Let’s get right to this week’s collection of free resources!
If you poke around this issue of the Clairity Click-it, I’m sure you’ll find something to help you DO SOMETHING positive to change the world — at least in your little corner of it. Or something provocative to fuel your thinking around what your might do differently to more effectively engage your constituents. Or something to help you raise more money to fuel your cause and create extraordinary outcomes. Or something simply to gladden other people’s lives. Or something to lighten your heart.
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 resources I believe will be most useful to you. It is my sincere pleasure and honor to help you find the ideas, strategies, templates and tools you need to succeed.
Thank you for doing your vital work, and making our world a better place,
Claire
claire@clairification.com
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.]
P.P.S. Even if you don’t care about all the Clairification School benefits, and are happy just being on the Clairity Click-it newsletter list, if you enjoy reading it and want to send a little love my way by enrolling. I promise to send it back.
Clairity Click-it, Your Nonprofit Ticket to…
ARTICLES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: Four Things That All Donors Want. This is one of the best articles ever written about what compels philanthropy. It comes from Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels of The Veritus Group, and you owe it to yourself, your cause and your donors to read it. Why? Learning your donor’s passions and interests in an authentic and meaningful way is one of the most important things you can do as a fundraiser.
Click-it: 5-Step Plan To Move General Donors to Major Givers. How do you make a donor feel seen, heard, and valued, so their commitment deepens? It begins by getting to know them well, then engaging in exclusive communication, recognizing them personally, and offering opportunities for involvement. Learn how in this article on the Nonprofit Fundraising blog.
Click-it: Two Things That Turn Your Fundraising into “Crap” – and How to Avoid Them. “Hope is crap.” That may sound sacrilegious, but read about how it’s true when it comes to fundraising in this article by Jeff Brooks on the Moceanic blog. You see, it’s an abstraction. Hard for folks to visualize and grab onto. Learn more here.
Click-it: Do Low-Dollar Donors Even Matter? Greg Warner, Market Smart, talks about putting in place necessary staff and fundamental systems to renew and upgrade donors at all levels. It’s malpractice to spend time and resources on donor acquisition, only to lose all but 17% of them after the first year. Learn what you need to do better.
Content Marketing
Click-it: Newsletter Picture Captions that Help, not Hurt. You want to make sure your picture captions support your main message. And this holds true wherever you caption photos, not just in newsletters. For fundraising purposes, your captions should be about the donor’s role about what’s happening in the photo, and not about what the viewer sees on the face of things. Steven Screen, the Better Fundraising Co., always shares info worth seriously considering!
Events
Click-it: Immerse Guests in Mission + Watch Fundraising SOAR! Want to do a better job immersing event attendees in what you do, who you impact and how? The experts at Auctria have some great ideas. Ever try a video wall? And not just any wall, but one that leans into compelling storytelling? What about using virtual reality headsets? Using lighting to engage people emotionally? Learn more about how to show your story, with specific nonprofit examples.
Click-it: Charity Sweepstakes Drawings vs. Raffles—Which is the Better Nonprofit Fundraiser? Want to raise some extra bucks with your fundraiser? These are two ways, but… do you really understand the ins and outs of both? Learn from the experts at Eventgroove. Learn the pros and cons of each, which prizes work best, and marketing tips that will guide you towards success.
Major, Capital and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: Building Donor Relationships is Hard: Here’s how to make it easier. Check out this guest post on Clairification from Nick Fitz, Momentum founder and CEO, about the emergence of new AI tools to help nonprofits build relationships with mid-level and major donors. You’ll learn which channels to focus on, which messages to use, and which donors to target.
Online, Digital and Mobile Fundraising
Click-it: How yes/no “autonomy” language on a pop-up impacts conversion rate during a high urgency campaign. I love A/B tests, and the wonderful folks at NextAfter always share theirs! Check out this one, which revealed an astonishing increase in donor conversion with the simple addition of a Yes/No call to action on a pop-up. Finding: Giving visitors to your donor page the autonomy to make a micro-decision before being asked for a donation has a positive effect on giving.
Storytelling
Click-it: 8 tips for interviewing a nonprofit beneficiary. Learn the art of interviewing beneficiaries to respectfully gather and share details about how your nonprofit helped them. This article from Storyraise includes 8 insightful tips to make your job easier and more fruitful.
Strategy, Management and Planning
Click-it: Why Nonprofits Never Have Enough Money. This eye-opening article by Joan Garry is about the staff and board budgeting process. She outlines a new process that will engage your board, and assure you have the resources you really need.
Click-it: The New ABC’s of Selling: 3 Simple Exercises You Can Do Now. If you haven’t read Daniel Pink’s To Sell is Human, please do (and, as you read, mentally replace the word “sell” with “fundraise” – it works!). He replaces the age-old ABC’s (Always Be Closing) with modernized options (Attunement, Buoyance, Clarity) for our digital age. This article comes complete with exercises you can find on Pink’s website. Fun!
Click-it: Learn How to Guide Nonprofit Leaders Toward the Truth Instead of Letting Them Rely on Their Opinions. If you’ve ever felt your boss doesn’t listen to your expertise, read this article I wrote for the Bloomerang blog. I offer actual scripts for overcoming some of the common statements you’ll hear from leaders who lead with their gut. Statements like: “That’s not true for us,” or “I know what works best here.”
Technology
Click-it: Is Your Nonprofit Ready For Next-Level AI?. This piece from Momentum offers a useful flow chart for assessing where your nonprofit is with adoption of artificial intelligence tools to streamline your workflow, reduce manual tasks and process data at lightning speeds. Assess where you are now; determine next logical steps.
WEBINARS, PODCASTS, ROUNDTABLES & 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) Giving
Click-it: How Monthly Giving Helps Nonprofits Survive Hard Times [Reigster for free webinar, 8-13-2024]. This is going to be good! The “Queen of Monthly Giving,” Erica Waasdorp, joins Rally Corp to share her invaluable advice, from making monthly giving easy to encouraging ACH transfers instead of credit cards to reduce fees and minimize declines. Get all sorts of tips and tricks – and bring your questions!
Online, Digital and Mobile Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: How to Move Email Subscribers to SMS [Register for free webinar, 9-5-2024]. Join me and presenter James Martin, Rally Corp founder, for this sure-to-be useful session designed to help you build your mobile list. We know from research more people convert to donors from phones than email, but… first you need to get them to opt in. Learn how!
Major and Legacy Gifts
Click-it: Major takeaways from FreeWill’s 2024 Planned Giving Report [Register for free webinar, 8-27-2024]. In 2023, bequests were the only gift source that increased above inflation, and nonprofits who have yet to form a planned giving strategy are falling behind. Get insight on trends and strategies from Patrick Schmitt, FreeWill CEO, so you’re able to participate in today’s large inter-generational wealth transfer.
Click it: The New Standard in Modern Fundraising: Is Wealth Screening Dead? [Register for free webinar, 8-29-2024]. It’s a brave new world everywhere in the age of AI, and fundraising is no exception. Join Craig O’Neill, CEO of Kindsight, for this session on the future of prospect research and wealth screening. Learn how to optimize efficiency, overcome resource constraints, and deliver a personalized engagement experience to every donor.
Strategy and Planning
Click-it:. Focus on the Future: The Art of Selling Your Board and Funders on Capacity Building [Register for free webinar, 8-26-2024]. Wondering how to get the “powers that be” to buy into the need for your organization to build capacity? Join Kiersten Hill of Firespring for this entertaining session designed to help you sell something to your leaders, build steps for engagement, identify critical messages and build a compelling case.
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Boards
Click-it: Guide to Building a Healthy Relationship with Your Board [Read free roadmap]. Grab 5 strategic tips from Nonprofit Hub for forging a relationship with your board based on mutual respect, trust and understanding.
Major and Legacy Gift Fundraising
Click-it: Removing Obstacles to Major Gift Fundraising [Download free paper]. Learn the top 5 challenges holding nonprofits back from success in major gift fundraising in this thorough paper from the Veritus Group. If any of these things present obstacles for you, learn what you can do to turn things around.
Psychology of Giving
Click-it: Overcoming Psychological Barriers to Giving [Download free report and guide]. In its latest report, “Overcoming Psychological Barriers to Giving,” National Center for Family Philanthropy (NCFP) explores the behavioral science behind the ten most common barriers to giving—such as too many choices, fear of uncomfortable family dynamics, and lack of urgency—and provides effective and actionable ways for donors to overcome those barriers.
Storytelling
Click-it: 10 Tips To Tell Great Video Stories [Download free resource]. Did you know fundraising campaigns that incorporate video receive 114% more funding than campaigns that don’t? This being true, wouldn’t it be great to learn how to easily make your own videos? The folks at Memoryfox have all the tips you need for taking selfie videos.
Did You Miss My Newest Clairification Articles?
Here are links to 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.
Building Donor Relationships is Hard: Here’s how to make it easier
5 More Top Strategies to Prepare for Fall Fundraising
Top 5 Strategies to Prepare for Fall Fundraising NOW
Nonprofit Gift Planning: Do You Use the Language of Love?
Lift Up Your Nonprofit Donors with Their Olympic Moment
3 Nonprofit Secrets to Rock Major Gift Fundraising
>> FINALLY… if you have a question, any question…
>> Check out my free fundraising advice column on the Bloomerang blog — and feel free to ask your own questions! Here’s a recent one: What Role Does Direct Mail Play In Fundraising In A Digital World?
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. AUGUST tips are still live on your Clairification School Dashboard (this month they’re all about unlocking the power of legacy giving)! If you’re not yet an enrolled student, and don’t have access to ALL my blog articles, monthly tips, webinars, podcasts and much more, you can get in on the fun here — and grab your a special BONUS!
“Love of humankind,” aka philanthropy, is all around — if you only look for it! I’m still “hunting for hearts in the urban wilds” — Here’s more of what I found!
Cappuccino heart art. Almost too pretty to drink.
Sidewalk etching – “P.S. I love you.”
Heart on a tree limb.
License to come from a place of love!
Love is all around! Please support my extraordinary sponsors (see below).
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