Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Want Your Ad to Go Viral?

Go catch lightning a bottle. Maybe not. Maybe it isn’t random. But what it certainly isn’t is “brilliant” or “emotional” ads. The characteristics of the ad do matter but there is a lot of interplay with characteristics of the viewers. In short, part ad, part people. And, one can argue, as we will, that the […]

Learn More July 13, 2020

To Nudge or Nudge?

Every single test should have both theory and evidence as its basis. You could test a brown kraft envelope vs the plain white control, and then find some theory of human behavior that justifies this test. But, if you start with the theory, you may discover a better test idea. Why do people give? Social […]

Learn More July 10, 2020

Great Monthly Giving Is In The Details

In the midst of all our ranting, pontificating and advice-giving it’s easy to overlook the fundamental importance of paying attention to details. “So mundane” …” So below my pay grade” …” So what?” Everyone reading this knows down deep that indeed details do matter. And, if we’re going to succeed we have to make the […]

Learn More July 8, 2020

Identity and Need Satisfaction (should) go hand in hand

I’m a Canadian. A behavioral scientist. A fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins. A husband. The son of a parent afflicted with cancer. These are some examples of the identities I hold. Identities refer to important social roles, relationships, attitudes, and passions that people use to describe themselves. Everyone has various identities that are more or […]

Learn More July 6, 2020

On Stopping Hate for Profit

Just a week ago Mark Zuckerberg, who controls the social media sludge and sewage operation known as Facebook, held a call with advertisers where, according to The New York Times he struck a “defiant tone” as “he discussed the importance of freedom of speech and stressed his company would not bow to pressure on its […]

Learn More July 3, 2020

Dealing with Doubts About Legacy Giving in a Pandemic and Depression

Back in April, as the coronavirus pandemic was heating up, we raised some questions posed by many nonprofit board and fundraisers. Put bluntly the question, in its basest form was, “Should we be asking for legacy gifts right now, before the virus gets our donors?” We noted that a solid set of answers could be […]

Learn More July 1, 2020