Award Winning Blog - Agitator

RFM Segmentation: First Refuge of the Scoundrel

“Wait!”, I hear you cry. “You rail against segmentations that aren’t predictive. But transactional RFM segmentation is not a bad predictor.” And I will stipulate that: A person will tend to give the amounts that they have given in the past. A current donor is more likely to give than a lapsed donor. A donor […]

Learn More January 24, 2018

The Cradle of Relationship Fundraising

“Fundraisers always prosper when they focus less on the money that people send in and more on the people who are sending it. As a fundraiser, you’ll get better at your job and get more out of life when you deliver what your donors want rather than chasing after what […]

Learn More January 23, 2018

Explaining Abstract Numerical Concepts–Like “Eleven”– To Your Boss

Any discussion of metrics in The Agitator must include a nod to “The Curse of Fundraising Innumeracy” about an Agitator reader who tried to keep a straight face when someone said they had a 95% retention rate. And clearly there is a problem when otherwise smart people with big budgets don’t “do” numbers. But I’d like […]

Learn More January 22, 2018

The Behavioral Science of Fundraising Metrics

You’ve heard us talk about applying behavioral science to help nudge donors in the right direction with topics like: Symmetrically structuring your symbolic gifts The desire to complete sets and goals What happens in your brain as you donate Using the fresh start effect Creating exceptions to mental accounting How to frame your matching gift […]

Learn More January 19, 2018

How to Stop Worrying and Love Feedback-Driven Design

Good news – Hawaii did not have missiles launched against it. (For those who missed the story, there was an emergency alert that went out to Hawaiians warning of an imminent missile attack that stood for 37 minutes on the island.) Important questions need to be asked in the wake of this, including “will Hawaii […]

Learn More January 18, 2018

6 scientific steps to successful consent

There’s less than a handful of months before GDPR comes into force. But there’s still confusion as to the best consent approach. And it’s leading to some potentially catastrophic decisions. In order to help you better inform your decision making, and approach, we offer these six behavioural science tips: 1)Stay with legitimate interest where […]

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