The Agitator

JUNE 2, 2009

My vote goes to Pareto’s 80/20 rule — 80% of the value or activity tends to come from 20% (or less) of customers, or whatever the active universe. The rule is confirmed in marketing scenario after scenario, including fundraising. Is there a more important rule in marketing/fundraising? Register here.

Marketing 40

Marketing Marketing Retention Recruitment 40

EveryAction

NOVEMBER 27, 2018

We've searched far and wide for the best and brightest nonprofit conferences from all around the country! Nonprofit Management. Marketing & Communications. Nonprofit Technology, and more! Nonprofit Management / #AMI2019 / @NPL_Alliance. Nonprofit Management. Nonprofit Management.

Nonprofit governance and management 105

Nonprofit governance and management Public and Nonprofit Management Associations Finance 105

The Agitator

DECEMBER 13, 2017

One non-profit (who wishes to remain anonymous) segments by animal, whether the donor enjoys nature inside versus outside, and whether she involves her children in their nature activities. A nonprofit looked at high-commitment versus low-commitment donors and the difference between 0, 6, or 12 introductory non-ask communications.

Non-Profits 74

Non-Profits Retention Medical Communication 74

NonProfit Hub

MARCH 6, 2020

There are a few key terms to remember once bidding opens and the auction officially begins: Minimum starting bid: This is the lowest amount that the first bidder can bid on an item, usually set at 30-50% of the market value. This is usually 10-15% of the market value. Effective communications are a crucial donor retention strategy !

Retention 52

Retention Management Values Marketing 52

The Agitator

JANUARY 11, 2010

What strikes me as most worrisome is that now both donor acquisition and donor development (house file activity) are in trouble. In fact, Target Analytics’ 2009 Index of National Fundraising Performance for the Third Quarter indicates the decline is speeding up. and the number of new donors by a whopping 19.4%.

Retention 58

Retention Nonprofit Management Activism Management 58

Affnetz

MARCH 14, 2024

However, as the landscape evolves and the costs of adapting general-purpose CRMs to meet nonprofit needs grow, nonprofits are discovering the value of specialized tools designed specifically for their sector, out of the box. Looking for a Salesforce CRM alternative tailored to nonprofits? You’ve come to the right place.

Nonprofits 130

Nonprofits Management Production Nonprofit Management 130

The Agitator

JUNE 29, 2011

So he’s inspired today’s post from his much younger colleague, which is all about how marketers should communicate — or not communicate — with and about older people. And as we all know, most nonprofit donations come from older people. No one will ever accuse Roger of not aging actively!

Retention 63

Retention Activism Communication Marketing 63

The Agitator

JANUARY 5, 2010

Tags: Don't Miss these Posts advocacy communications direct marketing donor retention innovation issue fundraising loyalty new media nonprofit management nonprofits online activism online advocacy online fundraising online publishing online video politics social networking.

Retention 49

Retention Activism Nonprofit Management Management 49

The Agitator

AUGUST 4, 2011

You see, tons of tips and conjecture, while well-meaning, aren’t going to get us very far in dealing with the horrendous problem of donor retention that continues in free fall mode. More than 20 organizations, large, small and representing all sectors came forward and are participating in The Agitator/DonorVoice Retention Lab.

Participation and motivation 74

Participation and motivation Retention Fundraising Fundraising 74

The Agitator

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

Chip Grizzard in a comment on Part 1 asked what kind of lift, or improvement in second gift conversion and retention is possible using various techniques. It does mean that you should concentrate extra second gift activity (phone calls, special packages, etc.) He cited the use of thank you calls as example of one technique.

Retention 49

Retention Values Energy Fundraising 49

The Agitator

JULY 12, 2018

A discussion of incentives in direct marketing wouldn’t be complete without talking about that Agitator bugaboo of communication volume. I once had a vendor who accidentally put active donor names into a lapsed telemarketing program. Let’s start with the the famous criminology question cui bono , Latin for “who benefits?”.

Retention 45

Retention Activism Communication Marketing 45

The Agitator

MARCH 15, 2010

Among the most concerning trends is the steady decline in the number of active donors and the fact that despite increased average gifts on the part of the donors, that increase is no longer enough to make up for declining acquisition and retention rates. For several years The Agitator has been reporting on trends revealed by the Index.

Non-Profits 87

Non-Profits Public and Nonprofit Management Retail Activism 87

The Agitator

MARCH 20, 2011

I’ve been fiddling around with a list of favorite fundraising metrics … the fewest numbers I would most like to know about my/your donors to judge my/your direct marketing fundraising performance. First-year retention rate for new donors, by acquisition media (The linchpin of future value). How about this list … 1.

Fundraising 89

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Recruitment 89

The Agitator

DECEMBER 15, 2009

Clearly fundraisers, when deciding how much to invest in acquiring a new donor (and then retaining that donor), must have an accurate fix on the lifetime value — and more particularly, the net lifetime value (revenue minus the marketing costs) — of their donors. Of course, there’s one way to avoid all this stress.

Fundraising 58

Fundraising Fundraising Values Retention 58

The Agitator

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

They appreciate the pay-off in terms of higher retention, net income and lifetime value. They’ll show you the seven ‘drivers’ of Donor Commitment … the activities and actions you can take to increase Commitment. Most fundraisers talk a good game these days about the need to build durable donor relationships.

Retention 63

Retention Activism Values Fundraising 63

The Agitator

MAY 6, 2009

Marketing maven Seth Godin seems to think Twitter has a short shelf life, citing this report from Nielsen Online that the churn rate on the service is 60% … as in, six-in-ten Twitter users in a given month fail to return the following month. How much energy do you want to invest in a venue with a 40% retention rate?

Energy 40

Energy Retention Activism Nonprofit Management 40

The Agitator

JANUARY 10, 2010

When we started The Agitator in 2006, fundraising was enjoying a bull market. As we begin 2010, however, most nonprofits are struggling with their fundraising. With one thousand down, we’re eager to publish one thousand more and hope you’re equally eager to read them! Just about everything worked. Roger & Tom.

Fundraising 56

Fundraising Fundraising Retention Nonprofit Management 56

The Agitator

JANUARY 12, 2010

Here are the risks (“investments&# , “dares&# , “experiments&# – call it what you will) I believe every nonprofit wanting to survive and grow in the coming decade must take: Start from Scratch. Get rid of this year’s plan based on last year’s activity. Switch Lenses. Donor Loyalty.

Retention 65

Retention Technology Nonprofit Management Marketing 65

The Agitator

JUNE 8, 2011

A couple of further points … Re-soliciting lapsed donors can be viewed as last-stage donor retention. How much to invest in ‘re-activating’ lapsed donors? And she’s right, predictive tools can help your ROI, especially with large files. Start by looking at your present cost of acquiring a brand new donor!

Retention 73

Retention Education Education Activism 73

The Agitator

JUNE 17, 2018

That means actively asking for feedback at every possible point. I’m not ready to elevate these recommendations to the level of a law yet, but I’d still wager this will more than pay for itself with your resultant retention increase. Asking about commitment and satisfaction.

Law 56

Law Retention Values Activism 56

The Agitator

APRIL 22, 2009

Here are some examples from Whitney Hutchinson at email marketing firm Razorfish that are based on using personal data captured online to attempt to encourage a relationship. From airline miles to stickers recording return visits to your local coffee shop, everyone seems to have some sort of program to encourage repeat business.

Retention 40

Retention Activism Nonprofit Management Communication 40

The Agitator

FEBRUARY 25, 2009

Here’s one by Stephanie Miller of online marketing agency Return Path that I particularly like. Because it draws interesting insights from successful email marketing, and those in turn reflect some fundamental principles of direct marketing. I see a lot of articles these days advising how to use social media.

Retention 40

Retention Activism Nonprofit Management Values 40

The Agitator

FEBRUARY 17, 2009

Also, check out an article by their VP for Marketing on some of the marketing (fundraising) advantages of these events. Tags: communications fundraising online advocacy online publishing online activism Don't Miss these Posts online video new media nonprofit management online fundraising donor retention.

Retention 40

Retention Activism Nonprofit Management Leadership 40

The Agitator

MAY 25, 2009

Recruiters are the donors who actively recommend your mission or cause to others. Tags: Don't Miss these Posts DonorTrends Premium direct marketing donor retention fundraising loyalty nonprofit management nonprofits. Loyalists are the donors who contribute month after month, year after year.

Recruitment 40

Recruitment Retention Nonprofit Management Values 40

The Agitator

FEBRUARY 5, 2018

Let’s say your policy is that everyone who is being mailed as an active donor is ineligible to receive acquisition pieces. Let’s further say you quantify being “active” means that you get the best performing mail piece of the year. Worse, these piece-by-piece segmentations can mess with how you work to reacquire donors.

Communication 59

Communication Activism Retention Values 59

The Agitator

OCTOBER 1, 2012

A 2012 report from the Direct Marketing Association in the USA found that response rates to direct mail had dropped ‘nearly 25 per cent over the past nine years’. UK researchers once asked donors to guess, ‘What percentage of your gift does your favourite charity spend on its fundraising activities, rather than on programmes?’.

Public and Nonprofit Management 75

Public and Nonprofit Management Finance Retention Philanthropy 75

The Agitator

APRIL 26, 2009

Tags: Don't Miss these Posts communications direct marketing donor retention email marketing loyalty nonprofit management online activism online advocacy online fundraising.

Retention 45

Retention Activism Nonprofit Management Communication 45

Bloomerang

JANUARY 29, 2024

In addition, some nonprofits also rely partly or entirely on memberships to support their missions. If your nonprofit offers memberships to engage supporters more deeply in your organization’s activities, you need robust software to keep your program organized. Here’s our roadmap: What is membership software for nonprofits?

Public and Nonprofit Management 79

Public and Nonprofit Management Associations Management Nonprofits 79

The Agitator

OCTOBER 19, 2015

These are the pros who gather, organize, manage and disseminate the information that is the backbone of solid and effective fundraising. Key activities too often ignored or paid short shrift.

Fundraising 84

Fundraising Fundraising Associations Management 84

The Agitator

APRIL 20, 2011

Yesterday, in our ongoing discussion of the acquisition-retention linkage, we presented acquisition Plan B , from one of our readers. … with the model above your prospecting becomes, not an expensive expenditure on print, postage or ads, but a truly useful program activity.

Non-Profits 74

Non-Profits Participation and motivation Retention Advertising 74

The Agitator

OCTOBER 2, 2012

This is a large survey of active U.S. donors in the acquisition market to determine which organizations and charitable sectors have the highest — and lowest — Donor Commitment Scores. Donor Commitment Scores indicate whether an organization has high, low or average commitment among active donors who contribute to it.

Children 60

Children Environmental Health Associations 60

The Agitator

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

The top solution is to actively ask people up front if they want to receive communications through a particular channel. As Spiderman’s Uncle Ben would have said if he were a direct marketer, “with great consent comes great response rates.” This will reduce their irritation and save you money.

Poverty 51

Poverty Communication Activism Marketing 51

The Agitator

OCTOBER 30, 2012

In 2011, 30% stopped giving to at least one nonprofit they previously supported. Other reasons they stop giving: The nonprofit organization they supported changed leadership or activities (29%). And these are the well-cared for donors. The donor personally changed philanthropic focus or decided to support other causes (27%).

Universities 88

Universities Philanthropy Activism Leadership 88

Bloomerang

OCTOBER 16, 2023

When nonprofits invest in the right donor management tools and use them properly, they can become an incredible asset. These solutions optimize and expand your fundraising and donor stewardship activities to help form long-lasting relationships. They might use different marketing messages and imagery to appeal to each group.

Public and Nonprofit Management 82

Public and Nonprofit Management Management Activism Advertising 82

Bloomerang

JUNE 11, 2021

And I’ll give you about 30 seconds or so to activate. Maybe it’s because you’re thinking about fundraising or nonprofit management. I know people are transitioning from meetings and … so please activate the survey. So with all that extra time to spare, I got activated, right? Here we go.

Participation and motivation 77

Participation and motivation Public and Nonprofit Management Values Activism 77

The Agitator

FEBRUARY 6, 2011

Two of the groups have about one million active ‘members’ each — that is, these are not organizations that are starved for resources or ‘professional’ fundraising staff.

Philanthropy 93

Philanthropy Associations Activism Fundraising 93

The Agitator

APRIL 29, 2012

” Mark concludes: “Inappropriate and unwanted communications are actively pushing donors away.” .” He cites another Bluefrog study into why donors lapse, saying this quote sums up (former) supporters views: “You keep saying this thing lapsed. Lapsed from what? I never felt I was giving anything up.”

Communication 80

Communication Activism Fundraising Fundraising 80