Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Deliverance From Doodles

I have a great suggestion for surviving your next nonprofit meeting. Dump your doodles and download this app: The Harvard Business Review Meeting Cost Calculator I shudder each time I think of the amount of time that’s spent discussing and measuring the inane minutiae that is the stuff of all too many meetings. Eyes glaze […]

Learn More January 19, 2016

Elizabeth Verdow Says ‘Thank You’

Last week, Roger kicked off our acquisition ‘offensive’ for the year by focusing first on bringing the right mindset to the acquisition challenge. And that’s an investment mindset, based on understanding the lifetime value of your typical donor. Of course it’s prudent to base your LTV calculations on the typical donor and set your prospecting […]

Learn More January 18, 2016

Death of a Fundraising Evangelist

Tony Elischer, the international fundraising evangelist known for his oft-flamboyant conference presentations and passion for our profession, is dead. The founder of Think Consulting Solutions died January 12th after a yearlong fight with cancer. A world leader in fundraising, Tony travelled widely and, as Ken Burnett, whose agency Tony joined earlier in his career, noted: […]

Learn More January 15, 2016

Donor Acquisition Series #1 – WANTED: An Investment Mindset

Among the first of the New Year’s resolutions received at Agitator Global HQ was one from Peter Maple and his Association of Grumpy Old Fundraisers who know stuff. Recalling the fundraising meltdown in the UK triggered by the Olive Cooke affair and the flood tide of negative publicity, which was then followed by the ebb […]

Learn More January 14, 2016

Smart Priorities For 2016

In a recent post I reminded Agitator readers of Roger’s top ‘To Do’ item for any fundraiser in any new year — keep educating yourself. One of the easiest ways is to sign up for some of the blogs and e-newsletters proffered by your fundraising colleagues. We include a heap of good sources on our […]

Learn More January 13, 2016

Essentials Of Innovation

As the year begins, most Agitator readers have made some plans for new approaches, new tactics, to try in the coming year … otherwise more grandly known as ‘innovations’. Seriously, I hope ‘innovation’ means more to fundraisers than testing new envelope teasers and email subject lines. Innovation is serious stuff, and often impeded by poor […]

Learn More January 12, 2016