Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Secret To Work-Life Balance

All fundraisers are now caught up in the year-end fundraising frenzy. Only 31 days left to make your numbers for the year. Pressure. Pressure. And more pressure. Our U.S. fundraisers couldn’t even totally relax through their Thanksgiving holiday. Many were worrying … will three online appeals per week be enough or too much?! ‘Gluttony’ and […]

Learn More December 1, 2014

Thanksgiving Test

Our friend Tom Ahern’s Luggage is My Life blog contains a pithy — and seasonally themed — piece on thanking donors. It’s in the form of a test question posed by Tony Elischer, managing director over at THINK. Question: When you receive a contribution … which comes first? [ ] Bank the check [ ] […]

Learn More November 28, 2014

Giving Thanks

Chances are there’s not a U.S. Agitator reader online or browsing The Agitator today. Even Tom and I are taking the day off. You see, it’s Thanksgiving. The preeminent day in the U.S. The one holiday all Americans seem to agree on and celebrate. Even celebrate to the extent of traveling thousands of miles, paying exorbitant […]

Learn More November 27, 2014

Need Something To Be Thankful For? Back To St Joseph’s Indian School.

About a week ago I wrote about this story in The Nonprofit Quarterly: “Group Uses Fictitious Children to Boost Fundraising: Poverty Porn?” I guess the title itself suggests that publication’s verdict! Our commenters were more tolerant. Said Chip Heartfield: “It is not clear if the stories are composites or represent one child whose real name […]

Learn More November 26, 2014

Fundraising Myths And Dark Legends

One of my all-time favorite fundraising copywriters is Tom Gaffny. For nearly 30 years he ran the creative shop at Epsilon and continues to post top results with his firm, Tom Gaffny Consulting. What sets Tom and other great fundraising copywriters apart from the pack is their ability to go way beyond skillfully putting words […]

Learn More November 25, 2014

On Playing Mozart To A Pig

Sometimes when The Agitator offers proven — and always free — advice and tools, but gets few takers, it feels like we’re playing Mozart to a pig. Silence and little response. As Grandma Craver used to say, “It wastes your time and annoys the pig.” Not this time. Sixty days ago we offered a free-forever […]

Learn More November 24, 2014