Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Advocacy Fundraising #3: Finding and Converting Advocates

You’ve defined your Advocate Identity. And you know the slacktivism traps. But, how do you acquire constituents who are advocates, then convert them to donors? There are services like Care2 and CQ Roll Call that will sell you advocates. I’ve heard mixed results from these services, including one recently who said her online advocates finally […]

Learn More February 23, 2018

How do donors choose among charities?

The latest Blackbaud report indicates that giving in the U.S. went up 4.1% in 2017. (Yay!) But inflation was 2.1% and the number of nonprofits (in the last year for which I could find data) went up 3.1%. Thus, 4.1% is a net loss in real terms. (Boo!) It feels like that, doesn’t it? Like […]

Learn More February 22, 2018

Advocacy Fundraising #2: Slacktivism Science

Online advocacy has a bad name. Specifically: slacktivism (or clicktivism). Seth Meyers put the prevailing opinion into funny words on SNL: “Look, if you make a Facebook page we will “like” it—it’s the least we can do. But it’s also the most we can do.” This frames the debate well. Is online activism a prelude […]

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Advocacy Fundraising #1: The Advocate Identity

Editor’s Note: This is the first of a three-part series on Advocacy Fundraising. Part 1: the Importance of Advocate Identity. Part 2: Slactivism Science. Separating the wheat from the chaff. Part 3: Putting it all together. Finding and Converting Advocates. ——————————————————————————————————————- THE ADVOCATE IDENTITY Do you recognize any of these signs? Some of your supporters will […]

Learn More February 21, 2018

Introducing TrueAppend for Fundraisers

Today we’re adding TrueAppend to The Agitator Toolbox. This easy-to-use tool enables you to go online and quickly—and without charge – get a demographic overview of your donor database. In a matter of minutes, you’ll receive charts and graphs identifying key characteristics of your donors. Attributes like Age, Net worth, and Income. Lifestyle markers like marital […]

Learn More February 20, 2018

2017: “The year charitable giving bounced back.”

The other day The Blackbaud Insitute for Philanthropic Impact released its 2017 Charitable Giving Report and the news is good. In brief…. Overall giving grew approximately 4.1% in 2017—fueled by a 5.1% increase in the last three months of the year. Online giving grew 12.1% in 2017 compared to 2016 Online donations made up 7.6% […]

Learn More February 19, 2018