Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Crowdfunding: A Lesson from World War II

As a kid growing up in rural Pennsylvania I got my news via the BBC on a short wave radio tucked under my bed. Gettysburg’s local radio station, WGET, was heavy on corn and hog prices, light on national and world news. To this day I listen to the BBC with their news and […]

Learn More May 18, 2020

Thank View Very Much

I’m certain all Agitator readers have been devoting their locked-down hours concentrating on donor experience and retention, while far too many of those non-Agitator folks have been frittering away time perfecting their Netflix schedule. Consequently, as a reward for your diligence I want to introduce you to a powerful, easy-to-use tool that’s about as wonderful as […]

Learn More May 15, 2020

Are They Coming for Your Organization?

Just as I was calming down from my rant on tv’s coronavirus carnival barkers I opened a note from Nick Ellinger, who’s now over at Moore seeking asylum after fleeing the commotion here at The Agitator. When Nick writes, I read. Accompanying his note was a piece titled Anti-overhead is anti-charity. It’s a disturbing reminder […]

Learn More May 13, 2020

“We’re All In This Together” is Horseshit

While Walmart, Amazon, Target and dozens of other retail giants are under-paying and under-protecting their “essential” workers and callously sending them off to the ventilators, the rest of us are being numbed at home with a blitz of cynical and shoddy consumer advertising. While low-wage, uninsured food workers, with no real option to stay at […]

Learn More May 11, 2020

Should We Reward Supporters or Not?

Before I answer, let’s take a small step back… As fundraisers, we employ different techniques to motivate people to give. But, as we explained before, there’s good and bad motivation. We can definitely make people give by triggering controlled motivation e.g. if you don’t give, this child will starve. But that’s not the goal. Why? Because […]

Learn More May 8, 2020

The Right Kind of Donor Motivation

Emotionally manipulative messages can backfire because of psychological reactance, that rebellious response people sometimes show when they feel unduly pressured. They may still give in the moment but your donor retention hinges on your ability to create a sense of autonomy in your donors. But how to do that? And can it be measured and […]

Learn More May 6, 2020