Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Good Telemarketing Advice

What … Did you say telemarketing?!! Do fundraisers still do that? How rare it is to see someone promoting telemarketing for fundraising. Too bad. And here’s why, as Jose van Herpt of Canada’s FLA Group puts it: “Choosing not to use the phone because you just don’t like it leaves a lot of money on […]

Learn More July 16, 2010

More Good News Re Online Fundraising

On Tuesday Tom alerted us to Convio’s Benchmark Report on Online Fundraising for 2009. Today Blackbaud is out with another new Index –The Blackbaud Index of Online Giving. This fundraising index reports revenue trends on a monthly basis for 1,787 nonprofits representing $399 million in 12 month online revenue. The new Index is based on […]

Learn More July 15, 2010

Cell Phones & Fundraising

Pew Internet Research has released survey results indicating that 40% of adult American cell phone owners now use their cell phones to access the internet, email, or instant messaging. 34% (up from 25% in 2009) use their cellphones to access email. With outbound email appeals still the workhorse of online fundraising, I’m wondering what challenges […]

Learn More July 14, 2010

Convio’s Online Fundraising Report

If you haven’t yet seen Convio’s benchmark report on online fundraising for 2009, founder Vinay Bhagat’s video summary should wet your appetite. Heaps of data here, based on results from some 600 Convio online fundraising clients. Some highlights: Individual giving down only 0.4% compared to 3.6% for all philanthropy; Online fundraising returns up 14% for […]

Learn More July 13, 2010

Spectators Or Fans?

I’m seeing more and more marketing articles these days that emphasize relationship building and seriously engaging “best” customers. Here’s an example from Seth Godin, where he discusses Fans, participants and spectators: “Likes, friendlies and hits are all fast-growing numbers that require little commitment. And commitment is the essence of conversion. The problem with commitment is […]

Learn More July 12, 2010

Getting Noticed

Yesterday I reminisced about the “old days” when a small handful of “big brand” media delivered the news that fueled the fire in the belly of donors to many causes. Through their coverage, those same media — NY Times, PBS, CNN, NPR — also provided the credibility that helped build many of the biggest “cause” […]

Learn More July 9, 2010