Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Acquisition: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Before we wade into the nuts, bolts, techniques, pitfalls and opportunities in our Acquisition Series, we want to once more remind everyone of the climate in which today’s acquisition efforts are conducted. Long before the recent spate of media attention on acquisition costs and practices, there was a growing belief on the part of donors […]

Learn More October 2, 2012

Fundraising & Advocacy Campaigns In A Box

We’ve just added a remarkable widget to The Agitator Toolbox that strikes us as a dream come true for fundraisers and action campaigners in this age of mobile and video. And judging from the response rates I’ve seen, it’s not only remarkable but powerful as well. It’s called “Spark” and it functions like a mini-website […]

Learn More October 1, 2012

Blackbaud Pruning & Improving Its Orchard

This Sunday Blackbaud’s bbcon 2012 conference opens at the Gaylord National just south of Washington, D.C. Because 33,000+ nonprofits, including thousands of Agitator readers, use Blackbaud products, Tom and I felt this was an appropriate time to review Blackbaud’s progress following its Spring 2012 merger with Convio. Our initial concern over the merger is evidenced […]

Learn More September 28, 2012

Acquisition: Asking The Wrong Question

Our August post on Catch & Release Fishing focused — yet again — on the burning need to get serious about retention. At the time Lisa Sargent worried that our intense focus on retention might be interpreted as damning acquisition in general, and she urged us to do more on the flip side of the […]

Learn More September 27, 2012

The Quadriga Plot Thickens

In its second installment on fundraising this week, CNN, via Anderson Cooper 360, again criticized the fundraising practices of Quadriga Art. This time CNN says eleven charities “have been turned upside down” by millions of dollars of debt to Quadriga. For example, Help the Children in California received $32,000 out of hundreds of thousands raised. […]

Learn More September 26, 2012

CNN Continues Investigation Of Quadriga Art

As Roger anticipated in his post last week, Take This To Your Board and CEO Today, CNN’s investigation of the fundraising practices of Quadriga Art and certain of its clients continues. Last night, CNN aired this segment on Anderson Cooper 360, this time reporting that the Disabled Veterans National Foundation, a Quadriga Art client already […]

Learn More September 24, 2012