The Agitator » fun

Best From Neuromarketing

tbelford — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:00:20 +0000

We’ll close the year this week with some ‘best of’ lists you might find useful … or at least quirky.

Here’s one from the Neuromarketing blog, which chronicles developments in brain research, especially as it has implications for marketing.

Some titles from Neuromarketing’s ‘best of’:

Simple slogans double sales
Don’t sell, seduce!
Most desired brands
Replies can change customer minds
The power of positive names
Paper beats digital for emotion

Enjoy!

Tom

The Agitator’s Christmas Tradition

tbelford — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 03:59:12 +0000

Here is The Agitator’s most enduring (only?) tradition.

For our fifth Christmas, we urge you to get into a mirthful holiday mood by listening to this unforgettable rendition of O Holy Night. Tom is especially fond of this performance, as it takes him back to Midnight Mass and his Catholic grammar school choir days.

We guarantee this performance will leave you smiling well into the New Year. But you must listen to the entire performance to feel its full power. No irreverence intended.

Happy Holidays!

Roger and Tom

Social Media Stats

tbelford — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 05:00:35 +0000

To end your week, here’s a snappy video presentation of internet, web, social media stats.

Add that to the latest online video usage numbers from Comscore … the average US internet user viewed 18.5 hours of online video in July. And, as usual, we ask … were any of those videos yours?

Tom

It’s A Joke!

tbelford — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 06:56:07 +0000

I swear … it’s a joke!

Hey, Roger and I are working.

Tom

P.S. Go ahead, take the rest of the week off.

Why Direct Mail Won’t Die

tbelford — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 05:00:48 +0000

As Mark Phillips at Bluefrog notes, this is why direct mail fundraising won’t die!

Amen!

Tom

Can You Beat 27 Years?

tbelford — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 06:12:05 +0000

Over the weekend I learned that an old friend would be retiring from his job after 27 years at the same company. It wasn’t his first job, but certainly his various senior roles within this company defined his career. I believe he is out-served only by the founder, who now luxuriates in the title of Chairman, with a CEO to do the heavy lifting.

After chiding him for retiring at 27 years (“Why not a nice round number like 31 years?” I asked!), I began thinking … Wow, I wonder if anyone has lasted 27 years as a fundraiser in the same charity or nonprofit? Talk about institutional memory!

I can’t think of anyone. They’d have to have been on the job since 1984.

Is there anyone out there with that kind of longevity? It’s not good enough to be in the fundraising biz that long. We’re looking for someone who’s stayed with one ship for nearly three decades.

Does he or she exist? Put your name forward ( or your colleague’s) if you (they) come even close … 20 years might be enough to claim the title … Senior Fundraiser on the Planet!

Not only will you deserve an Agitator raise … Roger and I will find some additional way to pay tribute.

We’ve been talking a lot about donor loyalty and retention. What about fundraiser loyalty and retention?!

Tom

Using Video To Support Your Cause

tbelford — Fri, 27 May 2011 06:02:11 +0000

Here’s a short piece — with great examples — from the Chronicle of Philanthropy on using online video to engage your donors and generate new support.

The recommended uses …

1. Put a face on your cause … people embrace people.

2. Tear down walls … bring supporters inside your organization and its projects.

3. Say thanks … from volunteers, program staff, clients, beneficiaries of your work.

4. Share the fun … saving the world can include its lighter moments … you don’t need to preach all the time.

Good stuff.

Tom

Read My Mynd

tbelford — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 05:00:05 +0000

Regular Agitator readers know I’m addicted to brain research … fascinating field. So not surprising that this announcement, reported in that deep reservoir of scientific inquiry, Media Daily News, caught my eye …

“In what it claims is a major breakthrough in the burgeoning field of so-called neuromarketing research, Nielsen-backed NeuroFocus this morning unveiled a new biometric measurement technology it claims will revolutionize the way Madison Avenue thinks about how its consumers think. NeuroFocus claims the technology, a cap-like device that can read the brainwaves of people who wear it, will leapfrog current methods of neurological testing, because it is lightweight, mobile and ‘medical grade’.”

The technology is called Mynd.

Will you be the first nonprofit on your block to don the cap?

Please can I be your guinea pig? Oh, to have an unlimited research budget!

Tom

P.S. I can imagine the first neuromarketing research announcement on donor testing: “Researchers today announced that Mynd monitoring of 1,000 donor brains established that donors get really pissed when they’re not thanked.”

Seriously, I do think it’s important for all marketers — including fundraisers — to have some understanding of how the mind works. More important, I’d argue, than knowing how to build a Facebook page. Here’s what I’m currently reading on the subject, The Master and His Emissary. And here’s an excellent Wikipedia discussion of the book.

Check Out MTV Act

tbelford — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 05:00:29 +0000

MTV has launched MTV Act as a vehicle to encourage younger music fans to engage in social causes.

Here’s what MTV says:

“What Act is really about is you. Seriously. Every campaign we’ve launched and change we’ve made is because you watched, listened, chatted, blogged, tweeted, posted and acted on things that matter. So this blog is meant to recognize you for all that.

We might post about your school, or your community, or even you, or someone like you. We’re not sure who’ll make it on Act yet. We just know it’s gonna be epic when they do. And hopefully it’ll inspire more people to do some good along the way.

Of course Act will recap the latest news and events, and tie it all in with music, celebs and a few unexpected perks. But first, we need your feedback. You can start by answering a few questions for us: What organizations, school clubs, or campus leaders should we profile? What cause do you think needs the most action right now? Which celebrity do-gooder are you most inspired by?

We’ll be updating the site with new stuff daily, so make sure to check in on us often. See you soon.”

Sounds like an invitation at least some Agitator readers should be taking up!

Tom

Go Ahead, Say It!

tbelford — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 05:00:52 +0000

On Monday, in his No More Mr Nice Guy rant (to which I subscribe) about the inadequacies of present day fundraising, Roger let slip just how long we’ve been at this business … 41 years.

And we know many of you are thinking of us as, well, old farts … but are just too polite to say so.

From Dilbert, how does this resonate … ?

Modem? How modern! We’re even older.

The first segmentation tool we used was a deck of large-sized index cards, one for each donor, with pertinent data points represented by holes punched around the edges of the cards. By sticking a giant rod (think: knitting needle) through the pertinent hole in the deck (e.g., the hole #24 representing “gave over $100″) and lifting out whichever cards were captured, you segmented the file.

Beat that!

Roger will be fundraising even when he needs a walker and must hang his iPad and iPhone on a cord around his neck. I’ll be following with the knitting needles.

United in believing that while the tools and channels of fundraising change, the underlying human motivations do not.

Tom