Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Make Me Smile, Not Smirk

Given that I’m hiding out in New Zealand, I probably received far fewer email fundraising appeals than most Agitator readers during the end-of-the-year bombardment. [In fact, my concealment is working, I can’t recall but one NZ-based charity ‘discovering’ me as an online target (compared to three mail appeals).] Most of what I did receive turned me […]

Learn More January 10, 2017

A Bountiful Reward For Giving Thanks

In November The Agitator reported on a creative alternative to #GivingTuesday called #ThanksGivingTuesday. Organized by Heather McGinness, VP of Advancement at Concordia College-New York, this all-stakeholder event is testament to the power of genuine gratitude, skillful communication, and a mighty respect for donors. I checked back with Heather last week to find out how the bottom […]

Learn More January 9, 2017

The Year For Acquisition

I’m writing this post with great trepidation. Because I want to float the idea that 2017 should be a year for unprecedented donor acquisition. But as Agitator readers well know, deep down Roger and I continue to believe that too many fundraisers and organizations inexplicably, indefensibly neglect donor retention. Consequently, it almost pains me to write a […]

Learn More January 6, 2017

Say you want a resolution…

Whither the New Year’s resolution? You know, the things you set at the beginning of the year like: I will run five miles a day I will not eat (many) donuts in the break room I will stop starting blog posts with “Whither” to avoid sounding like I write while wearing a powdered wig and […]

Learn More January 5, 2017

What A 5 Year-Old Can Teach You About Donor Retention

Irish fundraiser Simon Scriver produces a near-constant flow of bits and pieces on his Twitter feed (@ToastFundraiser). Some relate to fundraising, some to charity doings and some simply to the hilarity of the human condition. I was particularly struck by his recent Tweet below announcing that his five year-old understands and is acting upon a […]

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Your Key Metrics In Minutes For A Stellar 2017

It’s fashionable these days for many nonprofit fundraisers and their consultants to claim they’re ‘data-driven’. Problem is, most folks focus on the ‘data’ part of the slogan; few understand the requirements of the second word — ‘driven’. I’m making this observation again at the start of the year because if you haven’t already done so, now is […]

Learn More January 4, 2017