Winter Wonderland Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links, Free Resources
I’m hearing from many nonprofits who are feeling at sixes and sevens when it comes to planning for the uncertain year ahead. I certainly understand. The pace of change today is fast and furious, and it often feels yesterday’s truth is today’s untruth.
What’s a sensible nonprofit to do in response?
I want to make an argument for action. Rather than react, get proactive. Don’t allow your fight/flight/freeze instincts to take over right now. Your constituents rely on you not to disappear or hunker in a bunker. They need you to fight.
Get curious!
Don’t succumb to those who would say “Well, obviously, we need to cut back right now.” Or to those who might tell you “We obviously can’t make any waves.” There are other ways to behave.
“Obvious” closes the door to inquiry.
“Perhaps” opens it.
— Seth Godin
I’m counting on you – each of you — to use some of the insights you glean in this week’s issue of the “Clairity Click-it” to be better, do better, and help others do the same. I hope, as you dig through this hand-curated content from across the web, it will make your job easier, and more fulfilling. It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to succeed.
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 the critically important social benefit sector.
You’ve got this!
Thank you for doing your vital work, with gratitude,
Claire
P.S. Please scroll down to see all my Clairification School sponsors who enable me to offer enrollment in ‘Clairification School at an affordable price [If the enrollment fee is a hardship, please email me and we’ll work it out.]
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
ARTICLES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: The “Magic Ingredient” for Successful Donor Journeys. Jeff Brooks has an interesting take on the Moceanic blog. Read it, and see what you think. Fundamentals, baby!
Click-it:. March is the Start of Spring, and it’s also a Great Time to Talk to your DAF Donors. Actually, any time is a great time! Here Lisa Greer, Philanthropy 451, points out more than a quarter of individual giving today comes through DAFs. Whether you love or hate them, DAFs are here. And if you don’t make it easy for donors to give to you this way, you’re leaving a lot of money on the table.
Events
Click-it: Exploring Sponsorship Opportunities for Your Fundraising Event. Learn how to find event sponsors plus detailed benefits to pitch to them on the GiveSmart blog.
Click-it: The rule of three: Parties and pitches. Learn how to maximize your next house party in this article from Train Your Board. You’ll get three metrics for the party and another three for the ask.
Grants
Click-it: 5 Surprising Realities About Grant Consulting. If you’ve ever thought about hiring a freelance grant writer or consultant, read this article by Funding for Good on the Bloomerang blog.
Major and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: The Role of Wealth Screening in a Major Campaign: A Guide. The best wealth screenings don’t just focus on donors’ wealth but also their philanthropic tendencies. When you conduct a wealth screening, you analyze publicly available financial and philanthropic data to assess an individual’s financial capacity, affinity for your cause, and likelihood of giving a gift. Equipped with this information, you can make better moves management decisions about when to ask donors for a gift, how, and for how much. The Momentum experts explain what you need to know, and how to get started.
Click-it: Seeing Through the Donor’s Eyes: Introducing the Simplest Way to Understand the Fundraising Process from the Donor’s Perspective. Greg Warner, MarketSmart, suggests you focus on WHY a donor might give to your organization rather than beginning with WHAT they should give for and HOW. If you understand donor motivations for giving and apply them to your engagement strategies, you’ll raise exponentially more money much faster.
Online, Digital Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: 9 Tips to Re-Engage Lapsed Donors Through Email. In this article from Classy you’ll learn how to analyze who has lapsed and then how to develop a targeted re-engagement plan via nine actionable strategies.
Click-it: How a benefit-focused headline and CTA affects email conversion rate. Here’s a real-life A/B test conducted by NextAfter for Minnesota Public Radio. By focusing more on the benefits to the email recipient, and less on the organization’s brand, email conversions increased by nearly 19%. This test offers some terrific ideas for your own experimentation. I was particularly struck by the positive outcome of leaving all the “about” stuff about your organization below the scroll.
Strategy, Management and Leadership
Click-it: Real Nonprofit Therapy Talk: Generational Organization Trauma. Stuck in status quo modus operandi? Read this from Patrick Kirby, DoGoodBetter Consulting if you regularly face resistance to new ideas. You need to break the cycle. Here are some suggestions so you don’t let the past hold your future hostage.
Click-it: Donor Trust in Nonprofits: How To Build It and Why It’s Important. Learn from Stelter what builds donor trust and what holds people back. This post shares results from the 2024 Give.org Donor Trust Report .
Click-it: When Progress Isn’t Enough: The Risk of Public Goals in Fundraising. This one, from Kevin Shulman at Agitator-DonorVoice, is counter-intuitive. And fascinating. Think twice before setting your next campaign goals. Because humans are funny.
Technology as Tool
Click-it: 6 Smart Ways Nonprofits Can Use QR Codes. Learn from Eventgroove can QR codes can help you raise money, gather volunteers, inspire your donors, better understand your supporters, and connect with people who may not have heard of your organization. You’ll find specific examples and grab six innovative QR code use ideas!
Other Learning Opportunities
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!
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Empowering Fundraisers: A Practical Guide to Gain Confidence and Knowledge to Make the Ask! [Register for free webinar, 4-8-2025]. Join Kiersten Hill, Firespring, for this useful session focused on building strong donor relationships, leveraging branding and marketing, navigating sponsorship opportunities and overcoming barriers to giving.
Donor Retention
Click-it: The Role of Stewardship in Lasting Donor Relationships [Register for free webinar, 4-15-2025]. Join NXUnite, Matt Connell and Julia Campbell to learn what makes donors feel truly valued and appreciated; how to design memorable stewardship experiences that resonate, tools and techniques to simplify your stewardship efforts.
Click-it: Donor Retention | The Most Important Metric That Fundraisers Love to Ignore [Register for free webinar, 4-16-2025]. Join Nathan Hill for this Nonprofit Hub session focused on the current state of donor retention, why it might be slipping, and how you can leverage both AI-enabled tools and proven optimization strategies to get retention back on the right track.
Events
Click-it: Level Up Your Event Marketing With Email [Register for free webinar, 4-16-2025]. Join Vanessa Chase Lockshin, the Storytelling Nonprofit, and Laurie Hochman of Auctria, for this session focusing on selling more event tickets and/or raising more money through online auctions. Learn what types of emails to send, grab tips to improve click-through rates, and more.
Online, Digital Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Google Ad Grants & Your Digital Marketing. Check out Tony Martignetti’s Nonprofit Radio episode with Sean Littman, founder of Catch22 Nonprofit Digital. He has advice for leveraging Google’s ad grant and pairing it with your own marketing to grow your email list; encourage giving; revive and cultivate your lists to expand sustainer giving; and, put the right systems in place. He also shares his favorite apps to help you along.
Storytelling
Click-it: Turning Data into Inspiring Storytelling [Download on-demand panel or read transcript]. In this first session of the Storyraise Nonprofit Tech Lab, learn how to captivate donors, engage stakeholders, and drive action – all with words.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: The Donor Journey [Download free guide]. DonorPerfect and Cherian Koshy put together this roadmap to acquisition, retention and reactivation. Learn how to visualize and optimize the path your supporters take from first contact to long-term engagement.
Major, Capital and Legacy Giving
Click-it: How to Use Permission-Based Asking™ with Donors [Download free paper]. You’ve no doubt heard me encourage you to consider taking courses from the Veritus Group – good people who truly want to equip you with the information you need to better engage your donors and transform your approach to fundraising. Read this paper and you’ll understand why. It will really help you with your next donor meeting. I promise.
NOTE: If you want to become a master of major gift fundraising – a highly valued skill – this might be a great time to consider exploring certification. I highly recommend this fully revamped Veritus Group course: Certification Course for Major Gift Fundraisers. If you’re the executive or manager, there’s a companion course for you! The next cohort begins June 9th, and you’ll save $200 if you register before May 9th. After completion you’ll become a member of the prestigious Veritus Scholars. If you have any questions, just reply to this email and I’ll be happy to discuss whether this course may be right for you. I promise to be honest.
Online, Digital Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Text to Give and Text to Donate [Listen to on-demand podcast] The bottom line is this: When you reduce the barriers to someone donating to your nonprofit, your donations go up. Texting can help make giving to you easier. Learn how from the good folks at Rally Corp.
PLUS…
Click-it: A list from Feedspot of Top 100 Nonprofit Blogs.
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.
Totally FAKE Nonprofit News: 6 Fundraising Untruths
Nonprofit Survival Requires People of Goodwill and a Culture of Philanthropy
Top Strategies to Effectively Weather the Storms Threatening Nonprofits Today
Dramatic Shared Cure-Alls: Philanthropy and Placebo Effects
AI as an Equalizer: Giving Small Nonprofits a Competitive Edge
Who Makes A Good Nonprofit Legacy Donor Prospect?
Finally… if you have a question, any question…
Check out my free fundraising advice column on the Bloomerang blog! Ask your question here. And bookmark the Ask an Expert page for any time you have a question! Here’s one: How To Budget For Major Donor Cultivation And Stewardship?
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. APRIL TIPS are live. Your support is much appreciated, and helps me to support you. Thank you!
Since April showers bring May flowers, it’s a good time for another look at some trees and flowers I spotted on my walks over the past couple of weeks!
“Where flowers bloom, so does hope.” – Lady Bird Johnson
“The Amen of nature is always a flower.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes
Please support my extraordinary sponsors (see below). The Clairity Click-it content is free, and Clairification School is affordable, because of their generosity.
