Award Winning Blog - Agitator

At Last! Kevin is a Bot.

I’ve been watching and ready to call bullshit on most of the advice given to fundraisers on the use of AI. Every day it’s another pitch about “efficiency” and “targeted engagement”—all solutions in search of a problem that isn’t even defined let alone understood. AI for fundraisers? Sure, if your goal is to reduce human […]

Learn More November 4, 2024

Getting People to Part With Their Money is So Easy

I routinely see some version of this on the world wide web: Ask, thank, report back. Repeat. But make sure you get that 2nd ask in the first 90 days otherwise, people are much less likely to give. And don’t forget, do some multi-channel matching luggage exercise mimicking the mail piece in email and social. […]

Learn More November 1, 2024

Don’t Talk to Me When I’m Not Listening

Picture this: Most nonprofits are places where 7 out of 10 freshly acquired donors vanish faster than free bagels at a staff meeting. You’d think CEOs and fundraisers would be crawling over each other, eager to hear what donors have to say about how we might keep them around. But alas, we’re too busy rehearsing […]

Learn More October 30, 2024

GOTV Works. GOTV Doesn’t Work.

There was a field experiment a few years back using social pressure mailers that increased voter turnout by around 8 percentage points. That’s a massive lift. But averages, even big lift ones, can hide a lot. Nothing works the same with everybody. There aren’t universal “nudges” or other tactics that apply evenly to all people. […]

Learn More October 28, 2024

Here’s Your Year-End Bonus!

This isn’t a year-end bonus check. It’s better. It’s a gift that will sharpen your results, build your reputation, and grow your organization’s bottom line for years to come. That’s what Thankology, Lisa Sargent’s new book, is. A gift for you, your team, and your donors. Simple, clear, and worth more than any check. Even […]

Learn More October 25, 2024

Multichannel Cart and Horse

This bar chart is not multichannel. Well, it is in that I can see a blue bar labeled as such. But this is a very limited, narrow view of the outcome/revenue side of our business focused entirely on where transactions occur. It’s putting the cart before the horse and the cart has a busted wheel. […]

Learn More October 23, 2024