Award Winning Blog - Agitator

The Reality Distortion Field: Focusing on the One

There is a famous study in nonprofit marketing showing that an appeal that tells the story of a child does better than an appeal that tells that same story with information about the general problem of poverty in Africa. Even more oddly, a story of one boy did as well as the story of one […]

Learn More July 27, 2018

The donor growth mindset

Do you have a fixed mindset, where you believe your talents, character, intelligence, abilities, etc. are born and static? Or do you have a growth mindset, where you believe those things can be developed? Research shows if you are the latter, you are more likely to embrace challenges, persist in the face of challenges, put […]

Learn More July 26, 2018

The Reality Distortion Field: Metaphor

Your high school English teacher taught you that metaphors were flourishes or poetic devices – that little bit of finishing salt to enliven a dish. How wrong s/he was. S/he handed you a tool for great good and/or a weapon for great evil. If s/he really understood its awesome power, the metaphor would not have […]

Learn More

The Reality Distortion Field: Identity and Commitment

They say love is blind. It’s actually worse than that. If you were blind, you would know not to trust your eyes. Love distorts. It makes you see things that aren’t there. It enhances positives and turns negatives into charming quirks. That’s why you want donors who are fully committed to you, who love you, […]

Learn More July 25, 2018

The Reality Distortion Field: Imagination

Pollster Frank Luntz calls “imagine” the most powerful word in the English language. He says “imagine allows you to communicate in the eyes and the vision of the listener rather than yours.” Good verbs like “imagine,” “remember,” and “picture in your mind” give a person the trigger to help them put themselves in the place […]

Learn More July 24, 2018

May the Fundraising Force Be With You

Among the many skills attributed to Steve Jobs was his ability to create a “reality distortion field”—a mental force he created to persuade himself and others to believe almost anything. Colleagues from early days note it was this skill that enabled Jobs and his team to develop the original Macintosh computer and deliver the software […]

Learn More July 23, 2018