The Agitator

Yesterday The Agitator asked how donors might be sizing up their financial situation these days, given that some surveys indicate increasing optimism about the economy. Is the glass half-empty, or half-full? Here’s an article from the Washington Post that looks more anecdotally at the ...  Read more

Recent surveys on consumer confidence and expectations about the economy will separate optimistic fundraisers from the pessimists. Typical of what I’m seeing is this survey released last week by Harris Interactive. It reports that only 24% of Americans see their own household’s ...  Read more

In case you headed to the beach early last Friday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke told a financial conference that the economy — U.S. and globally — is on the verge of growing again. As reported here in the NY TImes, despite his upbeat tone, he did say the recovery would be ...  Read more

Here’s a great story from the Washington Post about young people — ages like 11, 12, and 13 — and their fundraising activities. Zach Bonner set out to help homeless kids in his area of Florida. Now his Little Red Wagon Foundation has generated 27 trailer trucks of aid, received a ...  Read more

Sounds like something you don’t want to do, right? Wrong! Seeing data is pretty cool. The Foundation Center last week launched "Philanthropy In/Sight", a data visualization platform designed for grantmakers or anyone seeking to understand the impact of philanthropy throughout the ...  Read more

According to Giving USA, total giving to US charities declined 5.7% in real terms in 2008 compared to 2007, the first decline in real terms since 1987. Total giving in 2008 amounted to $307.65 billion, with these components (all declines inflation-adjusted): Individuals — $229.3 billion ...  Read more

Awhile back, I posted on the 90 super-wealthy women who committed $174 million to causes and charities serving women and children. Here’s an example of women joining other women at the local level to support such causes. It’s equally important because it shows the impressive power of ...  Read more

All I can say is WOW! Today, the Women’s Funding Network and Women Moving Millions announced that more than 90 women have committed individual gifts of $1 million or more, with a total of $174 million raised, to improve the lives of women and girls. These funders have responded to a ...  Read more

I’ve been wondering whether there will be an "Obama Effect" on nonprofit fundraising. Will the enthusiasm about President Obama in so many quarters translate somehow into increased charitable giving? Although it would be awfully hard to prove, I think it might, for three reasons ...  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