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Do Fundraising "Best Practices" Give Nonprofit Donors the Autonomy they Seek? - Clairification
Often, so-called best practices are merely myths, beliefs or habits. “That’s how we’ve always done it” is not a reason to continue a practice that’s not evidence-based. In the Middle Ages, bloodletting was the go-to medical cure. Sometimes people got better, but that may have been in spite of the strategy rather than a causal…
Act Fast, Raise Big: The Skills You Need to Win Major Donors Today - Clairification
Shifting politics are creating economic uncertainty for all, and it’s especially scary for U.S. nonprofits who, on average, receive about a third of their total funding from Federal grants. This means nonprofits today need to shift emphasis (and budget) toward individual donor engagement strategies. Giving USA reports 75% of all giving (lifetime + bequests) came from individuals last…
Clairity Click-it: Basket 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 to demonstrate gratitude by giving of themselves.…
Your Donors Aren’t Thinking About Tax Breaks — And Neither Should You (At First) - Clairification
It’s Tax Day – April 15th — in the U.S. No fun. Nobody likes paying taxes. Nobody likes thinking about paying taxes. Bummer. A subject most folks avoid like the plague. And that’s the point. Talking about taxes is mostly bad news. It puts folks in a sour mood. It makes them want to move…
Heartbreaking Missed Opportunities: Is Your Nonprofit Falling Short of Its True Fundraising Power? - Clairification
Survival Depends on Collective Commitment and Deep Support Too often, fundraising is relegated to an administrative function rather than a mission-central function. It’s viewed as a ‘necessary evil.’ As a result, either no one embraces it as central to their job description, or someone is hired and shunted off to a corner to do…
Unforgiveable Nonprofit Thank You Letter Mistakes - Clairification
I recently received a prickly thank you letter that made my blood boil. Not because it was so bad, but because it wasn’t good. It didn’t make me want to renew my support. And that’s unforgiveable. Because the point of the first gift is to get a second one. Otherwise, donor acquisition costs you …
Clairity Click-it: Showers of Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
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…
Totally FAKE Nonprofit News: 6 Fundraising Untruths - Clairification
There’s a lot about fundraising folks take for granted. And not in a good way. Because… much of it is untrue! In fact, if you, your executive director, your board members or anyone else where you work s to these fictions you’ll be in for a lot of pain and suffering. You won’t raise near…
Nonprofit Survival Requires People of Goodwill and a Culture of Philanthropy - Clairification
I don’t usually do this, but today I’m incorporating the full text of a blog by Seth Godin. It’s not about philanthropy or fundraising. Or, is it? He says it’s about ‘goodwill,’ or the lack thereof. What it costs you to lose it. I say – you really should read what he says and take…
Top Strategies to Effectively Weather the Storms Threatening Nonprofits Today - Clairification
It’s ay to feel overwhelmed by everything going on. The firehose of “incoming.” It’s constitutionally impossible for us to handle it all. You can try to bear down and get through it. But after a while you’ll find yourself ing a bigger and bigger hole. As the inimitable Seth Godin recently wrote: “Attention doesn’t scale,…
Spring Forth Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
What will you do to spring forth and meet the moment? 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…
Dramatic Shared Cure-Alls: Philanthropy and Placebo Effects - Clairification
Can the act of philanthropy make people feel better? I say “Yes. Absolutely.” Much has been written about the warm glow that comes from giving. So why not think about fundraising as a caring act, and fundraisers (aka ‘philanthropy facilitators’) as trusted helpers and healers? Reframing fundraising in this way can be your key to: (1) committing to…
AI as an Equalizer: Giving Small Nonprofits a Competitive Edge - Clairification
Small nonprofits often face a daunting challenge: maximizing impact with limited resources. Without the brand recognition or staff of larger organizations, fundraisers at small nonprofits must wear multiple hats and juggle a variety of priorities. Spending extra time on building donor relationships or ing into donor analytics can feel like a luxury you just don’t…
Who Makes A Good Nonprofit Legacy Donor Prospect? - Clairification
Legacy gifts don’t fall from the sky. Legacy donors aren’t ivered by storks. You won’t find them hiding behind cabbage leaves. You’ll mostly find them living in your donor database, volunteer roster, alumni ing list, membership roll, client files, service purchasers, and anyplace else folks connect with you and have a positive affiliation. An affiliation…
In Like a Lion Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
These are not usual times. Are you considering how world events may impact those who rely on you. Not just beneficiaries, but donors and volunteers too. They need you to do your work, but… maybe not in the usual way. Maybe there’s a better way; one fitting for the times. Here’s what Seth Godin…
Coping in Trying Times: Empathy + Innovation are Essential Nonprofit Philanthropic Strategies - Clairification
How will you and your nonprofit make it through these trying times? Two words: EMPATHY. INNOVATION. These are the two qualities most needed in today’s topsy-turvy world. And they’re by far the best way to connect meaningfully with your constituents. I’d like you to think of them as your newly essential fundraising and communication strategies.…
Nonprofit Crisis Response Tip-a-Day-DO-Dah! - Clairification
No matter your politics, this is crisis time for many nonprofits who rely on federal grants and loans (about 30% of all charities). It’s also crisis time for the beneficiaries of many nonprofits, who are scared, stressed, depressed and otherwise at loose ends due to the rapidly changing environment. Many of the resources on which…
Nonprofit Fundraising: We Have a Semantics Problem - Clairification
What’s in a name? “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” said Shakespeare. But, would it? Seth Godin thinks words matter. As do I. “That’s just semantics” Just? The meaning of the word is the reason we used the word. If we don’t agree about the meaning of the word, we haven’t…
Marching Forward Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
It’s a new day. What will you do with it? Will you march forward, backward or get stuck in place? Hopefully, whatever you do, you won’t be lulled into complacency. The work ahead is hard, but as James Baldwin wrote: “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it…
How to Fuel a Donor Journey that Yields Major Gifts - Clairification
The major gift journey is a synergistic one. You see, it’s both your journey and your donor’s journey. If you want to follow along the most direct pathway to sustainable philanthropy, you’ll want to consider the two-fold nature of the expeditious endeavor known as major gift fundraising. Or, as I prefer to call it, passionate…
Brrr... 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 range of voices from across…
Are You Breathing Your Calling? - Clairification
I’m making this the year of helping people reframe their approach to things, both personally and professionally. We can’t always change the external, but we can change the internal. And that can be than enough. It’s a LOT. Shall we talk first about callings, or breathing? How about breathing? Among the definitions of the…
People Want to Know if They Can Trust Your Nonprofit and You - Clairification
The work of philanthropy facilitation is very personal. And, fundamentally, it’s based on trust. Which is why establishing and building trust should be part of your nonprofit and personal mission. “Amid times of change, one truth remains: trust is the foundation of progress” — Eman Trust Barometer 2025 Alas, I rarely see this in mission…
4 Nonprofit Strategies to Build Donor Trust & Lasting Relationships - Clairification
Trust is Built By What You Do In my last article, I wrote about why establishing and building trust should be part of your nonprofit and personal mission. Because trust is the foundation of all lasting relationships. If you don’t build trust, or if you somehow manage to destroy it, you’re going to lose…
10 Common Nonprofit Major Gift Asking Mistakes to Avoid - Clairification
When you’re not aware you’re making a mistake, it’s hard to avoid it. So let’s get curious. I’m going to ask you to close your eyes for a minute to imagine a donor you’ve been wanting to ask for a major gift. I’m going to ask you to visualize a space where you’re meeting. Put…
Major Donor Conversations: Promise Contrary to Pitch - Clairification
Today I want to talk about the heart of successful major gift fundraising. It’s about reframing what you may think of as a “pitch” into what your donor would like to consider a “promise.” The pitch is one way. A monologue you iver about everything you know about your organization. Usually it’s about how great…
Let Freedom Ring Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
The recent conflation of Inauguration Day and the 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,…
How to Build a Major Donor Program from the Ground Up - Clairification
Learn to become an “inside” major donor rainmaker If you’ve got donors, you’ve got the raw material for a major donor program – and it’s easier than you think. Begin with your own database. Most organizations have plenty of donor prospects, without having to go outside and lo for prospects who aren’t connected to you.…
The Huge Mid-Level Fundraising Opportunity You're Missing - Clairification
Nonprofits pay a lot of attention to donor acquisition. Then? They largely ignore these donors, unless… They become worthy of attention by virtue of being ‘major’ donors. Then? Nonprofits pay a lot of attention to major donor relationship building. But between new donor acquisition and major donor cultivation, solicitation and…
How Humanity and Trust Supercharge Nonprofit Fundraising - Clairification
Everyone’s been saying this, just about daily, for some time. “These aren’t ordinary times.” If the anthem for the Boomer generation was Bob Dylan’s “The TImes They Are A’Changin’,” what’s the anthem for today? History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes. We’re living in the face of a firehose of breaking…
On Fire Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
Let’s begin with a prayer for our brothers and sisters, and the families and friends, of those facing the Los Angeles firestorm. May they, and all the responders, find protection, shelter, support, hope and strength to start healing and rebuilding. And may the scorched land and devastated communities similarly heal.…
Your Unique Coping Strategies? - Clairification
These are the best of times. These are the worst of times. However you see the present, rest assured others see it the opposite. How do you cope? How do you help others cope? How are you adapting, personally and professionally, to the times in which we live? It turns out…
Time to Catch Up on Last Year's TOP 10 Hottest Topics - Clairification
Did you miss the most popular tips on Clairification last year? The trending topics included how to effectively leave voice; retention techniques; e and other campaign appeal strategy; how to communicate about things like overhead and transaction fees; philanthropic culture and board giving. The standout articles, from bottom to top, include:…
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…
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 back?…
Should You Leave a Voicemail? - Clairification
Here’s a great piece of advice you can use year-round, but particularly at the end of the year when you make your final “clean up” calls to acquire and/or renew donors who’ve not yet given to you. And by “use,” I mean do the opposite of what they recommend. I came…
Key Strategies to Give Meaningful Nonprofit Work Feedback - Clairification
Confession: This is something I struggled with in my 30 years as a manager. I wanted to reward folks, but I tended to focus on things like money rather than gratitude, praise and recognition. And positive reinforcement didn’t come to me as naturally as pointing out weaknesses. I had both a…
Choose Your Tuesday: Greed or Goodwill? - Clairification
Confession: I’ve never been a fan of Greedy Tuesday. There, I said it. And you can see how I’ve said it before in: The True Meaning of Giving Tuesday Giving Tuesday: Don’t Take the Money and Run #GivingTuesday or #GratitudeTuesday? Choose! It’s time for a post-mortem, and some thinking about what…
Shining a Light Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources - Clairification
As we enter the season of light, and you move into full-steam-ahead year-end fundraising mode, there’s something I want to remind you about your messaging. “Oh, by the way, it’s not about you. The biggest mistake you can make is thinking your organization is the story. People aren’t buying your…
Psychology of Securing Lasting Nonprofit Donor Commitments - Clairification
The publicly people commit, the resistant they are to changing their minds This relates to one of Robert Cialdini’s principles of influence and persuasion: “commitment and consistency.” The main point is this: Once we make a decision, and strongly attach ourselves to an idea by agreeing orally or…