Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Shoot The Moon

Over at Future Fundraising Now, Jeff Brooks is warning fundraisers about misguided advice to stop acquisition efforts in order to focus on retention. Personally, I haven’t seen much of such advice floating around. I sure hope he was exaggerating … or that the speaker he cites was aiming for dramatic effect. Because Jeff is dead […]

Learn More October 8, 2013

Is Your ‘Product’ Up To Snuff?

As we head into October, most fundraisers are probably focused on technique and implementation. After all, we’re entering the year-end feeding frenzy (i.e., peak donation period). This is the time to go with the tide — to rake it in, using proven tactics of the past, not navel-gaze over strategy or lifetime value or, god […]

Learn More October 7, 2013

Predictions

I stumbled upon a planning report from ad agency Young & Rubicam that offers nine social trend predictions that Y&R believes marketers must address. None of the predictions relate specifically to fundraising, but I think you’ll see some implications here. Besides, it’s Friday … time to stretch your brain a bit beyond all that fundraising […]

Learn More October 4, 2013

Dangerous Myth #1: Too Much Solicitation Causes Poor Retention

In the run-up to last year’s winter holidays I posted Don’t Eat the Poinsettia as an appropriate reminder that in fundraising — as in life — there are many myths we take for gospel. Some false or untrue myths like “Don’t swallow your gum; it stays in your stomach for seven years”, or “Don’t sit […]

Learn More October 3, 2013

Fundraisers As Travel Agents

Yesterday I asked you as a fundraiser to consider: Are you a valued guide to your donors, or simply a nuisance paparazzi? That question elicited a message from Tony Elischer at THINK Consulting. He forwarded a recent piece he’d written titled: How are you managing the Donor Journey? Tony suggests that fundraisers regard themselves as […]

Learn More October 2, 2013

Guides Or Paparazzi?

Commenting on a recent Agitator post, Claire Axelrad noted: “…transformational fundraising is about igniting the spark of passion that brings human beings joy. That’s why fundraisers (the good ones) are to be treasured, not castigated. The good ones are guides and leaders, not paparazzi.” What a vivid (negative) image that gave me … fundraisers as […]

Learn More October 1, 2013