It’s hard to think of anything other than coronavirus these days. What it means for us personally. And for our families and friends. And for our beloved nonprofits. And for all those who rely on our programs and services. Accordingly, I’ve been writing a LOT on the subject to try to be helpful to you in every way I can imagine. I’ve also been collecting lots of resources (ones I’ve found helpful) I’ve been sharing with you regularly.
This month’s TIP is really a compendium of everything I’ve written and shared thus far. In case you missed my recent articles written just for you – my wonderful Clairification School students – here are some links.
- Anatomy of a Coronavirus Nonprofit Email + Thank You
- Coronavirus Fundraising: Steal these Ideas!
- How long… will this be going on?
- How Nonprofits Can Connect Virtually During Trying Times
They’re followed by other resources I’ve collected, including articles I’ve shared on other platforms. Rest assured, there will be more to come.
Stay strong. Take care of yourself. Be kind. Be patient. Collaborate.
We’re not through this yet, but we will be. You will make it happen. We will make it happen.
Giving and Advocacy Days
#GIVE FROM HOME DAY – April 21, 2020
Click-it: #GiveFromHomeDay [Download free fundraising/marketing resources]. #GiveFromHomeDay is a national fundraising drive timed to coincide with the likely arrival of stimulus checks, so donors can choose to easily invest a portion of their stimulus money directly into their communities. True Sense Marketing has put together a bunch of downloadable tools, templates and scripts you can use to create your own giving day campaign during these extraordinary times.
#GIVING TUESDAY NOW –May 5, 2020
Click-it: A Global Day of Unity [Download social media tips and strategies]. GivingTuesday.org is organizing an emergency response to the unprecedented need caused by COVID-19. It’s more a rallying cry than a fundraising call to action, with suggestions you can share (e.g., (1) Support healthcare workers by donating supplies, advocating for them, and staying home; (2) Combat loneliness by reaching out to a neighbor, relative, seniors or, veterans, and (3) Join a local mutual aid network and come together to help neighbors in need).
ARTICLES
Asking and Fundraising in a Crisis
Click-it: To Ask or Not to Ask – Today’s Nonprofit Coronavirus Question. It’s not insensitive to ask right now. It’s totally appropriate. Just as always, people can decline. But don’t deny them the opportunity! This is my message in this article published on the Bloomerang blog. Finding some sort of balance should be at the heart of your asking strategy today. With empathy, and planning, it’s eminently doable!
Click-it: Coping in a Pandemic: Essential Nonprofit Philanthropic Strategies. I wrote this article for the Bloomerang blog to give you a lens through which to frame everything you do right now. Remember, this is absolutely not the time to stop building donor relationships. You and your donors are in this together. Treat them like family.
Click-it: How Can We Convert Tickets into Donations When Events Get Cancelled? I wrote this as part of the “Ask the Expert” series for Bloomerang.
Click-it: New Charitable Giving Incentives in CARES Act. Michael Rosen, M.L. Innovations, discusses new charitable giving incentives resulting from the CARES Act. The one I find most useful for nonprofits of all sizes is the new non-itemizer above-the-line deduction of up to $300 cash. Any taxpayer can take this, and it will reduce their taxable income for 2020. Why not let your donors know?
Click-it: Tips for fundraising in times of uncertainty. 4aGoodCause offers up concrete short-term and long-term ideas for fundraising in a crisis.
Click-it: How will Coronavirus Affect Your Fundraising Efforts? Michael Rosen of MLInnovations suggests 17 ways your fundraising efforts could be affected, and proposes ways you can prepare for what lies ahead.
Click-it: The way COVID-19 WILL destroy your fundraising — if you let it. Jeff Brooks, Future Fundraising Now, suggests your best line of defense may be continuing to fundraise. Not like there’s no tomorrow, but so there will be a tomorrow. Don’t despair: “Many organizations had great fundraising success during the recession. Some grew rapidly during that time.”
Boards and Leadership
Click-it: Nonprofit Board Members: Leadership Tips for Uncertain Times. Gail Perry, Fired Up Fundraising, explains why nonprofit boards and staff leaders must not “hunker in a bunker” right now. Calm. Plan. Overcommunicate. Support. Innovate. Position for tomorrow. Great advice!
Click-it: It’s Different This Time: Handling Nonprofit Staff Cuts under COVID-19. If you’re an E.D. or board member, this is an excellent – very sobering – article from Nonprofit Quarterly about the unprecedented magnitude of the problem in front of us.
Communications
Click-it: Tips for Communicating with Donors During Uncertain Times. Some relationship-building basics from Bo Crader via NPengage – adapted for today.
Self-Care
Click-it: Tensions at home this week? Need a bit of advice on how to keep things from boiling over? Take it from life and work coach Tara Mohr, who writes here about a conversation she had with her husband (I swear she was in my living room, because my hubby and I had the exact same conversation the previous evening!). She advises a new version of “Stop, drop and roll” for these times. Check it out. I think you’ll find it useful – professionally and personally.
Strategy and Management
Click-it: 3 Ways We Can (and Must) Help Small Nonprofits Now. Overarching words of wisdom for our time, from fundraising guru and sage Joan Garry in The Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Click-it: A Guide to Remote Working for Nonprofits. How to make it work – both for today and the future — from the Wild Apricot blog.
Click-it: Financial Leadership in the Face of Impossible Choices. Budgeting in a time of uncertainty is challenging. This excellent resource from the Innovation in Nonprofit Finance blog provides a template and multiple strategies for your consideration.
Click-it: True Leadership in the Time of Corona. I love this article from Nonprofits are Messy. Joan Garry is a true and wise leader, and her wisdom is much-needed and appreciated right now.
Click-it: A Letter from Our President. This inspirational message from the President of the Field Foundation of Illinois suggests using this time for innovation. Don’t simply try to replicate business-as-usual using virtual platforms. Think outside the box. Ask others what they need from you. Continue to share resources. Continue to connect.
Click-it: COVID-19 survival tips for arts organizations. Jeff Brooks, Future Fundraising Now, offers spot-on, practical tips for organization that may not at first blush seem ‘essential.’ If you’re such an organization, don’t sell your mission short. Your supporters believe you’re needed!
Virtual Meetings
Click-it: How to Facilitate Effective Virtual Meetings. Now may be a good time to dust off your virtual meeting skills. Beth Kanter does so skillfully, outlining the barriers and solutions in this article on her blog.
Click-it: From soft lighting to the Golden Gate Bridge: Your complete guide to video conference filters. Want to put a little pop into your work-from-home online meetings? Here’s a practical article on Fast Company showing you how to do this with Zoom.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES & ON-DEMAND AUDIO RESOURCES
Communications
Click-it: Coronavirus Crisis Comms Triage Kit [Download open sourced, updated resources].
Events
Click-it: Tools and Strategies for Virtual Fundraising Events [Watch free on-demand webinar]. Qgiv offers this timely info on virtual event ideas (including silent auctions and P2P fundraising), tips for making these events fun and interactive, and real life examples from their clients.
Fundraising in a Crisis
Click-it: Crisis Response for Nonprofits [Watch live Facebook conversation]. Gail Perry and Kathryn Gamble, Fired Up Fundraising, talk about how to stay calm, be authentic and lead those who rely on you through these uncertain times. They also cover donor-centered ways to talk with donors. Keep telling your stories – which likely are more compelling now than ever!
Click-it: Addressing Today’s Marketing Challenges [Listen to brief video with answers to key questions]. How do you stay top of mind with messaging appropriate for the time we’re in? In the legacy giving field, this is very much an issue. Nathan Stelter, President of the Stelter Company, suggests you put yourself in your donors’ shoes. Don’t stop communicating, but be sensitive with your language and the images you use. Particularly when it comes to legacy giving.
Click-it: Complete Mobile Strategy Guide [Free Download]. Mobile Cause shares how mobile messaging and text-to-donate can transform your communications like never before. Here are just a few of the ways these tools can help keep donors informed and your organization moving forward during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Did you know 95% of texts are opened within 3 minutes?
Strategy and Management
Click-it: Fundraising in a Pandemic and Economic Downturn: What Will Happen, How You Can Succeed [Download free whitepaper]. Steven Screen and Jim Shapiro at The Better Fundraising Co collaborated with Jeff Brooks to predict what will happen for your organization based on their experience from past disasters and economic downturns. And, don’t worry, they also prescribe what you must do in order to emerge from this crisis stronger than before.
Click-it: Let’s Stop Counting Out the Nonprofit Sector. Nell Edgington of Social Velocity shares a hopeful way of looking at how what we’re going through can make our sector stronger in the long run. And you will lead the way.
Click-it: COVID-19 and Your Cause – How not to make it worse [Download free on-demand webinar]. Sean Triner, Moceanic, joins Bloomerang for this inspiring session dedicated to helping you come through 2020 stronger, not weaker.
Click-it: Lessons from Motivate Monday | How Nonprofits Can Navigate COVID-19 [Listen to on-demand conversation] Want a little help navigating fundraising – and monitoring your own and your community’s well-being — during this COVID-19 age? Check out this conversation between Pamela Grow and Beth Kanter. Each of them also have curated lists of COVID-19 resources on their websites.
Click-it: COVID-19 Employer Toolkit [Download compendium of free resources]. The folks at Unemployment and Workforce Solutions have put together this collection of guides, checklists and communication templates exclusively for nonprofits. Plus, you can access an on-demand webinar that discusses the latest COVID-19 HR guidance and best practices.
We will get through this, and learn something about ourselves and humanity in the process.
JUST IMAGINE.