Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Selling Your Board On Direct Response

Roger has written on several occasions about the obstacles that nonprofit boards can present to effective fundraising and growth — see, for example, here and here — especially when it comes to direct response fundraising. Similarly, Tom Harrison, chairman of Russ Reid, writing a recent column in Fundraising Success, recited some of the ‘wisdom’ he’s […]

Learn More June 12, 2014

Fundraising Agencies — Barriers To Growth, Part 5

A lot of what I’m about to say here will seem offensive to fundraising agencies and insensitive to their problems. I mean to be neither. I decided to call out this thorny barrier to growth because I’m not alone in observing a dangerous pattern that’s emerging. Higher fees, lost respect, absence of serious innovation – […]

Learn More June 11, 2014

Sadvertising

Writing in Fundraising Success recently, Angie Moore riffed off an article in Fast Company titled, The Rise of Sadvertising: Why Brands Are Determined to Make You Cry. At the top of her piece, Angie wrote: “…you would think emotional advertising is something new. I’m not making fun of the article — I actually found it […]

Learn More June 10, 2014

Fired, With Enthusiasm

Or should it be “Fired with enthusiasm”? There’s a big difference as UK fundraiser Ken Burnett sees it. Awhile back, as part of a series Proud to be a fundraiser, Ken wrote Keeping the right fundraisers. He wrote of fundraisers as either “radiators” or “drains” … The radiators, who spread heat and passion, radiating the […]

Learn More June 9, 2014

Hispanic Trends

Pew Research, my favorite source for US demographic and attitudinal trends, analyzes and publishes heaps of data on the US Hispanic population. Their Hispanic Trends Project has now launched an e-newsletter with bi-weekly updates on trends in this key demographic segment — basic demographics, media usage, political orientation, cultural and religious attitudes … you name […]

Learn More June 6, 2014

Telemarketing Lives!

When I saw the article in Fundraising Success, I was overjoyed. I couldn’t remember the last time I saw a fundraising article on telemarketing. But then I got absolutely giddy when I looked to find the pedigree of the author, Gabe Raff. Turns out that Gabe is the director of telemarketing strategies at Chapman Cubine […]

Learn More June 5, 2014