Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Who Made Your Best Ad?

Or came up with the best fundraising message? Or the phrase or image that cut right through the rest of the plain vanilla? If your nonprofit is in the habit of actually listening to your donors (or the beneficiaries of your organization), chances are one of them did … or could, if given the opportunity. […]

Learn More August 27, 2010

Run The Agitator Gauntlet – 1

Awhile back, I proffered an email appeal by Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) as an example of a well-executed appeal, and invited readers to critique it themselves. The robust discussion that ensued inspired us to try this as a regular feature. So we invited readers to offer up their own fundraising appeals to run through the […]

Learn More August 26, 2010

Instant Trust

I recently received an invitation to an online seminar with this title … Top 4 Secrets to Building Instant Trust Online Now somehow this just doesn’t work for me. Isn’t “instant” trust impossible? Are we dealing with the ultimate oxymoron here? Then compounding my suspicion, I’m promised “secrets” to build trust … another disconnect. Finally, […]

Learn More August 25, 2010

Boomers’ Charity Spending

Good news and insight from Matt Thornhill of the Boomer Project, my favorite Boomer expert. Writing in Engage: Boomers, Matt compares the spending habits of today’s age 55-64 Boomer segment to today’s 65-74 year-olds (he calls them”Silents”) ten years earlier. In other words, how were the Silents spending their money (and how much) ten years […]

Learn More August 24, 2010

What To Do When “60 Minutes” Calls

Are you prepared for the day your executive director is led away in handcuffs? When auditors discover that the multi-million gift from that wonderful widow has gone missing? Or when “60 Minutes” comes knocking on the door asking difficult questions? It’s not just the BPs, Goldman-Sachs and Toyotas who need a plan. Crises large and […]

Learn More August 23, 2010

One World Futbol

I like Mal Warwick’s cause, One World Futbol. But be that as it may, I also like this mode of presentation. [Make sure your speakers are on.] Do you think it might work for your cause? Tom

Learn More August 20, 2010