Award Winning Blog - Agitator

“You Can’t Fix Stupid”

“You can’t fix stupid.” Ahhh, the sound of the exasperated fundraisers and consultants who’ve thrown up their hands after trying for the 5oth time to explain to a Board, a CEO, or a Client why that “brilliant insight” just won’t work. Sure, you can be a seasoned, proven and highly respected pro, but somehow you […]

Learn More February 9, 2022

Is Mass Fundraising Extinct?

For the past 10 years The Agitator has sought to put meat on the jargon-ridden bones of the Donor-Centric skeleton. That’s why we dwell so much on essential vertebrae of donor-centricity such as Donor Identity, Donor Psychology and Personality to name a few. Although this detail is essential in becoming truly donor-centric, it’s important to […]

Learn More February 7, 2022

Make Em’ Wear the Schwag

Here’s a crazy idea, so crazy it’s genius or maybe it’s just crazy interesting. I don’t know. The idea: make the wearing of the “premium” schwag a requirement to give (time or money). “What the hell did he just type?” I can hear the reader whisper. I admit to having lingering questions about this idea […]

Learn More February 4, 2022

Persuasion is an Uphill Battle

Jack Trout was a TV ad man who helped pioneer the concept of brand positioning who famously quipped, “If your assignment is to change people’s minds, don’t accept the assignment.” Seems he knew what he was talking about. A huge study of TV effectiveness on changing people’s attitudes and beliefs about social issues found it […]

Learn More February 2, 2022

Story Success? Go Fast, Light & Straight

Story matters. We’ve noted that time and time again with data to support what we all believe. It’s simple to say, simple to agree with and yet, our story telling in the sector is lousy with average Story scores of under 50 on a 0 to 100 scale, per our Copy Optimizer. We clearly need […]

Learn More January 31, 2022

The High Cost of Sacred Cows

Let’s make a wager. I’m betting there’s no more than one out of every 1,000 disease or health care nonprofits in the world with the guts or leadership to follow the process I’m about to outline. It’s donor-centric but also so very, very counterintuitive to what most organizations would—but should—do. I’m certain (sadly) that my […]

Learn More January 28, 2022