Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Don’t Ask … Thank

As the Thanksgiving break approaches in the U.S., doubtless thousands of fundraisers are frantically making their final preparations for #GivingTuesday, which occurs next Tuesday, the 29th. As faithful Agitator readers know, this is not an occasion high on my personal priority list! However, in the spirit of service to our fundraising community, I will bite […]

Learn More November 22, 2016

One Bucket Or Many?

Anyone who’s followed The Agitator’s campaign to get fundraisers interested in donor retention is familiar with this leaky bucket illustration … Donald Trump himself couldn’t come up with a better shorthand for illustrating the foolishness of adding new donors, only to allow existing donors (and pretty quickly the new ones) to trickle away. But wait, as […]

Learn More November 21, 2016

Get ‘Em While The Grief Is Hot – Part 2

Want to stand out in the flood of emails, direct mail and other post-election communications? Just pick up the phone and talk to your donors, members and supporters. A great use of the phone in this ’emergency’ climate is the Telephone Town Hall. A wonderful opportunity for everyone to gather and experience the camaraderie of […]

Learn More November 18, 2016

Alfred Hitchcock: nonprofit fundraiser

At the movies today, when you can see a robot punch an alien in the head in dizzying 3D, it’s interesting to remember more intimate things that race our pulse and stand up our neck hairs. The idea that your neighbor could be a killer, that he’s in the house, and your leg is broken. […]

Learn More November 17, 2016

Get ‘Em While The Grief Is Hot – Part 1

If your organization’s advocacy mission is directly related to or affected by the results of the 2016 elections, I hope you’re in the mail, on the phone, online and meeting with your donors right now. Don’t wait. Don’t sit around in endless meetings and plan. Just get out there and ask for help. Give your donors and […]

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Fundraise Til We Drop?

I just read an article worrying about fundraising prospects in the post-Boomer world. Worryingly, it cited the Blackbaud study estimating that Boomers and older adults account for 69% of giving in the U.S. … and of course with the sub-text: they’ll start dying. There’s plenty of stuff to read about that particular Armageddon, so I […]

Learn More November 16, 2016