Good (February holiday) news department, and couldn’t we use some!
- The groundhog predicted an early spring.
- The Year of the Dragon means good fortune.
- Valentine’s Day reminds us to come from a place of love
- President’s Day gives a long weekend (in the U.S.) to relax
But one of my favorites, on February 17th, is little known, and perfect for the social benefit sector. It’s Random Acts of Kindness Day!
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to shower your donors — and everyone you can think of (co-workers, volunteers, family, friends and even strangers ) — with acts of kindness. Think about what you can do to make someone’s day. There’s no better way to build a loyal, loving relationship than to give more than you receive.
Get creative!
If you’re fortunate (and you will be because, after all, it’s the Year of the Dragon!), this issue of the Clairity Click-it will help you discover new ways to love your supporters. There’s no surer way to energize and enthuse yourself as you work towards guiding others on the pathway to passionate philanthropy. As always, you’ll find a range of voices from across the nonprofit world so you can resource, learn and digest at your own pace, coming to your own decisions.
Speaking of acts of kindness, I’ve also got a little piece of wisdom to share with you from Mr. Rogers:
“Imagine what our real neighborhoods would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person.”
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 [NOTE: 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: It’s a Wonderful Life’s Mary Bailey is the Development Officer you want on your team! May all fundraisers help donors get their wings! That’s the premise – and a good one – of this post by Randy Gorod, Pisgah Consulting. Why not make the miracle of the holidays a year-round thing?
Click-it: Four Reasons to Have a Direct Response Fundraising Program. Fundamentals matter. So says Steven Screen, the Better Fundraising Co., in this post about why smart nonprofits still send a lot of direct mail and email. The goal with your direct response fundraising program is to establish a system where your organization stays in relationship with donors as you grow… and identifies & cultivates more major donors… and becomes less fragile… and raises money while doing it.
Click-it: Requesting In-Kind Donations: Answering 3 Key Questions. Think about your needs and, if appropriate, ask for in-kind donations of goods and services. Some folks can’t give money, but have other things of value to offer. Here are some tips via Nexus Marketing.
Content Marketing
Click-it: Concerns About AI from Nonprofit Communications and Marketing Professionals. Kivi Leroux Miller, The Nonprofit Marketing Guide, reports less than 20% of nonprofit marcom professionals are not using AI at this point. Yet 93% of nonprofits have no written policy about the use of artificial intelligence. Here are some issues you should look out for.
Donor Retention
Click-it: Why It’s Important to Build Relationships With Your Donors. Ann Green talks about some basics that too many nonprofits fail to get right. Whether you’re new to fundraising, or could use a refresher, this is filled with useful info.
Design
Click-it: Nonprofit Annual Report Photos — Everything You Need to Know. Here’s some practical advice from the storytelling experts at Storyraise (formerly Yearly). They also share actual examples using both stock and real imagery. Get inspired!
Click-it: Designing for a Cause: Free Design Tips and Tools for Nonprofits. Words matter, but so does design. Want to increase the chances your marketing collateral is read and acted upon this year? Look no further than these tips from Nonprofit Hub. Learn where to get free images, free fonts, free backgrounds… and much more!
Events
Click-it: Unique Fundraising Ideas for St. Patrick’s Day. Sometimes one of the best ways to get volunteers and donors engaged is to give them a fun project and let them run with it! The folks at Eventgroove always have creative ideas, and these are no exception.
Click-it: 3 Powerful Post-Auction Strategies for Long-Term Support. In my humble opinion, charity events are pretty much worthless unless you engage in strategic follow-up. The experts at Auctria have some post-event strategies you’ll want to be sure to wrap into your planning. If you do this thoughtfully, your event will be more than worth the effort. So check these out and think about what you may be overlooking.
Major, Capital and Legacy Gift Fundraising
Click-it: Your Guide to AI & Major Gift Fundraising. AI is coming to empower major gift fundraising – and it’s a game changer. This article from the amazing team at Momentum shows you how AI can be a powerful ally for every stage of the donor funnel. You’ll also find examples of how AI tools operate, and learn about a few of the concerns that frequently arise with AI.
Click-it: Engage Campaign Donors by Inviting Them to Self-Select. Andrea Kihlstedt, Capital Campaign Pro, suggests strategies to get donors to raise their hand and volunteer to be a part of your campaign. She says: “I often think of this strategy as sprinkling fish food on the water’s surface. Eager fish are happy to swim up and take a nibble.”
Click-it: Secrets for Turning Small Donors into Major Donors. Ever wonder what personalized, tailored donor cultivation looks like in practice? Greg Warner of Market Smart explains it well in this article.
Online and Mobile Fundraising and Marketing
Click-it: Why Nonprofit Text Messaging Has Evolved Beyond Text-to-Give in 2024, When I worked in the trenches, and first signed on to texting as a fundraising strategy, it was all around text-to-give. Now it operates more proactively, similar to an email program. But with much higher engagement rates. Mike Snusz writes all about the evolution of texting in this article for NonProfitPRO,
Click-it: Why Use Both Email and Text Messaging? Learn from Rally Corp why your marketing strategy should use a combo of text messaging and email. Plus, grab three specific ways to accomplish this.
Other Learning Opportunities
ONLINE CONFERENCE OR COURSE
Click-it: Donor Attraction Forum [Register for free sessions 2-15 and 2-16, 2024]. You’ll access multiple speakers and topics over two days. Everything is oriented towards attracting leads – for email, planned giving, sponsors, events and more. Listen to one or listen to them all. They’re live, and will all take questions. Hosted by Marianne Dersch, speakers include Tim Sarrantonio, Mariah Monique, Matt Hugg, Christina Edwards, Michael Slawin, and more.
Click-it: The Nonprofit Marketing Summit: The Unthinkable [Register for free virtual three-day conference, 3-5 to 3-7, 2024]. How about 75+ high impact sessions? Speakers like Dan Palotta, Beth Kanter, Vu Le, Nathan Chapell, Julia Campbell, Tammy Zonker, Floyd Jones and so many more? Believe it or not, this won’t cost you a dime. From organic and paid social to AI and activating the next generation of change-makers, get ready to explore a diverse range of topics related to nonprofit marketing from your favorite speakers in the sector! Thanks to Community Boost for being the lead sponsor.
WEBINARS, PODCASTS, CONFERENCES & 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: Matching Gift Workshop: Marketing Matching Gifts on Your Website [Register for free webinar, 2-19-2024]. Join the matching gift experts at Double the Donation to learn best practices, tools, and insights to help you engage your web visitors with matching gifts and provide them the education they need to get involved through their employer program.
Click-it: Transform the transaction: How to ask for donations with empathy and authenticity [Register for free webinar, 2-14-2024]. Floyd Jones, Give Butter, hosts Tammy Zonker for what’s sure to be an inspiring session. Learn skills for building genuine relationships within your community in order to raise the critical funds your organization needs.
Strategy, Management and Planning
Click-it: Attract more funding with your new 2024 Seal of Transparency [Register for free webinar + hands-on help, 2-13-2024]. Candid explains how to update your profile and earn a 2024 Seal of Transparency to give funders and donors the information they need to support your cause. You’ll also boost your nonprofit’s visibility and ensure your information is fresh on 200+ charitable sites, including Facebook and Network for Good. The Candid team will be on standby to offer free personalized help following the webinar.
Technology
Click-it: Master Spreadsheets with AI: Tools to Maximize Efficiency at Your Nonprofit {Watch video]. Ready to become a spreadsheet genius? Randy Paynter of Care2 is here to help, even if you don’t have coding experience, or haven’t taken a training course in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets. It’s kind of insane what you can do if you take it step-by-step. Whew!
Website
Click-it: Convert Supporters with Powerful Landing Pages [Register for free webinar, 2-22-2024]. With great landing pages, your donors, volunteers and supporters are 10 times more likely to donate, sign up, register or engage with your nonprofit. The experts at Firespring are sharing real-world landing page examples that increase conversions and what they’ve learned from studying hundreds of nonprofits and their landing page designs. Don’t miss this easy way to multiply your success tenfold!
DOWNLOADABLE GUIDES, PAPERS, TEMPLATES & OTHER RESOURCES
Annual (Year-Round) Fundraising
Click-it: The Monthly Giving Success Kit [Download free resource]. How cool is this? Donor Perfect teamed up with monthly giving expert Erica Waasdorp to create this guide to building the best monthly giving program possible. It’s a great way to get started, or just to learn a few new tricks. Remember this: Donor retention for monthly givers averages a whopping 90%!
Content Marketing
Click-it: We Don’t Write So Good [Download free guide]. The NextAfter team are the bomb when it comes to A/B testing! Through experimentation, they’ve discovered fundamental principles about what works – and doesn’t work – to write more effective copy. They put some of those principles to the test by using a tool created by DonorVoice called the Copy Optimizer. See what they found, and grab practical tips to improve how personal and engaging your emails are.
Corporate Funding
Click-it: How to write a winning corporate sponsorship proposal [Grab free guide and templates!] The good folk at Givebutter have put together this compendium of tips for your next sponsor proposal. Learn absolutely everything to include, plus how to write cover letters and thank you’s.
Culture of Philanthropy
Click-it: Building a Culture of Philanthropy [Download free paper]. To create a true culture of philanthropy in your organization, donors have to be part of your mission – not a way to get your mission accomplished, but PART of the mission. This is a radical idea, but a necessary one. Learn what it means, and how to develop this type of culture with leadership, staff, board and donors, in this resource from the Veritus Group.
Data Management
Click-it: The 9 Best Nonprofit CRM Solutions (Updated for 2024). Let’s thank the good folks at Bloomerang for putting together this guide to what you need to know about nonprofit CRM solutions and the best platforms to consider. You need a fantastic platform if you want to improve donor retention, amp up cultivation and foster lasting relationships with supporters.
Leadership
Click-it: Leading for Resilience Guide [Download free resource]. When tasked with endless responsibilities, resilience helps. The folks at Charity Village have created this guide specifically to help nonprofit leaders understand what’s necessary for resilience so they can lead their teams effectively. Strategies and tips are included.
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.
Color your world — and that of your supporters and beneficiaries — with love.
What Does Early Spring Mean for Nonprofit Communications Strategies?
Which Song from Fiddler on the Roof Describes a Nonprofit Fundraiser’s Job?
10 Strategies to Celebrate Nonprofit Donors on Valentine’s Day
Are the Rich Motivated to Give Differently?
How NOT to Ask for a Major Gift
Philanthropy, Not Fundraising: I Have a Dream for the Social Benefit Sector 2024
PLUS… don’t forget this one that’s particularly on point for this issue: Plan ‘Random(ish) Acts’ of Nonprofit Donor Kindness, Especially Now.
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: Do All Donors Need A Thank You Within 48 Hours?
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. FEBRUARY TIPS are live! If you’re not yet an enrolled student, and don’t have direct, immediate access to ALL my blog articles, monthly tips, webinars, podcasts and much more, you can get in on the fun here! Your support helps me to support you.
And now, some street art !
May this Year of the Dragon bring good fortune to all.
Why not offer the gift of a story?
Go forth and fill the world with the love and joy needed now more than ever. And please support my extraordinary sponsors (see below). The Clairity Click-it content is free, and Clairification School is affordable, because of their generosity.
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