Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Two climbers walk into a bar…

A man and woman walk into a bar and sit beside a fundraiser. Stop me if you’ve heard this one. The Fundraiser says to the man and woman, “I work for a charity helping make sure outdoor enthusiasts have access to public lands.” In unison, the Man and Woman, say, “We just came here for […]

Learn More March 3, 2021

Walmart’s Mega Nudging Test

Walmart partnered with academics whose listing on the published paper reads like the credits on a Hollywood blockbuster movie, which is to say almost as long as the movie. The aim? Increasing flu vaccination rates in hopes it would provide guidance for increasing Covid vaccine uptake. This team of social scientists came up with 22 […]

Learn More March 1, 2021

Donor Autonomy on Steroids

Is there such a thing as giving too much control to donors? The sector generally operates as though donor control is bad at worst and undesirable at best This sector norm is reflected in many conventional practices: not publishing or promoting or making clear how donors names will be sold eight ways to Sunday […]

Learn More February 26, 2021

Do Rich Donors Differ from Not-Rich Donors? From “Middle”-Rich Donors?

Do people writing four figure checks (i.e. $1,000 to $9,999) have different needs from those donating $20 or those moving the comma and decimal point to the right for an even larger gift? What about the “high touch package to create an elevated donor experience” for the four-figure check group? This is a recommendation in […]

Learn More February 24, 2021

Revenge Giving

Among the many unconventional topics we’ve posted on– rage giving, the Trump bump ( here, here and here among many), and have even dick pics and mince pie— today’s entry takes the prize. When Tommy Marcus, a 25-year-old University of Michigan graduate, learned that Rush Limbaugh had died, he recalled Limbaugh saying, “You know how […]

Learn More February 22, 2021

Heeding The Patient Prediction of Steve MacLaughlin

For years Steve MacLaughlin, VP of Product Management at Blackbaud and author of Data Driven Nonprofits has patiently predicted that online giving would grow beyond 10% of total giving. 2020 was the year it finally happened. The detail of this online breakthrough –along with a treasure trove of other giving data – is reflected in […]

Learn More February 19, 2021