Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Second Chance For Fundraisers

The floor surrounding my desk is covered with an array of folders containing chapters of material for a new book Kevin Schulman and I are working on. Tentatively titled Start Over: Building a growing, sustainable nonprofit from scratch in today’s fast-changing and challenging environment, the book aims to be a helpful guide to the vastly changed […]

Learn More June 2, 2015

Does Your Reputation Matter?

The Agitator has recently reported on the latest body blows to the reputation of the nonprofit/charity sector, specifically with respect to fundraising practices. One would think that attention to reputation would be of paramount concern to our sector, but there isn’t much sign that individual nonprofit organisations think about their reputation in a systematic way. […]

Learn More June 1, 2015

Fixing Hidden Leaks #4: Credit Card Hell

In Hidden Leaks #2, I warned of the likelihood that a bad Donation Page will drive even the most loyal of donors to the exit. Getting down in the essential weeds a bit more, here’s an important message about another processing ‘leak’ — and loyalty opportunity — in the retention bucket. A leak unnoticed or […]

Learn More May 29, 2015

Matching Gifts: Bonanza Or Sham?

Every few weeks I wade into the Sea of Sameness that is my pile of unopened fundraising mail. While leafing through the current batch I came across 3 Matching Gift offers. One advances the offer of a 3 for 1 match … another expresses the urgency of a 4 for 1 match … the third […]

Learn More May 28, 2015

They’re Looking At Us!

Most of the time, when I write about our commercial marketing brethren, I’m talking about stuff they’re doing that we in the nonprofit sector might learn from. Today, the tables are turned. I’ve noticed two articles lately from commercial guys praising nonprofit marketing efforts. Here’s what they like. The first article, by direct marketer Bob […]

Learn More May 27, 2015

Fixing Hidden Leaks #3: Ban Good Writers From Your Website

Nothing will drive website visitors away faster than turning a real writer loose on your website. Here’s the problem. All good writers want people to read what they write. To do this they tell stories. They want to share. They want to explain. They long for the reader to get lost within the writer’s world. […]

Learn More May 26, 2015