Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Fundraising on Mount Stupid

Welcome to Mount Stupid—the place where half-baked ideas go to thrive and untested ‘best practices’ become gospel. Fundraising isn’t immune to this phenomenon. In fact, it’s a breeding ground for overconfident tactics that crash and burn when they meet reality. You’ve seen it before. Someone declares, “We must offer premiums!” Or a consultant insists, “Match […]

Learn More February 28, 2025

When Might a Losing Test Win?

Did These Ads Win? No Peeking. If you had to guess, did either of these test ads beat the control? Neither did. At least, that’s the case if you assume everyone is the same and run a random nth test—which is 99% of all tests. Okay, how about this one? Same question—go ahead and peek […]

Learn More February 26, 2025

Backlash Building

Twelve hours. That’s how long it took. Twelve hours after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced a $200 million taxpayer-funded thank-you campaign for Trump—an order straight from him—he logged onto Truth Social. Urged Musk to “get more aggressive.” More destruction. Faster. Until the whole damn thing collapses. Paralyze, then dismember the U.S. government. That’s […]

Learn More February 24, 2025

This Job Listing Reveals What Fundraising Is Missing

Are you in the behavior business? Your fundraising team probably says they are while your program staff is more likely to be acting like it. There’s a growing paradox in charitable organizations: program teams are embracing behavioral science to tackle big, intractable problems, while fundraisers mostly stick to describing donor behavior—maybe predicting it occasionally. But […]

Learn More February 21, 2025

Mind the Gap: Why Behavioral Nudges Don’t Always Transfer to Fundraising

Nudges have been the darling of behavioral science—subtle tactics designed to steer choices in predictable ways. Businesses use them everywhere, from pricing strategies to product placement. So, can fundraisers just borrow these tricks and expect the same results? Not quite. The gap between consumer and donor decision-making is massive. Buying a product is about value-for-money […]

Learn More February 19, 2025

President’s Day or Identity Crisis?

It’s an odd holiday here in the States. The Brits might call it a Bank Holiday. It used to celebrate George Washington’s birthday. In fact, in the annals of US Government paperwork it’s still officially listed as this by the US Office of Personnel Management, which I think is like their HR Department. At any […]

Learn More February 17, 2025