June, 2023

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Surprisingly Simple Strategy to Magically Transform How You Work

Clairification

The single most important lesson I ever learned. Begin with the why. Always. If you don’t, you’re likely to work very hard and not achieve much of value. Why? Because you didn’t begin your endeavor by asking yourself: “What’s the value in this work upon which I’m about to embark?” “Why am I doing this?” This may be the most powerful strategy in your entire toolbox.

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Nonprofit Radio for June 19, 2023: Feasibility Studies: What, Why & How

Tony Martignetti

Brian Abernathy: Feasibility Studies: What, Why & How If a capital, endowment or other campaign may be in your nonprofit’s future, you’ll want to consider a feasibility study beforehand. Brian Abernathy, from Convergent Nonprofit Solutions, explains what they’re all about. Listen to the podcast Get Nonprofit Radio insider alerts! I love our sponsor!

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Nonprofit Email: The Rules of Engagement

Pamela Grow

Are you tired of feeling like a wee fish in the vast ocean of social media? Well, I’ve got some eye-opening stats that might make you reconsider where to channel your communication efforts. It’s time to shift gears and give email the attention it truly deserves. The numbers don’t lie! According to a recent study by Campaign Monitor , email marketing has an astonishing ROI of 4400%!

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How to Conduct a Lightning Fast Meeting

Lightning Fast Grant Writing

LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA – My schedule is not as busy as Elon Musk. Nevertheless, I like to run a tightly organized staff meeting when I get together with our senior grant writers, research assistants, and marketing staff. Here are the tips that I follow to create an effective Lightning Fast meeting. 1. Punctuality: My meetings start and end exactly on time.

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AI for Grant Writing: 20+ ChatGPT Prompts You Can Use

This prompt guide for ChatGPT contains 20+ tested ChatGPT prompts, along with tips on how to use this tool the best way. Nonprofits can engage with ChatGPT to brainstorm ideas, refine project plans, and craft compelling narratives for grant proposals.

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A $1 Billion Mystery Donor Who Did 'Trust-Based Philanthropy' Long Before MacKenzie Scott

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

By Drew Lindsay Atlanta Courtesy of The Kendeda Fund Why grantees of Diana Blank's Kendeda Fund say she put on a "master class" during her 30 years of big giving. Plus: Why Kendeda bankrolled operating reserves for grantees, and the eco-friendly "living building" inspiring nonprofits.

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4 Strategies to Use LinkedIn to Give Nonprofit Donors a Reason to Connect

Clairification

When You Can’t Get Up Close And Personal, How Do You Build Relationships With Folks Online? Are you Linking In? If not, it’s time to take a new look at this social platform to appreciate it for the beneficial research and relationship-building strategy it can be for you. I find it to be a highly under-utilized tool when it comes to building your nonprofit brand, establishing authority and credibility, researching and recruiting new volunteers, donors and employees, and building stronger relation

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Nonprofit Radio for June 26, 2023: Data Driven Storytelling

Tony Martignetti

Julia Campbell: Data Driven Storytelling Julia Campbell returns to share her thinking on retaining and engaging donors by creating and curating your best stories. She’s an author, trainer and speaker. This continues our coverage of the 2023 Nonprofit Technology Conference, hosted by NTEN. Also this week, we welcome Nonprofit Radio’s first announcer, Kate Martignetti!

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Why Wealthy Donors Are Distancing Themselves From Nonprofits

NonProfit PRO

As many wealthy individuals and families now prefer working through intermediaries, such as lawyers, DAFs, and donor advisories to handle their giving activities, nonprofits are finding this increased distance to be challenging. Here are some tips to help your organization adjust.

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Examples of Nonprofit Storytelling to Increase Donations and Involvement

Get Fully Funded

Words are everything in fundraising. Your success is found in the strength of your nonprofit storytelling. The way you tell your story and engage people in your message can make or break your fundraising efforts. Again, words matter. You’ve probably heard this already – that storytelling is important. But do you really understand it? What do we mean by storytelling?

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Why I Stopped Donating to Your Organization

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

By Theodore Wagenaar With new "Giving USA" data showing a near-record drop in charitable contributions, one donor advises nonprofits to do a better job of listening and communicating to people like him — or risk losing future gifts.

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How to Handle Donor Fatigue

Veritus Group

If you think donor fatigue means donors are tired of giving, you've got it wrong. Donors are tired of the way you treat them. Here's how to reset the relationship. The post How to Handle Donor Fatigue appeared first on Veritus Group.

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Bustin’ Out Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

Clairification

This week’s bit of wisdom… Skipping the good days Part of the luxury of living near the ocean or the mountains is that you can be picky. If the surf or the powder isn’t great, leave it for the tourists. Good is insufficient, wait for the great moments… When we’re young, or the project is going really well, it’s easy to waste the good days.

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Nonprofit Radio for June 5, 2023: Artificial Intelligence For Nonprofits

Tony Martignetti

Afua Bruce, Allison Fine, Beth Kanter & George Weiner: Artificial Intelligence For Nonprofits We take a break from our #23NTC coverage, as an esteemed, tech-savvy panel considers the opportunities, downsides, potential risks, and leadership responsibilities around the use of artificial intelligence by nonprofits. They’re Afua Bruce (ANB Advisory Group LLC); Allison Fine (every.org); Beth Kanter … Continue reading Nonprofit Radio for June 5, 2023: Artificial Intelligence For Nonprofits

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How One Nonprofit Developed a Social Media Strategy That Raised $57,000 in 2 Weeks

NonProfit PRO

Jennifer Rubin and Terry Pearl of 360 Philanthropy Group shared an anonymous nonprofit case study that relied on storytelling via social media and email to raise $57,000 in unrestricted funds in two weeks. Here’s a look at their recommended social media strategy.

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9 Nonprofit Leadership Skills Every Founder & Director Must Master

Get Fully Funded

Growing a nonprofit takes more than just passion: you also need creativity, persistence, and a handful of nonprofit leadership skills to guide your organization through the growth years and fulfill your mission. Without good leadership, everything falls apart. It’s like a band with no director – everyone is playing their own song and together it’s just noise instead of beautiful chords of music.

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Melinda French Gates Effort Aims to Accelerate Women’s Power and Influence

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

By Maria Di Mento Shruti Moghe A former hardware designer for Intel, Sudnya Shroff has for two decades has been a donor and volunteer committed to women’s rights and refugee issues. Pivotal Ventures, Gates’s limited-liability company, has committed up to $20 million to match gifts made by members of three donor networks. Sudnya Shroff (pictured here) says the money doubled her philanthropy’s power.

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Ask Your Donors for Gifts That Are Soul Filling

Veritus Group

Now that you're thinking differently about what it means to ask for significant gifts, here's how to approach asking in a soul-fulfilling way. The post Ask Your Donors for Gifts That Are Soul Filling appeared first on Veritus Group.

IT 111
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Anniversary Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

Clairification

June 13 th marked the 10 th anniversary of the Clairity Click-it Newsletter. That’s 260 issues (whoa!), all chock full of resources I hand select for you from across the web. And nothing I select will cost you a dime! I search assiduously, read every single article before sharing with you, and only select trusted resources for webinars, podcasts, white papers, reports and the like.

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Protect Your Nonprofit from the Dip in Donations

The Fundraising Coach

The latest GivingUSA numbers are out. And the numbers aren’t pretty. Yes, the USA recorded over $499 billion was given from non-government sources last year. But the trend of fewer individuals giving accelerated. Individuals gave a 64% of the total – still the lion share of all giving – but a drastic drop from last year. Are people less generous?

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The Power of Listening: Diversifying Revenue Streams for Nonprofits

NonProfit PRO

In today's rapidly changing philanthropic landscape, nonprofit organizations face increasing challenges in securing sustainable funding for their missions. While traditional fundraising methods remain important, nonprofits must adapt to new strategies to stay ahead.

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How to Prevent Fundraising Burnout in a Small, Growing Nonprofit

Get Fully Funded

Fundraising burnout is real and it’s killing too many small nonprofits. And what you’ll find at the core is “do it all” syndrome. Maybe you’re experiencing it now. You’re juggling 50 balls at once. You are managing your organization, coordinating volunteers, handling all the marketing and fundraising tasks, making sure programs are running, and maybe even sweeping the floors.

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Fundraising in 2022 Was Among the Worst Ever, 'Giving USA' Found

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

By Rasheeda Childress and Emily Haynes International aid was the only cause that raised enough to beat inflation, as individual donors contributed 13 percent less than 2021. Plus, see the Giving USA data in four charts.

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Social media myths for nonprofits 

Candid

Social media can easily become overwhelming if you’re trying to keep up with trends, algorithms, and new platforms. And some of the advice you read out there isn’t even real advice but myths that have been perpetuated for years. However, if you can recognize these social media myths for what they are, you can make your workload lighter and focus instead on producing amazing content that works for your nonprofit’s audience.

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Why are Good Nonprofit Fundraisers Hard to Keep? RESPECT

Clairification

I can’t get no… Oh, I can’t get no… satisfaction… Fundraisers report money is the number one reason they leave their jobs [See Part I of this two-part series here ]. Hmmn… hmmn… hmmn… Is it really all about the money? While I do believe too many fundraisers are underpaid relative to their skill sets and performance, I’ve a hunch it’s not the real chief culprit for fundraiser dissatisfaction.

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5 Daily Habits of a Grant Writer

DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services

As a grant writer (or grant professional, as members of our team prefer), your job is to write compelling grant applications to secure funding for your organization. It requires a unique set of skills, including researching funding opportunities, understanding the needs of your organization, crafting a convincing narrative, and navigating the application process.

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4 Direct Mail Pitfalls Your Nonprofit Should Avoid

NonProfit PRO

Direct mail is effective, but your efforts could fall flat with one misstep. Here are four potential direct mail pitfalls to avoid in your next direct mail campaign.

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10 Keys to Help You Declare Your Independence From Mediocre Fundraising

Get Fully Funded

Freedom: the absence of necessity, coercion or constraint in choice or action.Here in the US, we’re celebrating Independence Day. It’s a holiday that means summertime fun to many: watermelon, cookouts, and fireworks. It also means freedom – freedom to live how we want to live. Here are some other definitions of freedom ( www.merriam-webster.com ): Being released from something onerous The quality of being frank, open, or outspoken Boldness of conception or execution Unrestricted use You know, se

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What Nonprofit and Foundation Leaders Are Saying About the Supreme Court's Affirmative-Action Ruling

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

By Alex Daniels Kent Nishimura, Los Angeles Times, Getty Images After the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Harvard and the University of North Carolina had taken a discriminatory and illegal approach by using race as a factor in admissions, many nonprofit and foundation leaders issued statements.

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The 990s are here. Why that’s a big deal and what happens now

Candid

In mid-May 2023, shouts of joy could be heard in the Candid offices. Passersby might have assumed a favorite sports team just won a game. Or maybe there was a landing on Mars. But no, we were just celebrating the release of new 990s. For those unfamiliar with the world of 990s : U.S. tax-exempt organizations are requested to file Forms 990 with the IRS annually, sharing information about their organization’s size, location, revenue, grantmaking, etc.

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Top Secret to Completing Projects: Balance ‘Done Enough’ with ‘Overdone’

Clairification

I’m a huge Seth Godin fan, always in awe of the plethora of wisdom he manages to pack into one pithy post. I save them up, building a collection I can draw upon for inspiration as life, personal and professional, pushes in. Recently I looked back at What’s in the box? The point of the post is to make us question our quest for perfection and all the needless worrying we put into imagining everything that can possibly go wrong.

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Grant Trainers – Who’s the Expert?

DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services

Years ago, the Grant Professionals Association started the Conference Navigators Program as part of their annual conference. They pair regular attendees with first-timers a month or two before the conference. Conference navigators typically email first-timers before the event, sharing advice, and offering to answer any questions. I always warn to dress in layers that can overcome fluctuating room temperatures; bring comfortable shoes; participate in one or two of the social activities; and make

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4 Ways to Optimize QR Codes in Direct Mail

NonProfit PRO

When using QR codes, it’s important for nonprofit marketers to consider how they will help elevate the donor experience. Here are four ways to optimize QR codes in direct mail.

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The Beginner’s Guide to Writing the Perfect Fundraising Letter

Get Fully Funded

Writing and mailing a fundraising letter to your donors is a popular fundraising strategy for nonprofit organizations. It seems so easy to write a letter and send it out, but it’s a tricky process with lots of places you can get in trouble and squash your results if you don’t know what you’re doing. Your purpose in raising money through the mail is two-fold: generate dollars for immediate needs and build relationships with individual donors for long-term success.