Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Is PayPal Really Your Pal?

Earlier this week The New York Times reported a federal class action lawsuit accusing the PayPal Giving Fund of collecting contributions for groups that may never receive the funds. According to the Times, “ The philanthropic website by PayPal, the digital payment company, has become a major player in online fund-raising for charitable organizations worldwide, processing […]

Learn More March 2, 2017

The donorcentricity debate

There was a vigorous debate over at our friends at The Agitator about the nature of being focused on the donor, with topics like whether a “you” focus is sufficient to be donorcentric. Virtual blows were thrown, clarifications made, blood pressures checked. At the same time, I had the opportunity to be with several nonprofit […]

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Fundraising And ‘Connected Spenders’

Do you need to know the latest consumer spending behavior in Indonesia, Pakistan and Nigeria? Probably not a lot of those addresses on your donor list … nor on any mailing list! But as it happens, by 2025 these three countries will be among the top ten countries on the planet that are home to […]

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Your Ultimate Final, Penultimate Final, Last Final Renewal Notice. Absolutely. We’re Serious.

In Are You Beggar or a Fundraiser, Tom featured an email appeal from the Democratic Congressional Campaign (DCCC) that exuded the distinct odor of desperation. ‘Desperate’-sounding because the copy — screaming ‘FINAL NOTICE’ in stark black and red type — reminded the donor that “you have 8 missed messages to renew your Democratic membership.” Well, Tom, […]

Learn More March 1, 2017

2016 Giving Trends: The Warning Signs

The Blackbaud Insitute for Philanthropic Impact has released its Fifth Annual Charitable Giving Report that you can download here. It’s an attractive, interesting read and a chance to do some benchmarking comparison with your own results. It also contains the evidence that should cause us all to continue our professional soul searching and quest to do […]

Learn More February 28, 2017

Roger’s Blood Pressure

For months now, I’ve been sensing the steady rise in Roger’s blood pressure. I’ve watched two things in particular get him agitated … First, the glacier-like pace (and that’s me being charitable) with which fundraisers have responded to declining donor retention rates. And second, not unrelated, the apparent diffidence (again, I’m being charitable in my choice of […]

Learn More February 27, 2017