Award Winning Blog - Agitator

When Authenticity Gets Lost in the Mail

I get it. You want engagement. You want donors to feel heard. And someone, somewhere convinced you that a faux-official looking survey with a registration number and a barcode was the way to do it. But here’s the thing: Your donors aren’t idiots. We recently ran a study looking at donor reactions to these “surveys” […]

Learn More November 18, 2024

Storytelling: The OG Virtual Reality Headset

A story well told is like a mental portal. Researchers actually call it narrative transportation. In donor talk, it’s the difference between a “delete” and a donation. The attention and connection of story is old-school VR, but instead of pixels, it’s the pen. Stories have texture, smell, and weight. When your reader can feel the […]

Learn More November 15, 2024

I Just Ate, Try to Sell Me Food

More recent donors are more likely to give than less recent. Is there anything more accepted in fundraising? Comparing the recent donor group to the less recent is a bit like judging who’s hungrier based on who just ate. The just ate group will statistically look like “eaters” more than the haven’t eaten group but […]

Learn More November 13, 2024

Identity Triggers Only Work When They Matter

Teachers were asked by their school district to complete a survey. The experiment was a 2×2 design (one of our faves): The result? A nothingburger. No difference in survey participation between A-D, randomly assigned groups. To quote Paul Harvey, “And now for the rest of the story.” Researchers noticed a difference in survey participation on […]

Learn More November 8, 2024

Social Movement Paradox

This post was written on November 4th. Just breathe. Whether you’re an R or D or believe Trump is savior or anti-Christ there will likely be social activism afoot and aspiring, hopefully civil movements sustained or birthed. A movement paradox however is that what gains media attention and pressure on institutions also reduces popular support […]

Learn More November 6, 2024

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