Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Grifter’s Guide to Digital Fundraising: Under Review, But Still in Circulation

We’ve been pounding this drum so long our sticks are down to splinters. Since 2018, The Agitator has documented the rise of scammy, self-dealing PACs, the flood of questionable Democratic and Republican fundraising texts, and the digital consultants who treat donors like slot machines and loyalty like a rounding error. We’ve published exposés, followed the […]

Learn More August 13, 2025

Mistaking Obligation for Reciprocity

Imagine two donors. One downloaded crucial information from your website; maybe a treatment checklist for newly diagnosed cancer patients. The second received a branded tote bag in the mail. Both feel an urge to give. But an urge of different quality. The first feels genuine reciprocity: “They helped me. I want to give back” The […]

Learn More August 11, 2025

What Makes a Story Stick? The Psychology Behind Fundraising Narratives

We all want a story that speaks to us, one that fits the inner narrative we’re writing, editing, and living every day. But who is this “me” the story should speak to? That’s a surprisingly complex answer as I’m a bundle of contradictions—just like you, and exactly not like you. Personality psychologists often describe three […]

Learn More August 8, 2025

Connection Starts Where Most Segmentation Stops

If we want real connection, we have to stop pretending our generic segmentations are anything but shortcuts. We slice people up by what’s available—age, income, gender, channel, how they transact, etc. But the minute we start grouping by these surface traits, we’ve injected bias. And not just demographic bias, behavioral bias. We’re assuming the thing […]

Learn More August 6, 2025

Is Your Appeal Too Much, Too Soon?

Researchers ran a simple experiment. Two versions of a fundraising campaign with same photo, same story, same goal. One used the phrase “malignant tumors” in the headline, the other, a softer “illnesses.” The result? Naming the disease performed much worse. But this testing was on a crowdfunding platform with donors seeing saw multiple campaigns side-by-side. […]

Learn More August 4, 2025

Matching Gifts Are So Tired But Here’s a Twist

We’re not fans of matching gift offers. They used to be strategic: tied to a big gift or a time-sensitive campaign. Now they’re everywhere, overused and generic and often the match isn’t a message, it’s the message. Make no mistake, you’re subsidizing the donation and sensitizing people to the discount, just like retailers coupons. How so? […]

Learn More August 1, 2025