Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Nick’s Brief Instructional Video on the Benefits of Data Hygiene

Editor’s Note: At the Agitator’s weekly editorial meeting we lamented the fact that even the most seemingly sophisticated fundraisers seem to forget the rudimentary/fundamental/absolutely necessary basics–like sending thank-you notes –which we dealt with yesterday. On the top of our list of “Needless and Dangerous Neglect”is the basic and all-important task of maintaining accurate data on […]

Learn More August 2, 2018

The High Cost of Undervaluing Gratitude

Today I’ll avoid a detailed foray into important topics like donor identity, commitment and segmentation and instead focus on the simple, human concept of gratitude. With this question: “Why do so many nonprofits fail at the most basic task of saying “Thank You” to their donors?” Over and over The Agitator has railed about the importance […]

Learn More August 1, 2018

Don’t Be the Next Blockbuster

I was struck by Cindy Courtier’s comment to Nick’s post on the importance of donor identity and commitment when it comes to creating positive and effective communications with donors. Clearly, Cindy understands what so many fundraisers don’t: Determining a donor’s identity (the “why” of his/her giving) and level of commitment (loyalty to the organization) makes a […]

Learn More July 31, 2018

Why “why” Matters – The Bald Truth

There is always a better way to segment other than resorting to the use of demographics. . I know. We’ve been down this road before. But the core reason is that demographics are an attribute of a person. At best, this attribute is a proxy for some core identity, reason for giving, or goal that […]

Learn More July 30, 2018

The Reality Distortion Field: Focusing on the One

There is a famous study in nonprofit marketing showing that an appeal that tells the story of a child does better than an appeal that tells that same story with information about the general problem of poverty in Africa. Even more oddly, a story of one boy did as well as the story of one […]

Learn More July 27, 2018

The donor growth mindset

Do you have a fixed mindset, where you believe your talents, character, intelligence, abilities, etc. are born and static? Or do you have a growth mindset, where you believe those things can be developed? Research shows if you are the latter, you are more likely to embrace challenges, persist in the face of challenges, put […]

Learn More July 26, 2018