Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Red … Tell Your Critics To Stuff It!

I just can't believe the idiocy communicated in today's NYTimes article on the Bono/Bobby Shriver cause marketing venture called Red. The NYTimes covers all the bases … One bunch of bleeding hearts doesn't think Red is generating enough money. In just over a year it's generated $22 million to fight H.I.V. and AIDS in Rwanda, […]

Learn More February 6, 2008

If You Can Sell A Toilet Seat …

I've been “sitting” on this item awhile, but finally I just can't resist sharing it. From blogger David Scott via MarketingProfs, it falls in the “if you don't think creative matters, think again” category. It's a one-minute TV commercial. Over 1 million YouTube views. I can't say more. Yep, get your lists right. And make […]

Learn More February 5, 2008

UNCF Gets C+

Awhile back the NYT ran this piece on the re-branding campaign of the United Negro College Fund. When I saw that the Fund actually acted on the advice they received from a prominent “branding” consultancy to change their name (for non-legal communications purposes) to UNCF, I thought to myself, “what a dumb move.” [OK, I'll […]

Learn More February 4, 2008

Acquisition Best Practices

Recently, in The Baby and the Bathwater, Roger wrote about the disturbing industry-wide decline in new donor acquisition, as documented by Target Analysis Group. He discussed this trend in the context of predictions of the death of direct mail. We don't want to just leave you wringing your hands! Here is a very helpful piece […]

Learn More February 1, 2008

12 Tips For Successful E-Campaigns

Thanks to Margaret Battistelli at FundRaising Success for publishing these twelve best practices for e-efforts. They're proffered by Tom Gaffny, EVP for fundraising at Epsilon. As part of his homework, Tom made online contributions to 145 nonprofits and tracked their subsequent actions. Here's the stunner: 49 groups (one-third) never even acknowledged the gift. For the […]

Learn More January 31, 2008

Relevance Is The Word

Relevance. Relevance. Relevance! Relevance, that is, to your prospect … not just to you or your nonprofit. Now matter how truly needy, important and urgent your cause is, your donor gives because the act of giving satisfies a need of his or hers. Finding what makes your need converge with their need is what establishing […]

Learn More January 30, 2008