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Face Reality Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

In my last issue I talked about the extinct ostracod and channeled Seth Godin’s post on the subject. Today I offer up a non-extinct creature, but one with a similar message to offer if you don’t want your organization to suffer the ostracod’s fate.

ostrichism

MEANING:

noun: The act or policy of refusing to face reality or unpleasant facts.

ETYMOLOGY:

From the erroneous popular belief that ostriches bury their heads in the sand when facing danger. From Old French ostrusce/ostriche, from Latin struthio (ostrich), from Greek strouthos. Earliest documented use: 1834.

NOTES:

The ostrich doesn’t really bury its head in the sand. This flightless bird puts its head and neck close to the ground for camouflage. Also, they nest their eggs in holes in the ground. It’s the largest (up to 9 ft or 2.7 m) and fastest bird (43 miles/hour or 70 km/hour) on the planet and can kill a lion with a kick. If you ever upset an ostrich do not bury your head in the sand. Try apologizing. If not, be ready to be ostracized.

USAGE:

“Deciding that ostrichism is the better part of valor, I keep my eyes closed.”
Adam Davies; Mine All Mine; Riverhead; 2008.

— from A.Word.A.Day with Anu Garg

I hope you’ll open your eyes to all the resources here, and use them to help you rethink the way you do things. Tried-and-true is worth its weight in gold, but tempis fugit. Sometimes you have to throw out the old (not all of it) to embrace the new (not all of it). To do your best work, you have to stay tuned… pay attention… commit to learning.

This newsletter is designed to help you. I try to give you a taste of what’s working/not working for businesses and causes of all stripes. Sometimes it’s tactical advice. Sometimes it’s theory and science underlying the tactics. And sometimes it’s about adjusting approaches to the work in ways that can make a significant difference.

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place. Thanks again to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, who have stood with me and you throughout these rapidly changing times.

Thank you for doing such vital work,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box. Plus you’ll get access to all my webinars, exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more!

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Your Choice Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

Ostracodish

The ostracod is extinct. Over millions of years, with good reasons at every step, it evolved to become the creature it was.

And when we add up all of those little steps, we end up with a creature that was no longer fit for its environment.

Organizations develop like this. So do work practices, cultural systems and “the way we do things around here.”

I’m sure there was a really good reason twenty years ago for all the steps that are now involved in the thing you do right now, but your competitor, the one who is starting from scratch, is skipping most of them.

Every day we get a new chance to begin again. And if you don’t, someone else will.

— Seth Godin

I hope you’ll find resources here to help you rethink the way you do things. What you’re prioritizing now may be swell but, then again, maybe not. Perhaps there’s something that will lead to greater engagement and investment.  Think about it. Should you be beginning anything anew? To do your best work, you have to stay tuned… pay attention… commit to learning.

This newsletter is designed to help you. I try to give you a taste of what’s working/not working for businesses and causes of all stripes. Sometimes it’s tactical advice. Sometimes it’s theory and science underlying the tactics. And sometimes it’s about adjusting approaches to the work in ways that can make a significant difference.

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place. I’d like to again thank my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, who have stood with me and you throughout these rapidly changing times.

Thank you for doing such vital work,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box. Plus you’ll get access to all my webinars, exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more!

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Clairity Click-it: Tuning In Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

Do you have a tuner?

Piano tuners have a vital job… and very few pianists do that work themselves.

Who maintains your tools?

Perhaps it’s a computer with all the software that goes with it. Do you have a world-class pro, someone who is up-to-date, skilled, innovative and empathic making sure that they’re working well? Or are you doing it yourself, muddling through?

If we have mediocre tools, why should we expect great work?

Or perhaps it’s not the software or the hardware that needs tuning. Perhaps it’s our attitude, our approach to work, the way we deal with possibility…

A self-representing lawyer might have a fool for a client, but the rest of us are probably suffering from tools that aren’t what they could be.

— Seth Godin

I’m a big proponent of continuing education. Especially in the fast-paced world of today, where trends, attitudes and technologies change rapidly. If you want to do your best work, you have to stay tuned… pay attention… commit to learning. It’s why I’m beginning this issue of the “Clairity Click-it” with a special feature on current trends.

This newsletter is designed to help you. I try to give you a taste of what’s working/not working for businesses and causes of all stripes. Sometimes it’s tactical advice. Sometimes it’s theory and science underlying the tactics. And sometimes it’s about adjusting approaches to the work; this can make a not insignificant difference.

It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place. I’d like to again thank my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, who have stood with me and you throughout these rapidly changing times.

Thank you for doing such vital work,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box. Plus you’ll get access to all my webinars, exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more!

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Clairity Click-it: Ringing In New Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

When the future arrives

It used to be easy to put off the future until after you retired or died. We could live with the world we had long enough to avoid dealing with significant cultural or technical change. Sure, teenagers might listen to loud music or have long hair, but that didn’t mean you had to.

And there were parts of the world where the future would arrive five years after it had reached California or Kenya. Plenty of time to prepare.

But now, thanks to the network and to wired culture, that insulation is gone.

The future is here. It’s not going away. And a new future is going to be here tomorrow.

— Seth Godin

Whoa!  The future is here, and it’s undeniably uncertain. What a challenging time in which to do fundraising. And what an exciting one!

Yesterday is SO yesterday. And nonprofits everywhere are learning “business as usual” not only isn’t, but won’t ever be again. Virtual events? Check! Online meetings with major donors? Check! Cryptocurrency gifts? Mass text messaging? QR codes? Artificial intelligence?  The list of the new goes on and on.

At the same time, there’s a lot about the old that’s well worth learning and revisiting. This newsletter is designed to give you a taste of it all. Tried-and-true and trends. It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, tactics, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place. I’d like to again thank my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, who have stood with me and you throughout these rapidly changing times.  

Thank you for doing such vital work, and may the year ahead bring many blessings,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box. Plus you’ll get access to all my webinars, exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

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

All the stuff

Markets often persuade us that we don’t have enough.

Communities remind us that we do.

— Seth Godin

In the time between now and the New Year, take time to enjoy your family and community. And even your stuff. Gratitude season didn’t end with Thanksgiving. It’s year-round, especially for those of us fortunate enough to work in the social benefit sector. If we all do our job of facilitating philanthropy well, we will find the way to get to enough for all.

Please enjoy this holiday week reading, listening and viewing list for inspiration and guidance. It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, tactics, templates and tools you need to make our world a better place. I’d like to again thank my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, who have stood with me and you throughout this crazy year.  

Thank you for doing such vital work, and may the year ahead bring many blessings,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Want to resolve to be an active learner next year? Your support via enrollment in ‘Clairification School’ enables me to deliver original articles direct to your in-box. Plus you’ll get access to all my webinars, exclusive monthly tips, bonuses and more.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Jolly Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

UYBJ

This is an absolutely terrible acronym for a really important idea.

Use Your Best Judgment.

Don’t wait for someone else to take responsibility. Don’t wait for perfect. Don’t wait to find this exact situation in the manual or in history.

Use your best judgment.

My preferred abbreviation is: Go go go.

Not with a guarantee.

Not with someone to blame.

Simply because we need you to lead us.

— Seth Godin

To use your best judgement you need resources to help you form that judgement. I’m here to help. That’s why I offer this collection of curated resources every other week. It’s all about helping you find the ideas, strategies, tactics, templates and tools you need to go, go, go. Find a few things that speak to you, and… get clicking!  I’d like to again thank my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, without whom I wouldn’t be able to set aside the time to find all these goodies. I hope you enjoy these resources as much as I enjoy finding them for you.

Thank you for doing the world’s important work during this incredibly busy and challenging time.

You are important, and I am grateful for you,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. I hope your end-of-year is amazing! 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.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Gratitude Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

The stairstep and the curve

If your roof is leaking, the water in the basement will gradually move up until you’ve got a full-blown flood.

And for most humans, for twenty years, each day we get a little taller.

It’s easy to take this physical reality and imagine that it applies to the way humans improve their skills, or organizations mature and grow.

But they’re usually more quantum than that. One day we’re at one state or scale or system, and then we’re leaping to the next level.

It’s not a curve, it’s a flight of stairs. And leaping takes guts.

— Seth Godin

If you’re ready to take a leap forward, I’m ready to help. That’s why I offer this collection of curated resources every other week. It’s all about helping you climb those stairs, one after the other, as you mature and grow your skills. I am so very grateful you are here.

Find a few things that speak to you, and… get clicking!  I’d like to again thank my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, without whom I wouldn’t be able to set aside the time to find all these goodies. I hope you enjoy these resources as much as I enjoy finding them for you.

Thank you for doing the world’s important work.

I am grateful,

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.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Clairity Click-it: Thanks(for)giving Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

The simple but difficult marketing flip

From, “Pay attention, I want you to buy what I made.”

to…

“I’ve been paying attention, and I think I can offer you what you want.”

— Seth Godin

I often say “If you want gifts, you must give them.” And what better time to consider what you have to offer as we approach the holiday of thanks(for)giving? The best gifts, of course, are those selected especially with the recipient’s desires in mind. In the philanthropic equation, this means thinking from your donor’s perspective, not your organization’s.  Rather than saying “I want you to give to our annual campaign,” what about “I know how much you value justice and equity, and here’s a way you can live that value.”

As the busy calendar year-end fundraising season kicks into full gear, I’ve assembled more resources to help you focus and do your best work.  Find a few things that speak to you, and… get clicking!  Please give a shout out to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang, without whom I wouldn’t be able to set aside the time to collect all these goodies. I hope you enjoy these resources as much as I enjoy finding them for you.

Thank you for doing the world’s important work.

I am grateful,

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.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

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

Effort

Insufficient effort creates work that’s wasted. If you do a slapdash job, then the roof leaks, the food is inedible, the car doesn’t start. Insufficient effort is a shortcut that wasn’t worth taking.

Sufficient effort is the goal of the industrial capitalist. Capture the most value with the least work. Build a house that doesn’t fall down, with components that last exactly long enough to avoid a claim. Explain that due to unusually call volume…

And then, perhaps, there’s a third option.

Expending more effort than most people think is sufficient.

This is attention to detail. Care in design. Follow through in customer service. This is an embrace of elegance and wabisabi and the opposite of laziness. This is bringing care (which is rare and precious) to work even if most people would look for a shortcut instead.

More effort creates beauty and magic and remarkability.

Perfectionism is a false hope and a place to hide.

Effort, on the other hand, is our best chance to do work that matters.

— Seth Godin

Wabi sabi derives from Buddhist teachings and centers on an acceptance of imperfection, together with simplicity and economy. If you want to expend your efforts wisely, and create beauty, magic and remarkability, it helps to appreciate the fundamentals plus have a little support so you can take extra care. And that’s what this collection of curated resources is for.

Please peruse these free resources to help you as you push your way through the busy calendar year-end fundraising season.  Find a few things that speak to you, and… get clicking!  I want to give a shout out to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang. I hope you enjoy these resources as much as I enjoy finding them for you.

Thank you for being you,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Please enroll in Clairification School as an official student if you’ve not done so already. I don’t want you to miss a thing during this important last quarter of the calendar year. November’s exclusive tips for students will be posted soon!  October’s are still available.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…

Clairity Click-it: Harvest of Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

“We are striving to forge a union with purpose
To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and
conditions of man
And so we lift our gazes not to what stands between us
but what stands before us
We close the divide because we know, to put our future first,
we must first put our differences aside
We lay down our arms
so we can reach out our arms
to one another
We seek harm to none and harmony for all
Let the globe, if nothing else, say this is true:
That even as we grieved, we grew
That even as we hurt, we hoped
That even as we tired, we tried.”

“When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it.”

— Excerpted from “The Hill We Climb,” Amanda Gorman, Poet Laureate

This has been quite a period of change, uncertainty, fear and hope. I know you are tired. I know you are trying. I know you are brave. I know, because of you and your important work, a new dawn will bloom.

Please peruse this curated collection of free resources to help you as you push your way through the busy calendar year-end fundraising season.  Find a few things that speak to you, and… get clicking!  I want to give a shout out to my Clairity Click-it sponsor, Bloomerang. I hope you enjoy these resources as much as I enjoy finding them for you.

Thank you for being you,

Claire

claire@clairification.com

P.S. Please enroll in Clairification School as an official student if you’ve not done so already. I don’t want you to miss a thing during this important last quarter of the calendar year. November’s exclusive tips for students will be posted soon!  October’s are still available.

Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…