Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Starting Over #5: Growing Without Direct Mail

When we first announced the Starting Over series, the very first comment we received came from Sarah Nutbrown who works for a small nonprofit in New Zealand. Sarah wrote, “We’re just starting to build up individual giving, with limited resources, all ideas on where we focus our energy are more than welcomed. Sean Triner said […]

Learn More July 8, 2016

Donorus Specificus: Evolution Of The Donor

Yesterday Roger argued that fundraisers need to know their donors’ identities. And he was talking about individual donors … and not just the $1,000, $5,000 or $10,000 (or whatever your ‘major gift’ threshold is) variety. He admitted this would be hard work: “This is an approach that most fundraisers will dismiss out of hand as […]

Learn More July 7, 2016

Starting Over #4: Understanding Donor Identity

In his post, Is There A ‘Donor Journey’? Tom raises a key question and some of our most thoughtful readers answered, in essence, course there is, BUT … in the case of many organizations that journey is mighty flawed. And the reason most donor journeys, donor experiences, ‘touches’ or whatever you want to call them […]

Learn More July 6, 2016

Is There A ‘Donor Journey’?

Marketers are great as using metaphors to conceptualize the process they think consumers go through as they approach making a purchase. Perhaps the most widely embraced paradigm has been the ‘consumer journey’ — the path the consumer follows from initially feeling or identifying a need to actually plunking down the dollars. I had some free time over […]

Learn More July 5, 2016

Fundraising Fireworks

On Monday, July 4th Agitator readers in the U.S. and we editors celebrate America’s 240th Independence Day. There will be fireworks, barbeques, volunteer fire department parades, the televised public broadcasting special from the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and heaven only knows how many political speeches and kissed babies. Speeches and kisses delivered in ugliest political climate […]

Learn More July 1, 2016

Where Does The Passion Come From?

This ‘news’ item from The Onion, Man Has Loyalty To Pretzel Brand, is of course a spoof. But the truth behind it is that people can develop a passion, and with that, loyalty, for all sorts of things … even a pretzel brand. The initial attraction might be entirely accidental or casual. Roger cited nonprofit […]

Learn More June 30, 2016