Archive for June, 2006

Daily Fix – Marketing Blogs to Inspire You

Friday, June 30th, 2006

Commercial marketing blogs have proliferated lately, and can be an excellent source of creative stimulation for non-profit marketers. The Viral Garden blog assembles a weekly top 25 list of marketing blogs based upon Alexa rankings of site visits. Two of my favorites are Seth's Blog and Daily ...  Read more

Donor Loyalty — the Holy Grail

Friday, June 30th, 2006

Face it. Nothing sends more shivers up the line from Membership Director to CEO to Renewal mailing #1 isn't performing as well as last year!” Prospecting returns ebb and flow. We sigh. But nobody can tolerate an underperforming renewal series. We panic. Wouldn't we all enjoy donor ...  Read more

National Fundraising Performance Down in 1st Quarter of 2006

Friday, June 30th, 2006

The Target Analysis Group has just released the Index of National Fundraising Performance for the 1st Quarter of 2006. It shows declines in most key measures of giving when compared to the 1st Quarter of 2005. Number of donors fell by a median of -4.6% Revenue remained essentially flat, falling ...  Read more

Online Video Fundraising Coming Soon?

Friday, June 30th, 2006

As the 2006 election season heats up, vendors of online TV ads are promoting their new tools to campaigns. Online video advertising is blossoming alongside the deepening penetration of broadband access in the home. Seems like a no-brainer to me — a marriage of fine-tuned targetability and the ...  Read more

Speaking of Thank You’s

Thursday, June 29th, 2006

Roger's post about “thank you's” to donors got me wondering … how do you thank someone adequately for a $30 BILLION+ gift?! Shouldn't we ALL write notes to Warren Buffett? Should (did) Bono or President Bush call him … or award him the Presidential Medal of ...  Read more

Dipping Your Toes into Blogging-II?

Thursday, June 29th, 2006

You'll be hearing plenty from us on the subject of blogging – why, whether, how, best practices etc. (obviously we're believers!). Here are observations from some of the best in the new biz, collected by MarketingProfs: Daily Fix. As usual, we like Seth Godin: “They ...  Read more

Thank You Helen Keller

Thursday, June 29th, 2006

We report a lot on The Agitator about the wonders of technology, the beauty of effective communications. Yet, despite today's technology — or maybe because of it — good manners and good fundraising seem to be on a marked decline. Gifts made over the web receive an instant thank ...  Read more

Can You Say “Billion” Without Stuttering?

Tuesday, June 27th, 2006

Authored by JerryHuntsinger, Guest Agitator Here they come! The hurricanes of 2006! How many? How deadly? They already have names…Berly, Rafael, Debby, Oscar… And why was 2005 such an active and disastrous hurricane season? According to Dr. Jeff Masters, Director of Meteorology at ...  Read more

Still in Silos?

Tuesday, June 27th, 2006

The Boston Globe has announced that it is merging the editorial staffs of its print and online editions. This reflects today's digital realities in terms of the need for cross-platform brand consistency, the economics of producing content, and the desire of readers to use both media. Are ...  Read more

About Warren Buffet’s $37 Billion Plus Gift

Monday, June 26th, 2006

The morning papers and networks lead with the story of Warren Buffet's decision to give away 85% of his wealth ($37+ billion) beginning in July. The story first appeared yesterday in a Fortune Magazine exclusive by Carol J. Loomis, FORTUNE's Editor-At-Large. In an interview with Ms ...  Read more