Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Is Your Organization Really Donor-Centric?

There’s a quick test to determine whether a fundraising organization is truly donor-centered or not. Sadly, most groups fail the test … miserably. The test is simple: who in the fundraising/communications department has the most power? If, as is so often claimed (“we’re donor-centric”), the donor is truly the king or queen, then power will […]

Learn More February 8, 2016

Case Study: Raise More, Ask Less

My St. Patrick’s Day post last year — Are You Abusing Your Donors? — triggered a barrage of comments and protestations pro and con. I knew some nerves had been struck. And it wasn’t because of leprechauns or green beer. It was because I raised the question of whether we should reconsider, revise or evolve the direct […]

Learn More February 5, 2016

You’re a ‘Donor Loser’ … Explain Why To Your Boss!

In this excellent post, Angie Moore reminds us of the frightening statistics from the latest 2015 Fundraising Effectiveness Survey Report. Angie calls these findings “scary”. Roger warned us about these numbers as well when they first came out … he called the findings “depressing” … “read them and weep” he said. Here are the basic […]

Learn More February 4, 2016

How’s YOUR Performance?

“Charitable giving has recovered from the recession, but year-over-year growth rates are showing signs of slowing.” That’s the conclusion of Blackbaud’s just released Charitable Giving Report: How Nonprofit Fundraising Performed in 2015. You’ll want to download your free copy. The 2015 Report, edited by Steve MacLaughlin, Director of Analytics at Blackbaud covers $18.2 billion in giving […]

Learn More February 3, 2016

Fundraisers Are Lucky Marketers

Permit me a moment of personal reflection today. Today my youngest daughter started her first ‘real’ job, as an ‘account executive’ at Saatchi & Saatchi. This after graduating with a commerce/marketing degree from Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand. I spared no effort in the last couple of years to nudge her in the direction […]

Learn More February 2, 2016

Donor Acquisition Series #4 – A Bicycle Built For Growth

As I’ve indicated in the first three parts of this series, most nonprofits need to become a lot more savvy about ‘acquisition’. At the same time it’s essential to understand how ‘acquisition’ and ‘retention’ operate in tandem to determine an organization’s future. Like a bicycle, the more finely tuned the two wheels are, the better the […]

Learn More February 1, 2016