The Agitator

No … I’m not talking about prospecting letters that break even. Nor am I talking about telemarketing calls. I’m referring to that most venerated publication of all nonprofits … The Annual Report! Here’s a question from Agitator readers Bob Bland and Matt Wolcott ...  Read more

In the process of answering the essential “who”, “what”, “when”, “where” and “why” questions in planning a fundraising program or campaign, most of us begin with the identification of the prospective audience. In short, “Who&rdquo ...  Read more

Frankly, I can’t think of a more appropriate summary of the "fundraising pyramid" debate than this observation by the famed New York Yankees catcher, Yogi Berra: “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice there is.” Fundraising is a ...  Read more

I promise … after today, we’ll give the donor pyramid a rest. Except that next week Roger will pull together some thoughts on the underlying issues raised this debate of the past few days on The Agitator. For now, Ken Burnett gets the last word on The Pyramid, and discloses the true ...  Read more

The debate continues. I hope you’re reading the comments on our Agitator posts this week. But whether it’s a donor pyramid, trapezoid, ladder or bucket, no one is going to donate, at any level, whatever tactics  fundraisers throw at them, without effective messaging. Now, most ...  Read more

Here’s yet another view on Donor Pyramidgate … the debate over where major donors actually come from … and how to depict their evolutionary path graphically. It appears fundraisers take their geometric preferences quite seriously! As you can see here, Kristin McCurry of MINDset ...  Read more

Yesterday’s Agitator post on the donor pyramid (Is it a lie?!) prompted quite a response, so we’ll stick with this debate a bit. Commented John Sauve-Rodd (a Brit): "Personally I find the donor pyramid of no practical use, but as seasoned US and Canadian fundraisers told me in my ...  Read more

Mark Rovner at Sea Change Strategies recently wrote that the "fundraising pyramid is a lie." He argues that most major donors are recruited into a nonprofit on a peer-to-peer basis, rather than being cultivated up the donor pyramid from initial small gifts. From my experience, I think ...  Read more

Here, from The FLA Group, is a superb paper on how to craft your fundraising case. I wish (for the sake of US readers) I had seen it before the Thanksgiving holiday. I would have insisted that you take it home and memorize it over your "off" days. The basic principles presented in ...  Read more

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 … ...  Read more