The Agitator

Here, in holiday spirit, is one of my favorite spoofs on fundraising … from the humor site, The Onion. Happy Holidays! Kid Squanders Relief Money I apologize in advance to all the international child support agencies whose crucial work on the ground (and direct marketing) I fervently ...  Read more

We don’t share our fundraising success secrets with just everyone. But in the Christmas spirit, here’s one from The Agitator backlist we hope you’ll enjoy. Happy Holidays! Fundraiser Refuses To Change Underwear Following the example of tennis sensation Rafael Nadal, a leading ...  Read more

For those of you desperately seeking a fundraising edge for 2009, here’s one of our favorites from The Agitator backlist. Happy Holidays! Snorting Oxytocin Attention major gift fundraisers!! Next time you’re about to pop the question to a prospect (the fundraising ask, that is) ...  Read more

The Agitator has few traditions at this point. But here is one of them. To get into a mirthful holiday mood, listen to this remarkable rendition of Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have ...  Read more

We’ve now posted a series of articles under the umbrella of "recession fundraising." The series includes a comprehensive range of advice and spirited debate from The Agitator and other fundraising pros, as well as insights into how your colleagues view the situation and how they ...  Read more

We’ve just completed the third in our series of surveys to fundraisers who joined our Vital Signs Panel. The most important question we asked was: "As you adjust your fundraising plans for 2009, what are the three most important strategic changes or emphases you’re likely to ...  Read more

Our previous post on recession fundraising tactics has stirred up a lot of interest. Here’s another experienced practitioner weighing in … Erica O’Brien from Adams Hussey & Associates. Erica’s advice is summed up as Direct Mail Is Not Dead. She’s particularly ...  Read more

Isn’t it ironic? The last 2-3 years have seen a surge in heavy reflection on the part of donors on the matter of evaluating the credibility and performance of would-be nonprofit recipients of their largesse. Are the donations really getting through to the ultimate beneficiaries who need ...  Read more

Yesterday, Roger offered "contrarian" views on fundraising in the recession from "dean of fundraising copywriters" Jerry Huntsinger. Here’s more to chew over regarding fundraising tactics in tough times from AB Data consultant Jeff Malloch. Jeff is particularly unhappy ...  Read more

  My friend Jerry Huntsinger, sometimes called the "dean of fundraising copywriters", in a piece titled "A Contrarian Approach to Coming Out of A Recession" writes that now is the time to move beyond the worry of recession and turn our attention to coming out of it ...  Read more