Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Feeling Good Or Feeling Effective

When you personally make a charitable contribution, what’s really going on? Are you looking to feel good or feel effective? You could take the coward’s way out and say ‘Both!’ About two weeks ago I read this column in the NY Times — Donating, and Making Sure the Money Is Put to Work. I set […]

Learn More May 6, 2014

Barriers To Growth – Part 1

A year ago we reported on Adrian Sargeant’s and Jen Shang’s remarkable study — Great Fundraising — revealing steps organizations must take to increase income 2, 3 or even 4 times. Last week, in Overcoming Barriers to Growth, I previewed the DMA Nonprofit Federation’s Leadership Summit by the same name that kicks off this Wednesday. […]

Learn More May 5, 2014

From Little Data To Big Data

Yesterday, Roger wrote about the value of segmentation and how even the fundraising of smaller nonprofits could benefit from basic donor segmentation. Today we’re at the other end of the spectrum — big organizations with heaps of data … which carries its own problems. Here is a white paper from marketing and information services firm […]

Learn More May 2, 2014

Simple Segmentation For Smaller Organizations

Fundraisers spend a lot of time developing the offer – writing (and rewriting, and rewriting, and rewriting) an appeal letter nine times, holding four meetings to decide on whether programs are accurately described, debating whether that cuddly polar bear premium is more compelling than a furry dolphin. Sadly, only a fraction of that time is generally […]

Learn More May 1, 2014

Is Peer-To-Peer Fundraising Dead?““““““““““““““““““““““““““““

Peer-to-peer fundraising is about as dead as direct mail. I’ve seen and heard lots of discussion that the traditional events — the staples of peer-to-peer fundraising like cycling, endurance contests, 5Ks and walks — are no longer relevant. After all, revenue from these events seems to have stagnated. Of course, the same is said of […]

Learn More April 30, 2014

Emotion vs. Logic. And The Winner Is …

Over the years in The Agitator, in post after post after post we’ve emphasized the paramount importance emotion in fundraising. As Tom succinctly put it: “Methinks the entire quest for rationalization is really fueled by our emotional need — in the case of having donated — for our benevolence to not have been wasted, violated, foolish […]

Learn More April 29, 2014