Think AI is cold, complicated, or not for fundraisers? Think again. I’ve experimented myself. Asking ChatGPT to draft an e. Or an out. Or a draft for a proposal. At first, I was unimpressed. The content was a bit generic, and often redundant. Citations were sometimes incorrect. The logic was questionable. And, of course, the…| Clairification
Focus on the Rainbow, Not the Storm If you’re coming at fundraising from the perspective of “no pain, no gain,” I’d like to suggest you reframe your approach. Especially when it comes to asking individuals, one-to-one, for passionate gifts. As long as you hate it, you’re never going to be effective. In fact, if… The post Do You, or People You Know, Hate Fundraising? Read This! appeared first on Clairification.| Clairification
Are you planning to do, more or less, the same thing you did last year for your year-end annual fundraising push? I mean things like: Recycling the same appeal letter Mailing to the same list Failing to segment your list Failing to clean up addresses and de-dupe your list Using the same donation landing page… The post From ‘Resting on Laurels’ to Leading with Vision: A Nonprofit Guide to Moving On appeared first on Clairification.| Clairification
Let’s say you’ve done everything thus far suggested in this fundraising appeal checklist. ✅ You’ve done the groundwork.✅ You’ve focused your message.✅ You’ve made it about the donor—not your organization. Now it’s time to bring it home. Because no matter how clear or well-structured your appeal is, it won’t inspire action unless it moves the…| Clairification
Before you write a single word of your annual fundraising appeal, pause. Take a deep breath. And think about the person who will open your letter or email. They’re not just a “donor.” They’re a person with hopes, fears, dreams and values. Someone who cares. Someone who wants to make a difference. Someone who, in… The post Fundraising Appeal Checklist: 8 Essentials to Review Before You Write appeared first on Clairification.| Clairification
The job of the smart fundraiser is inspiring passionate philanthropy to make people’s lives better. I know you’re smart, because you’re reading this article! But none of us is born with a fundraising gene. And no one ever really teaches us how to write a smart fundraising appeal. We from our predecessors. Or maybe read…| Clairification
Full confession: I’ve used the franken “best practice” appeal structure for years. And honestly? It works — especially if you borrow generously from the best of the best appeal writers. I’ve even taught these practices at conferences, on webinars, and through consulting engagements. You probably know the formula: Lead with the beginnings of a story…| Clairification
This year, we have a new tool to help our members create their own fundraisers for the Together Women Rise annual appeal. Several chapter leaders and members have already set up their fundraisers, including Debra Berman, our Central Regional Leader. We recently spoke with Debra about the individual fundraiser she set up using this new […] The post Setting up a Together Women Rise Fundraiser first appeared on Together Women Rise. The post Setting up a Together Women Rise Fundraiser appeared ...| Together Women Rise
In a world filled with urgent heads and heart-wrenching crises, it’s easy for fundraisers to wonder if their cause stands a chance of breaking through the noise. Especially when they’re not rescuing animals, feeding hungry people, or fighting the types of injustices leading the news cycle. But relevance isn’t reserved for emergencies. THINK. With the…| Clairification
Studies show one-fourth of all charitable giving happens in December. For some organizations (maybe yours?), it’s as much as one-third. Year-end fundraising is not chopped chicken liver! While you absolutely should be using multiple fundraising channels to get best results, right now whatever you’ve got planned for off is pretty much coed. So your best…| Clairification
People are wired for stories. We use them to understand our world. But do the same stories work in any time? For any person? No. You need to understand your SMIT story – ‘Single Most Important Thing’ – at this moment in time. And that SMIT will change, depending on the environment in which you’re operating.…| Clairification
The world reacted with shock and outrage. There was a pervasive feeling of “how could this happen here?” People screamed… cried… prayed. This was five years ago. Last spring. When a fire wreaked devastating damage to something that, for many, represented the soul of a nation. And . Notre Dame…| 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: “How Donor Choose Charities.” They…| Clairification