Award Winning Blog - Agitator

The four words that increased click-through by 42%

“As a medical professional”… That was simple, no? They certainly aren’t the types of words you would usually use to increase click-through, response, and conversion rates. And, alas, they may not work for you. Their power lies in the fact that they are a simple priming of a simple, but relevant, donor identity. The test […]

Learn More May 15, 2018

The Opposite of “More” Is Not “Less”; It’s “Better”

For generations direct response fundraisers have been steering the fundraising car with little more than two controls: the gas pedal and the brake pedal. Want more monthly donors? Invest more money. More prospecting. More F2F. More DRTV. More campaigns to reactivate lapsed sustainers. More. More. Want more net income to “meet the numbers”? Cut back […]

Learn More May 14, 2018

Lousy Boards, Lousy Bosses

Yesterday’s email yielded a field report from the circuit-riding Tom Ahern summarizing the dangers of lousy bosses and boards. . He had just previewed a new training session— Everyone’s a Critic– with an audience drawn from a few universities, the Girl Scouts, some hospital, social services, arts/museums and a hospice. Tom reports that “after two hours the group […]

Learn More May 11, 2018

Monthly Giving Part 4: Stewarding Monthly Donors

For reasons attributable only to sloth or ignorance far too many organizations sign up monthly donors then walk away. No thank you. No phone call. No newsletter. Nothing. And they wonder why these precious donors lapse. Really? In a moment I’ll share the top three tips on stewarding (treating donors like human beings) monthly donors […]

Learn More May 10, 2018

Dining With Donors

It had been years since I visited an all-night diner. So, the other night, road weary and longing for a cheeseburger and fries, I pulled into a real live, old-fashioned, aluminum clad diner and made my way to a booth with its own jukebox. Heaven. BUT… something was amiss. Out of place. Unfamiliar. With my […]

Learn More May 9, 2018

“Sorry, We’re Too Busy to Improve”

“No one is working 10-12 hours a day. Being busy is not working. Taking calls and meetings is a waste. Whenever someone tells me they’re actually working 12-14 hours a day [I ask] are you working or is your time filled with tiny blocks of bullshit ore are there large blocks of uninterrupted time?” That […]

Learn More May 8, 2018