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The Meaning of Philanthropy, Not Fundraising – Part 2 - Clairification
Get on the Pathway to Passionate Philanthropy, Not Forgettable Fundraising In Part 1 I laid out why philanthropy inspires, and fundraising tires. Fundraising must be done, of course, but there’s something about how it’s too often practiced that turns too many people off. It’s the “fund” part of the word.…
The Meaning of Philanthropy, Not Fundraising – Part 1 - Clairification
Get on the Pathway to Passionate Philanthropy, Not Forgettable Fundraising Philanthropy is a mindset. An embracing culture. A noble value. Fundraising is a means towards that end. Servant to philanthropy. Philanthropy, not fundraising. This has been the tag for my business and blog since I began Clairification in 2011.…
Clairity Click-it: Bouquet of Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
Take some inspiration from the inimitable Seth Godin: If we’re restless, it pays to get up and walk around. Is stress different? Along the way, it seems as though we got confused about the best way to deal with the stress that comes from work and from the projects we…
Why You Must Put Real Resources into Building Nonprofit Donor Loyalty - Clairification
It costs to acquire a new donor than retain a current one. A lot . In fact, research shows it takes 7 – 12% effort, time and money to bring in a new donor than to raise from a current donor. Please, please, please… let this sink…
Two Ways Nonprofits Get Donor-Centered Fundraising Wrong - Clairification
I find a widespread misunderstanding about the notion of what constitutes being donor-centered. It derives from two misconceptions: Assuming people don’t want to be asked. Spending all your time on cultivation, assuming folks don’t need an ask and will simply give spontaneously as a result of being wooed. Both of these…
Clairity Click-it: Showers of Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
Today I want to remind you that part and parcel of your personal mission, as a philanthropy facilitator, is to bring supporters opportunities for meaning and purpose. Because when you help increase others’ sense of wellbeing, not only is the world a better place but these folks are likely…
These Fundraising Appeal Fallacies Will Cost You Money - Clairification
Ever have a well-meaning, yet perhaps overly controlling or risk-aversive, boss say to you: Our fundraising letter must be no longer than one page. That’s too simple; we don’t want to talk down to our donors. We need to say about our accomplishments. We need to describe numbers of people…
Invite Nonprofit Donors Into Your Story, Giving Them a Powerful Role to Play - Clairification
You must invite your donor into the story. Take yourself out of the equation. Donors don’t care about you, but about what they can do through you. Stop talking about your good work. Talk, instead, about the good work your donor wants to do. How? 5-Step Strategy to Illuminate the Donor’s…
Loyalty is the New Nonprofit Donor Currency: Part 2 - Clairification
Can AI help your nonprofit connect authentically with people so you, and the social benefit sector as a whole, do a effective job addressing today’s most pressing problems? In other words, can AI help you drive loyalty? The short answer is yes. But it won’t happen if you keep…
Springing Forth Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
The Clairity Click-it exists to bring you a range of voices from across the nonprofit world so you can resource, learn and digest at your own pace, and come up with new and better ways to do your job of changing the world. Seth Godin wants to help you too!…
Loyalty is the New Nonprofit Donor Currency: Part 1 - Clairification
That’s right. Loyalty. Not wealth. Not money. Not even attention. Because merely grabbing the attention of someone with either capacity or inclination to give is no guarantee philanthropy will follow. Today I’d like to illuminate: Truths about what drives philanthropy, Challenges nonprofits have developing and implementing strategies that take these truths…
4 Keys to Raise Money in Today's Attention-Sucking Nonprofit Jungle - Clairification
Wondering where fundraising is heading in our highly networked, overly saturated, noisy-as-all-get-out post-digital revolution world? A world that’s really a jungle, with so much competition for attention — for-profits, other nonprofits, socially conscious businesses, political campaigns, friends, and family? Your mantra can no longer simply be about “creating awareness.” Alas,…
Why Would a Donor Give to Your Charity? - Clairification
What gets donors going? The heart, not the head. “People do not give to the most urgent needs, but rather they support causes that mean something to them.” This is the finding from a report done by the Centre for Charitable Giving and Philanthropy at the University of Kent:…
In Like a Lion Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
This week I feel like letting you just dive right in to all the great content I’ve collected over the past two weeks. There are lots of eye-opening articles plus plenty of webinars and podcasts for you to enjoy. [Okay, I do have a bit of Seth Godin wisdom to…
Don't Worry, Be Happy: Useful Life Advice for Nonprofit Fundraisers - Clairification
Some years ago I happened on an article in the New York Times where the author, David Pogue, asked readers for their very best ‘life advice.’ There was so much great stuff in there! If you happen to have a NYT subscription, I’m sure you’ll enjoy reading the full article. For…
Strategic Nonprofit Board Recruitment - Clairification
When organizations aren’t raising as much money as they need, they’ll often tell me: “We need to recruit new board members.” This is very often true, but it’s only a piece of the puzzle as to why they’re not being successful with fundraising. So, if you’re about to embark on…
How to Craft a Nonprofit Board Orientation Strategy - Clairification
Please don’t leave your new (or old for that matter) board members dangling! Being a board member is not something we’re generally taught. In fact, it can be a complete mystery. Folks feel proud to have been recruited to join your board, and excited to begin their service, but… what happens…
Leaping Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
This week, before we get to all the resources I’ve curated to help you do great work, these questions from the always sage Seth Godin bear your consideration. Direct questions worth answering For everyone on the team… Do you care enough to do great work? Can we agree on what…
The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Major Gift Fundraising - Clairification
What if you had a new strategy for building the types of committed, transformative relationships with donors necessary to build, nurture and sustain a meaningful major gift fundraising program? Most nonprofits know how important a major gifts strategy can be to their overall survival. After all, the 80-20 rule is …
Fundraiser Job Tips: How to Hire/Get Hired + Top Interview Questions - Clairification
In my last article I talked about how to pitch yourself for a new job. My focus was on fundraising jobs, but it’s a paradigm you can use for any time you’re trying to make a persuasive case for yourself. Today I’d like to get to the part where you’ve transitioned…
Borrow From Old MacDonald's Farm to Interview for a Fundraising Job - Clairification
Did you have a New Year’s resolution to lo for a new development position? Or maybe to transition to work in the social benefit sector? Have you put your job search off, wondering how your skills translate to what you’d really like to do? We all have an inner critic telling…
Love is in the Air Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
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 President’s Day gives a long weekend (in the U.S.) to relax But one of my…
What Does Early Spring Mean for Nonprofit Communications Strategies? - Clairification
This week the groundhog told us it’s going to be an early spring! Spring is always a good time for re-awakening, rebirth and just plain dusting away the cobwebs. And what a dreary, grave, cobwebby period it’s been. We’ve got a lot to clean up, reorganize and rethink. So much, in…
Which Song from Fiddler on the Roof Describes a Nonprofit Fundraiser's Job? - Clairification
While you might be tempted to guess “If I were a Rich Man,” that’s not it. Because that would be making fundraising mostly about money. And, actually, fundraising is mostly about . So the correct answer is “Matchmaker.” That’s right. Your job is to make the perfect match between the values…
10 Strategies to Celebrate Nonprofit Donors on Valentine’s Day - Clairification
Last year, you posted about sending donors valentines, which I came across a bit too late in the game, so I sent es. But, this year, I kept that idea and planned for it, and sent handmade valentines to my top level donors. I felt like I was in 2nd grade…
Brr... Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
It’s been pretty cold in my neck of the woods, so let’s warm up with a cup of cocoa, coffee or tea and some good reads. I’ve got a lot of great stuff for you this week, so let’s get right to it! The Clairity Click-it exists to bring you a…
Are the Rich Motivated to Give Differently? - Clairification
Not as much as you might think. Yet people tell me all the time how much they’re afraid to ask wealthy people for major gifts. If you share those fears, it’s time for a little “Charity Clairity:” Contrary to what your gut may be telling you, NOT asking is not making…
How NOT to Ask for a Major Gift - Clairification
Twice at the end of last calendar year I was asked for a major gift. Pretty much out of the blue. Without much preparation, relationship-building or making of an inspiring case for support. It was clear to me what the charity would get out of it: my money. It was not so…
Philanthropy, Not Fundraising: I Have a Dream for the Social Benefit Sector 2024 - Clairification
I have a dream… Today would have been Dr. Martin Luther King’s 95th birthday. During his lifetime he challenged us to recognize the privilege of being part of the struggle for goodness to prevail. He did not live to get to the promised land, yet he saw it from the mountain top.…
Let Freedom Ring Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
The upcoming Martin Luther King Day holiday in the U.S. has me thinking about freedom. And also the push/pull between freedom and responsibility. Freedom without responsibility (i.e., being held responsible for your actions) doesn’t work well for anyone but one person. Responsibility without freedom is stressful. To work well, they…
10 Strategies to Actively Build Nonprofit Donors Trust - Clairification
Trust defines the credibility and legitimacy not only of your organization, but of the entire social benefit sector. Yet too few organizations make the effort to operationalize this construct into their fundraising and marketing planning. You should. Without donor trust and confidence in philanthropy there’s no future for social benefit organizations.…
13 Top Secrets of Donor Thank You Letters Revealed - Clairification
Let’s begin with a question: What do you spend time on? Asking or thanking? You’ve probably just completed a quarter hyper-focused on asking. I’ll bet you devoted a lot of time to this endeavor. Now… you should be devoting at least as much time to thanking the donors who responded…
Leading Your Nonprofit with Hope, Not Optimism - Clairification
What will you hope for in the coming year? Recently a college classmate asked me and others this question, ruminating on how hope and optimism are similar yet different. It struck a chord with me You see, I’m not generally an optimist. Yet I’m often hopeful. I’d just never taken time…
New Year Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
Let’s begin with this week’s bit of wisdom… Generosity and gratitude A gift doesn’t diminish the giver. Sharing creates connection, possibility and energy. And the magic of gratitude is that it improves everything it touches, especially the person who offered it in the first place. So, what holds us…
Don’t Blow Your Post-Holiday Opportunity to Thank Your Nonprofit Supporters - Clairification
For good things once a year is not enough. Why do so many of us only eat turkey once a year? Or pumpkin pie? I’ve no idea! It’s surely not rational. These are special foods we value and take great ight in. Yet we get into a bad habit of thinking…
How to Help Donors Give Astutely Before Year-End - Clairification
Do you want to risk not receiving generous gifts you could have otherwise received, just because you failed to go the extra mile to share relevant, useful and even critical information? Or because you just did the most basic things, failing to do what would have made your communications really…
Why Do Major Donors Switch Allegiance? - Clairification
Sometimes major donors give less than the previous year. Sometimes they stop giving to you entirely. What’s the worst sin committed by fundraisers when this happens? Not noticing. What’s the second worst sin? Assuming it has nothing to do with you. Sure, sometimes donors’ priorities change. Or some of their money…
Year-End Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
Here’s a bit of wisdom that really spe to me this week, especially as we navigate this particular season at this particular moment in our shared world… Throwing shade or throwing light? “One takes a little effort than the other. While throwing shade might be fun, it eventually…
Should you ask nonprofit donors to cover gift transaction fees? - Clairification
I’ve written about this before. But since I continue to get questions, I’m writing about it again. Fundraisers wonder about the upsides and downsides in asking donors to cover credit card and other gift transaction fees. Hmmn… First, let me be upfront in letting you know my gut emotional response to…