Award Winning Blog - Agitator

New Typography For Donors?

Yale economics professor Robert Shiller wrote an interesting column in the NY Times on Saturday. He talked about the 1930s roots of "recession" versus "depression" and the different mindsets associated with each. "Recessions" can be worked out and overcome … they have "normal" cycles and, importantly, endings. "Depressions" connote something far darker, more sinister, maybe […]

Learn More November 23, 2009

2010 Fundraising Plans – “We’re Exhausted”

This is our third and last report on The Agitator’s 2010 Fundraising Plans survey. In our previous two reports (here and here), we’ve described fundraisers’ mood as "creeping optimism," with 51% of our respondents expecting to raise more money in 2010, placing their highest expectations on recovery of major gifts and continued growth of online […]

Learn More November 20, 2009

2010 Fundraising Plans – Investment Priorities

Yesterday, in our first report on The Agitator’s 2010 Fundraising Plans survey, we commented on the general mood of nonprofit fundraisers as they looked ahead to next year. Our assessment … creeping optimism. We noted that most fundraisers were expecting improvement in new donor prospecting, major gifts, and online giving. Today we’re looking at where […]

Learn More November 19, 2009

2010 Fundraising Plans – Creeping Optimism

Today we’re giving the first of three topline reports on our just-concluded survey on nonprofit fundraisers’ 2010 fundraising plans. More tomorrow and Friday. Thanks to the 235 fundraisers who participated. We’ll start with the general mood and expectations. We asked a broad question: "Looking ahead, do you expect to raise more money in 2010 than […]

Learn More November 18, 2009

Be Careful About Assumptions

We talk a lot about building relationships with current donors, especially in the face of more and more difficult new donor prospecting. Major gift fundraisers, at least the successful ones, are astute relationship builders. And generally the reward is quite apparent. It’s a bigger challenge to move relationship building down the donor pyramid. There’s a […]

Learn More November 17, 2009

Who Is Your Best Competitor?

Every charity or nonprofit that seeks money (or members, visitors, clients or customers) — and every consultant or agency serving nonprofits — faces competition. It can be direct — EDF vs NRDC, Duke vs Stanford, Convio vs Blackbaud, Save the Children vs Worldvision — between organizations doing essentially the same thing in the same way. […]

Learn More November 16, 2009