Award Winning Blog - Agitator

How Are Your Email Appeals Accessed?

Sorry, no advice today! A question instead. I’ve just been reading a variety of articles (examples here and here) about improving email performance in the commercial space. Apart from the usual advice about subject lines, timing, length, testing etc, the real rising issue involves the steadily increasing likelihood that your email message is being read […]

Learn More May 10, 2012

At Last! Fundraising Without Fundraisers

When I switched from major gift fundraising to direct response, I explained to my friends that, at last, I could deal with humanity without having to deal with people. Actually, I really, truly, like people. But, at the same time I must admit that dealing with them at 30,000 feet is better than one-on-one at […]

Learn More May 9, 2012

Premiums Make Me Cringe

Probably no direct mail fundraising practice makes me cringe more than the use of premiums in prospecting. My instinctive reaction is to regard them as pure hucksterism — evidence that the sending organization regards its prospects as mindless. More interested in the stamps or coffee mug or plush toy than the real issue or cause. […]

Learn More May 8, 2012

The Last From A Fundraising First

Vinay Bhagat, Founder of Convio and tireless online fundraising evangelist, posted his final blog on Friday, his last day at Convio. The title of Vinay’s final post is Be the Change You Wish to See in the World, based on a favorite quote from Mahatma Gandhi. In his post Vinay traces his last 13 years […]

Learn More May 7, 2012

Should You Drop Me From Your Email List?

I get fundraising emails regularly from nonprofits to whom I haven’t contributed in years … in one case, about 6+ years. From their perspective, when — if ever — should they give up on me? Since I give mostly to advocacy groups, perhaps I confuse them. I’ll respond to the occasional action alert, if I […]

Learn More May 4, 2012

Vanity Metrics

What are you measuring? This article from Huffington Post — Are Vanity Metrics Making Your Organization Sick? — argues that too many organizations measure the wrong things … and when they do, they are “bound to get sick.” Vanity metrics are “metrics that only look at the surface performance and don’t relate to the actual […]

Learn More May 3, 2012