February, 2023

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Top Secret Strategy to Communicate with Nonprofit Donors

Clairification

Did you ever wonder if there is a foolproof way to communicate with donors? Actually, there is! And it’s not about process. It’s about another ‘P’ word. Can you guess? I’ll give you a hint. It relates to the secret business your nonprofit is in. You may think you’re in (arts, healthcare, human services, environment, social justice, animal rescue, education or whatever) but, fundamentally, your core business is something else.

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Nonprofit Radio for February 6, 2023: Mr. Wake Up Excited, Go To Bed Fulfilled, Returns

Tony Martignetti

Eric Saperston: Mr. Wake Up Excited, Go To Bed Fulfilled, Returns I had to have Eric Saperston back. After the October 17, 2022 show with him, I got more positive comments than I remember for any guest. This time around, he shares how important nonprofit volunteering has been in his life, the joy he gets … Continue reading Nonprofit Radio for February 6, 2023: Mr.

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Make it Monthly! | The Key to Building a Robust Monthly Giving Program

Pamela Grow

Monthly giving programs are crucial for nonprofit organizations to establish a reliable, consistent revenue stream. They provide predictable cash flow that helps with budgeting and planning for the future. And these programs also offer an opportunity to enhance donor retention, as they encourage long-term investment in the organization’s mission and programs, creating a more engaged donor base.

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Getting in the Zone: Making the Most of Your Home Office, Part 1 of 3

Lightning Fast Grant Writing

Due to the spread of COVID-19 those of us with jobs and businesses spent a lot more time working from home. For some, this was a great triumph. I have a friend who told me he thinks this is a harbinger of a brave new world where almost all of us have given up commuting and instead work from the comfort of our dining room table. As he said, “It makes no sense to drive one hour just to go from one computer screen to another computer screen.” Despite my friend’s common-sense obser

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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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Ford Foundation Creates First-of-Its-Kind Fund to Tackle Disability Bias in Technology

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

By Drew Lindsay Expanding its work on disability rights and inclusion, the Ford Foundation Tuesday announced a first-of-its-kind national fund targeting discrimination in technology against people with disabilities.

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Love is in the Air Clairity Click-it: Nonprofit Links + Free Resources

Clairification

You-Shaped Hole Sometimes the world feels inhospitable. You feel all the ways that you and it don’t fit. You see what’s missing, how it all could be different. You feel as if you weren’t meant for the world, or the world wasn’t meant for you, as if the world is “the way it is” and your discomfort with it a problem. So you get timid. You get quiet about what you see.

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Nonprofit Radio for February 20, 2023: Talent Development

Tony Martignetti

Preeta Nayak & Lindsey Waldron: Talent Development With a few practices, you can turn your talent development process into an employee retention tool, a leadership pipeline and a step toward greater inclusivity. Preeta Nayak and Lindsey Waldron, both from The Bridgespan Group, talk through their article, “How Nonprofit Leadership Development Sustains Organizations and Their Teams.” … Continue reading Nonprofit Radio for February 20, 2023: Talent Development → Preeta Nayak & Lin

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What’s in My Inbox | How are you celebrating your donors on Valentine’s Day?

Pamela Grow

Valentine’s Day. Over the years, February 14th has become a cultural and commercial celebration of romance and love throughout the world. Valentine’s Day is also the ideal day to celebrate your donors. See how these nonprofits have remembered their donors: Palmetto Animal League Who could resist opening an email with the subject line “Handsome Hunk Seeks Soulmate?

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7 Ways to Prioritize Donor Acquisition and Retention This Year

NonProfit PRO

Industry benchmarks reveal just 23% of first-time online donors return, compared to 64% of existing online donors. And over the last decade, nonprofits have continued to raise more funds from fewer donors.

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Nonprofits are NOT self-reliant

The Fundraising Coach

One of the biggest red-herrings I see nonprofit boards pursue is a pipe dream of “self sufficiency” for their nonprofit. Rather than pursuing their mission, the board directs the executive director to look at selling things and renting things in a quixotic attempt to be financially independent. It’s as though they see fundraising as a “stop gap” solution.

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3 Ways to Celebrate Being a Grant Professional

DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services

One of the things I love about the grant profession so much is the diversity of backgrounds that bring people to the field of writing grants. If you talk to five different grant writers/grant professionals, you will hear five different stories of the paths that brought them to the work they do today. It isn’t as clear as an undergraduate major that is the “usual” track for people to enter this work.

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Top Strategies for Making Friends with Nonprofit Donors

Clairification

Today a friend, who serves on the board of a struggling local arts organization, asked me what they can do to increase their fundraising. I asked her a few questions; then answered simply: “Have more conversations with people; make more friends.” You see, they have people who know about them but they’re just not giving. They have donors, but they’re not giving enough.

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Nonprofit Radio for February 13, 2023: Inflection Points As Your Nonprofit Grows

Tony Martignetti

Brooke Richie Babbach: Inflection Points As Your Nonprofit Grows There’s a nonprofit life cycle with recognizable stages. At each point, you need to align your goals, plans and actions with the stage you’re in. Brooke Richie Babbage, CEO at Bending Arc, puts it all together. Listen to the podcast Get Nonprofit Radio insider … Continue reading Nonprofit Radio for February 13, 2023: Inflection Points As Your Nonprofit Grows → Brooke Richie Babbach: Inflection Points As Your Nonprofit

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Is Our Storytelling Ethical?

Ignited Fundraising

Whoa. That’s a question that feels complicated and even uncomfortable, right? Is our storytelling ethical? And what does it mean to tell stories that are ethical? This isn’t a topic for a single blog post. So, expect more from me in the weeks and months ahead. First, let’s define some terminology. Storytelling /ˈstôrēˌteliNG/ the activity of writing, telling, or reading stories Ethical /ˈeTHəkəl/ relating to beliefs about what is morally right and wrong As a self-titled master storyteller, I’ve

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10 Ways to Keep Board Members Out of Nonprofit Operations

NonProfit PRO

When a nonprofit is young, it may have few to no full-time employees. In that case, the board may have to be involved in operations. However, that’s not ideal as the organization grows. Here are 10 ways to ensure that your board is properly educated and empowered in its role and that it stays out of daily operations.

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Why Fundraising Needs to Embrace a More Collective Culture

Veritus Group

The more we work collaboratively and lean on our collective skills, the better we can connect donors to our mission in meaningful ways. The post Why Fundraising Needs to Embrace a More Collective Culture appeared first on Veritus Group.

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Americans Are Volunteering Less. What Can Nonprofits Do to Bring Them Back?

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

By Leslie Lenkowsky Recent surveys showing a decrease in volunteering largely blame the pandemic, but the problem isn’t new. Nonprofits need to figure out how to turn Americans’ desire to lend a hand to neighbors into more formal commitments to help their communities.

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Don’t Leave a Voicemail if…

Clairification

I generally counsel nonprofits to call and thank their donors. It’s personal, unexpected and just plain nice. We could all use a little more “nice” in our lives. But there’s a right and wrong way to express gratitude One is authentic and meaningful. The other is robotic and meaningless. Maybe even off-putting. A Thank You Phone Call/Message Gone Awry Here’s a transcription of a voicemail left for me last week from a well-known national charity with local branches: The post Don’t Leave a Voicema

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Nonprofit Radio for February 27, 2023: Resilience & Lean Risk Management

Tony Martignetti

Ted Bilich: Resilience & Lean Risk Management Ted Bilich wants you to develop a risk management cycle and incorporate lean principles, so you confront negative risks and exploit positive risks. He’s the author of the book, “Managing Your Nonprofit for Resilience.” Listen to the podcast Get Nonprofit Radio insider alerts! … Continue reading Nonprofit Radio for February 27, 2023: Resilience & Lean Risk Management → Ted Bilich: Resilience & Lean Risk Management Ted Bili

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The 10 roles and responsibilities of a nonprofit Board of Directors

Get Fully Funded

Every nonprofit has a Board of Directors. Yet most people don’t understand exactly what the Board’s job is. And this is a problem. You see, it means that hundreds of people are sitting on nonprofit Boards and have NO IDEA what they said “yes” to. It’s surprising. And concerning. Unfortunately, there’s no “Board School” to send people to when they join a Board, so new members just do the best they can, following the lead of seasoned Board members.

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How Florida’s Stop WOKE Act Impacts Nonprofits, Part 2

NonProfit PRO

In part one, I described the difficulties nonprofits are facing trying to comply with the Stop WOKE Act. Now let’s take a deeper look into what complying with this law means for nonprofits with employees doing business in the state — discussing everything from human resources to donor relations.

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Why Your Donor May Be Confused About Their Relationship With You

Veritus Group

A donor relationship should feel like a partnership, but often, donors sense that they're only valued for how much they give. The post Why Your Donor May Be Confused About Their Relationship With You appeared first on Veritus Group.

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Millennials Had the Biggest Increase in Giving Among the Generations, New Survey Finds

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

By Emily Haynes Getty Images Millennial donors turbocharged their giving over the past six years, according to a new report by Giving USA and the fundraising firm Dunham+Company.

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Before Sending a Fundraising Appeal Do This, Not That

Clairification

Taking the time to look at your fundraising message with a critical eye can help you raise a lot more money. You see, there are right and wrong ways to talk with prospective donors. You’ve likely read a lot on this topic (I know I’ve certainly written a lot on this topic – for starters see here ), yet it bears repeating. If you fail to put your best foot forward, you’re going to end up shooting yourself in that foot!

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3 Strategies to create an effective nonprofit homepage

Candid

Your nonprofit’s digital presence makes a huge difference in how well you’re able to engage supporters. This is where an effective nonprofit homepage becomes especially important; it’s not only the first landing page supporters see. It also solidifies their first impression of your organization and influences whether they’re interested in further exploring and supporting your cause.

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Simplifying nonprofit strategic planning for beginners 

Get Fully Funded

Nonprofit strategic planning often gets a bad rap, but time spent mapping out your organization’s future can save you from spinning your wheels, being busy but not effective. When running a nonprofit, there’s so much to do and you’re on the go from morning ’til night. But without a clear idea of where you’re going, all that activity may not actually move you forward toward your goals.

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I Asked ChatGPT to Write a Fundraising Letter. Here’s What Happened.

NonProfit PRO

Are you afraid that ChatGPT is coming for your job? After talking to multiple copywriters who share the fear of losing their jobs to artificial intelligence, I put ChatGPT to the task of writing a fundraising letter. Here is what happened.

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How Leaders Can Let Go of Control

Veritus Group

Becoming an effective leader requires letting go of the need to control and trusting others to get things done. Here's how. The post How Leaders Can Let Go of Control appeared first on Veritus Group.

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Value of Big Gifts Declines, Report Finds, but 'Money Is Still There'

The Chronicle of Philanthropy

By Emily Haynes Phil Ashley, Getty Images Despite the year-over-year decrease in the value of gifts of $10 million or more, the number of those gifts actually increased 3 percent from 2021 to 2022.

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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 the nonprofit world so you can resource, learn and digest at your own pace, coming to your own decisions.

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The Power of Relationships for the Lonely Grant Writer

DH Leonard Consulting & Grant Writing Services

If you listen to the Fundraising HayDay podcast or know me some other way, you will quickly learn that I am an EXTRA extrovert. People are my passion, my jam, my lifeblood. As far as I am concerned, friends and quality relationships make the world go round. Trust me, if we know each other, we are probably friends. If we aren’t yet, just give it time.

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Working through Grief: How to Build a Supportive Workplace

Blue Avocado

It can be difficult to know how to support employees who are grieving or experiencing grief as the result of a loved one dying. Done insensitively and without forethought and training, managers and colleagues can come across as uncaring and even complicit in a conspiracy of silence that deprives people of the support that work can offer in times of mourning.

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The Nonprofit World’s Robot Problem: AI Does Not Replace Donor Engagement

NonProfit PRO

In November, a new online artificial intelligence (AI) program called ChatGPT was released in a free test mode. It can hold a conversation, answer questions and create eerily accurate written statements. It reminded me of an old saying, “If you don’t want to be replaced by a robot, stop behaving like one.

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