Award Winning Blog - Agitator

The Growth Your Acquisition Model Misses

Consider two pools of people: Group 1: People already visible in your donor-response universe. They give to you or other charities, and their giving history makes them easy for acquisition models to find and rank. Group 2: Additional people whose values and goals fit your mission. They sit outside your usual acquisition audience and may […]

Learn More October 5, 2026

The New Idea Doesn’t Need a Guarantee. The Old One Needs an Audit

Every new, innovative idea that walks into a nonprofit gets frisked at the door. The old ideas, practices, and ‘controls’ stroll right past security. Nobody asks them for ID. Barbara O’Reilly put her finger on the symptom in her latest Gut Check at Windmill Hill Consulting: “Why does everyone want constant innovation, but no one […]

Learn More October 2, 2026

Does Supporting Your Mission Require A Free Jacket?

Walt Kelly’s comic strip character, Pogo, gave us the line, “We have met the enemy and he is us.” In fundraising, the enemy often arrives bearing address labels and a complimentary jacket. In 2023, 60% of acquisition mail used premiums, another 28% used matching gifts or faux supporter cards, and just 12% was mission mail. […]

Learn More September 30, 2026

Every Board Member Has An Excuse.

Every fundraiser has heard some version of the board member excuse when it comes to raising money. “I don’t know anyone with money.” …“I’m a terrible salesman.”… “I already gave.” …“I’ll help right after the gala.” (The gala, like the horizon, keeps moving.) …“I’d rather write a check than ask for one.” ….“If I ask […]

Learn More September 28, 2026

729 Possible Packages. Somehow We Keep Mailing the Same One.

Ray Bradbury said, “Quantity produces quality. If you only write a few things, you’re doomed.” The Fundraising Volume Machine read that as permission to send more appeals and chase donors around the internet with a butterfly net. Bradbury meant creative production, not contact frequency. There are three very different kinds of quantity in fundraising: Quantity […]

Learn More September 25, 2026

Are You Building Bridges or Moats?

Your charity’s issue or area of focus needs oxygen, like a flame, to stay lit. It requires exposure and active discourse to grow support and make material improvement against the problem. We’re all in the advocacy business. But is your approach building a moat or a bridge? The organizations in the orange circles are moat builders, […]

Learn More September 23, 2026