccine to produce immunity against a disease. ” I hope you and your loved ones have been, or are soon, able to boost your immunity to Covid-19 disease. Meanwhile, why not focus in on the other “diseases” — the enemies your nonprofit is fighting on a daily basis. What if you were able to raise more money to weaken whatever forces contribute to the problems you’re endeavoring to solve?

I’ve collected for you a slew of resources to help you now, mid-pandemic, and to prepare for the day when things do get back to a post-covid version of normal.  As I’ve said throughout this prolonged period of disruption, make sure you meet your urgent needs. But also use this opportunity to take a long view.  Crisis has a way of forcing us to re-evaluate what’s important, and what’s not. Seize this opportunity to innovate, adapt and tweak what you’ve been doing so you’ll come out on the other side even stronger than you were before.

Also take some time to be grateful – and proud. You are making the world a better place. Your mission was important yesterday. It’s important today. It will be important tomorrow. You are on the front lines of enacting values other people truly care about. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be your supporters. So please keep the faith in your vision. I promise you, it is one that is shared.

What you do matters. A lot.

It is my privilege and pleasure to help you enact your vision, mission and values with as much joy, hope and effectiveness as possible,

I hope you’ll also enroll this year in ‘Clairification School’. You’ll get access to ALL my content for a full 12 months. People tell me all the time it’s a bargain, especially considering the tips that help them build saleable skills and raise much, much more than they invest by enrolling.

With gratitude for all you do,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Don’t forget to bookmark my Ask an Expert fundraising advice column on the Bloomerang blog! Ask your question here. See this week’s What Are the Best Questions to Ask in a Donor Survey?

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Valentine-Filled Clairity Click-it: Useful Nonprofit Links + Resources

Before we get into all of this month’s useful resources, I want to send a Valentine to my 2021 Clairity Click-it 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 time curating and sending this newsletter to you on a biweekly basis. If you appreciate this as much as I do, please let them know!

Okay… I hope you’re thinking about sending your donors some love this month. Be sure to check out my 8 Strategies to Celebrate Nonprofit Donors on Valentine’s Day.

I hope you’ll also enroll this year in ‘Clairification School’. You’ll get access to ALL my content for a full 12 months. People tell me all the time it’s a bargain, especially considering the tips that help them build saleable skills and raise much, much more than they invest by enrolling.

What you do matters. A lot.

It is my privilege and pleasure to help you do with as much joy, hope and effectiveness as possible,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Check out my free fundraising advice column on the Bloomerang blog! Here are some recent Q & A:

• How Do I Write an Endowment Letter?
• Do Legacy Gift Societies Still Matter?
• What’s a Grant Writer’s Role in Setting Strategic Program Priorities?

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

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

claire@clairification.com

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.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

New Year Clairity Click-it: Useful Nonprofit Links + Resources

Good-bye 2020. What a long strange trip it’s been.

Fortunately

In the midst of all of it, some people are still able to trust. To trust in others, to trust in possibility and to trust themselves. And…

we’re surrounded by opportunity.

we often get a second chance.

there are still problems to be solved.

we learned something.

there’s another advance, right around the corner.

And always, there’s a chance to make things better.

–Seth Godin

Thanks for taking that chance, for caring and for leading.

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, more just, more hope-filled place,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

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.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Year-End Clairity Click-it: Useful Nonprofit Links + Resources

I thought of you right away when I read this comment we received on our recent donor survey:

“I got a handwritten card from the President after making my first donation. I donate to many nonprofits, and that has never happened before. I still have it hanging on my fridge because it meant so much to me. Thank you for all of the care and hope that you provide to so many!”

She was a first time donor and made a $35 gift on our website.

— Josh Taylor, President, HopeKids

Josh shared this with me, no doubt, because I’m constantly reminding folks of the power of gratitude and humanity when it comes to connecting with donors.

We sometimes forget that behind every single gift is a human being, each with their own hopes, wants and needs.

Part of the job of a true philanthropy facilitator is to meet those needs and resonate with the donor’s values, thereby bringing some measure of meaning to someone who might not have been able to find that purpose any other way.

We all need love, and that’s the essence of “philanthropy’ (by definition of the word).

Please have a happy, healthy and safe holiday and year-end fundraising season.

With gratitude for all you do to make our world a better, more just, more caring place,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. I was on a holiday party zoom for my local AFP chapter last week and I learned a new self-care tip. It requires a Snow Globe (great excuse to buy or make one if you don’t have one; could make great holiday gifts too!). Keep the globe close to you. Your work desk. Kitchen. Next to your couch. Wherever you could stand to remind yourself to pick up the globe… shake it… take a deep breath; then another and another… watch the snowflakes swirl until they all land. Do you feel a bit more relaxed and ready to focus anew?

P.P.S. The 3rd Annual Nonprofit Board Engagement Survey needs you! This year’s survey explores how the pandemic has affected your board members’ experience. You can complete it anonymously; then enter your email separately to receive bonus gifts from all the sponsors (I’m one). There’s even an iPad drawing. Plus, of course, you’ll receive the survey results.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Life Lived Well Clairity Click-it: Useful Nonprofit Links + Resources

I often remind myself of the words of Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

You who work in the trenches of the social benefit sector are those thoughtful, committed citizens. Never forget: your work changes the world. While it may be a slog sometimes – especially now as we face a surging pandemic, economic uncertainty, and a deeply divided society – you make a positive difference. Rest assured the part you play is a life lived well.

“I can face the winter with calm. I’d been thinking of the winter as a horrid, wet, dreary time. Now I can see other things-crisp and sparkling days, long pleasant evenings, cheery fires. Good work shall be done this winter. Life shall be lived well.”

–A.A.Milne

To help you do your important work I’ve again collected fundraising, marketing and nonprofit management resources – all free – for you to use to inform your practice. Once again, I want to thank my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible to offer you this complimentary biweekly newsletter.

Let me close with the words of another poet:

you are not everything
but everything
could not be
everything without
you.

— Joseph Pintauro, poet, ‘To Believe in Things’

With gratitude,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Please stay safe this holiday season. I am virtually hugging you right now! I hope you can feel the warmth.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Clairity Click-it: Cornucopia of Useful Nonprofit Links + Resources

The gratitude holidays – Thanksgiving and #GivingTuesday – are upon us! Are you ready?

Because I’m so grateful for the work you do in making our world a better one, I’ve collected a ton of great gifts for you this month! All to make your life a little easier. Articles, free webinars and free downloadable guides to help you succeed in this most generous of seasons.

Remember why you do this.  Yes, it’s to further your mission. But remember donors are your mission too. They need you in order to become their best selves, and to find meaning that might otherwise elude them. Here’s the bottom line:

“Giving makes us happy. Check out the latest research from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute at Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy. As donor relations and stewardship professionals, it’s our job to build on that happiness and create lifelong relationships between donors and our organizations. We do that through our thank you letters and calls, reports, videos, events…every experience that becomes part of a donor’s journey with our organizations. Clap along if you know what happiness is to you…“

— Eliza McNulty, President, Association of Donor Relations Professionals (ADRP):

Once again, I want to thank my sponsor, Bloomerang, for making it possible to offer this biweekly newsletter to you for free.

With gratitude,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Seriously, you have to click on the ‘clap along’ link above. It’s impossible not to feel happy – something we could all use a bit more of right about now. Plus there’s some pretty dope dancing in this video as well. Keep smiling!

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Gratitude Clairity Click-it: Useful Nonprofit Links + Resources

November is Gratitude Month.

It’s that time of year when people take stock of their blessings and become most inclined to share those blessings with those less blessed. This is why it’s such an important fundraising season.

Take time this month to embrace gratitude as a practice. With yourself, your family, friends, co-workers, volunteers and donors. Research shows the benefits of gratitude are enormous. Not only will practicing gratitude make you happier and healthier, it will also make you and others more generous.

Of course, you’ll be sending fundraising appeals this month and next. Also consider sending gratitude emails. They will pave the way, serving to ‘pre-suade’ your supporters to be in a giving mood. When you give to others, they become naturally inclined to reciprocate.  Want an example? I received this from the Americans of Conscience Checklist. I think it’s just lovely, and I believe you can easily adapt it to serve your own mission.

Today, I want to acknowledge you and honor you. 

You’ve been showing up over the past nine or so months of a whirlwind of events beyond our control – maybe even longer – and it hasn’t been easy. Franklin Roosevelt said “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” You’ve been hanging on, and fighting the good fight because… you know others depend on you.

It is my honor to do my small part to help you find the places where you can get a good grip. Where you can take at least some small measure of control, and control the heck out of it!

Towards that end, here are resources I’ve collected for you. I hope you’ll find something that helps you carry your work forward. Something you can use to create one or more actions to help repair our world.

With gratitude,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Many thanks to my sponsor Bloomerang for making it possible for me to spend the time to create and curate ‘Clairity Click-it’ content for you on a biweekly basis. It is a labor of love to help you find your defining moments.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Defining Moment Clairity Click-it: Useful Nonprofit Links + Resources

Your defining moment

It’s easy to wait for it. The movies have taught us that when the music swells and the chips are down, that’s when leaders arrive and when heroes are made.

It turns out, that’s not how it works.

Our work is what happens in all the moments. Leadership doesn’t simply appear when the script announces it does: it is the hard work of showing up when we’re not expected to, of seeing what’s possible when few are willing to believe.

Your defining moment is whenever you decide it is, and you get a new chance to lead every day…

… Possibility is where you find it. We each have more to offer than the world expects. And growth is something we’re capable of, as soon as we’re committed to seeing what we can contribute.

…Our current worldwide tragedy is a slog, but it will have another side. And the organizations that thrive will be the ones that don’t rely on top-down management to go forward. It’s peer-to-peer leadership and innovation that produces resilience, and leadership that turns any moment into a moment where we can make things better.

— Seth Godin

Sometimes (often actually) Seth Godin just says it all. I am constantly in awe. So… sharing.

To help you turn your moments into moments that can make things better, here are resources I’ve collected for you. I hope you’ll find something that speaks to you. Something you can share with a colleague. Something you can put your strength into, and create one or more actions to help repair our world.

With gratitude,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Many thanks to my sponsor Bloomerang for making it possible for me to spend the time to create and curate ‘Clairity Click-it’ content for you on a biweekly basis. It is a labor of love to help you find your defining moments.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Not about You Clairity Click-it: Useful Nonprofit Links + Resources

Okay, we’re here. Mid-pandemic.

It’s not new. The adrenaline that kicked-in and prompted you to fight, not flee, has kicked out. You may be tired of telling your coronavirus story. You may assume your constituents are tired of hearing it. So maybe you’ve slacked off on your marketing and fundraising messages.

While the giving bump may be flattening, I encourage you not to accept this as an inevitable outcome.  You’re still in control of your own destiny. And since most nonprofits count quite a bit on year-end giving — it can mean 30 – 50% of all annual revenue – you must consider the things you can do, not those you can’t do.

What can you do to prevent a slump, just when revenue to assure your mission thrives is most essential? I’m struck by a recent post by the inimitable Seth Godin.

The cold open

No one ever bought anything on an elevator. The elevator pitch isn’t about selling your idea, because a metaphorical elevator is a lousy place to make a pitch.

When you feel like you’re being judged and only have a minute to make a first impression, it’s tempting to try to explain the truth and nuance of who you are, what you’ve done and what you’re going to do in the time it takes to travel a few floors.

That rarely works.

The alternative is the elevator question, not the elevator pitch. To begin a conversation–not about you, but about the person you’re hoping to connect with. If you know who they are and what they want, it’s a lot more likely you can figure out if they’re a good fit for who you are and what you want. And you can take the opportunity to help them find what they need, especially if it’s not from you.

Too often, we feel rejected when in fact, all that’s happened is a mismatch of needs, narratives and what’s on offer.

Instead of looking at everyone as someone who could fund you or buy from you or hire you, it might help to imagine that almost no one can do those things, but there are plenty of people you might be able to help in some other way, even if it’s only to respect them enough to not make a pitch.

No one wants to be hustled.

Of course, I’ve bold-faced the language I find most relevant for nonprofits. Ask your constituents how you can be of service. You to them, not them to you. They’re part of your mission too. After all, philanthropy means ‘love of humanity.’ Donors are human, just like clients. And what goes around comes around.

Listen. Offer them gifts of content that meet their needs in one or more ways. I offered a webinar today, and asked the participants what folks need most right now. Answers? Connection. Stability. Hope. Joy. Encouragement. Compassion. These are not tangible things. They happen to be things nonprofits are uniquely suited to offer.

When you give people opportunities to help others, and come from a place of love, humanity, gratitude and empathy in so doing, your supporters won’t feel hustled. They’ll feel empowered to be heroes.

I’ve never heard so many people say “I need to DO something, I just don’t know what to do.”

Help your donors. ‘Hero’ them.

Here are resources I’ve collected for you to help you and your constituents along the path to passionate philanthropy. I want to thank my sponsor Bloomerang for making it possible for me to spend the time to do this for you on a biweekly basis. It is a labor of love for both of us.

With gratitude,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…