Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Visions of Sugar Plums

As a kid I raptly listened as my parents and grandparents read my brother and me ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” every year until I went away to college and discovered there may not be a Santa Claus. I did the same thing to my kids. Each year I uttered “Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Dunder Blixem.” […]

Learn More December 21, 2017

The Ghost of Fundraising Yet to Come

Today The Agitator invokes Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and his Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Yet to Come. Actually, I’m most interested in the Ghost of Christmases Yet to Come. As I write, a diligent team is at work behind the scenes crafting new features, special website sections and research to share with you. I’m especially […]

Learn More December 20, 2017

Gobsmacked!

Yesterday’s gem from Mark Phillips and the folks at Bluefrog illustrates the length to which some organizations go to abuse donors. It’s behavior like this that landed UK fundraising in such a mess. On the flip side, one of the highlights of 2017 — a major effort intended to counter donor abuse and dig UK fundraising […]

Learn More December 19, 2017

#RE-GIFTING MONDAY

#RE-GIFTING MONDAY marks the kickoff of an unknown two-week holiday seen only on The Agitator’s editorial calendar. It’s unlike the seasonal “re-gifting” process where folks pass along gifts they’ve previously received ( ugly sweaters, a vase from a distant aunt, the silk tie or scarf that doesn’t match anything in your wardrobe). With Agitator Re-gifting we’re […]

Learn More December 18, 2017

The Same Old Santa

In my 50 years of writing fundraising copy I’ve yet to hear of a donor saying, “Hey, that’s the same appeal you sent me last year!” Yet too many fundraisers worry (often out loud and in endless meetings) and drive copywriters nuts with screwball briefings like “we need something new and different for this year-end […]

Learn More December 15, 2017

Metrics for the global maximum

It’s tempting to say that every improvement is a win. You got an extra three percent on response rate or average gift nudged up. And it is to a significant extent. But the question you must ask is what is the goal toward which you are optimizing. To re-use an analogy, let’s say you wanted […]

Learn More December 14, 2017