Award Winning Blog - Agitator

You Want Strategy From Your Agency? Look for This.

If you’re a nonprofit leader, you probably say this every time you hire an agency or think about hiring one: “We need strategy. We’re tired of the same old playbook.” You want different answers to the same old questions. You want a partner with a point of view. One that doesn’t just build campaigns but […]

Learn More July 16, 2025

Live Aid Turns 40: Does the World Still Care?

Forty years ago on July 13th, nearly two billion people—one out of every three humans alive—tuned in to a global concert called Live Aid. They weren’t clicking “like.” They weren’t doom-scrolling. They weren’t arguing in the comments section. They were watching. They were caring. They were donating. From live stages in Lonon and Philadelphia—in front […]

Learn More July 14, 2025

When Concrete Stories Backfire

Most fundraisers have heard some version of this advice a hundred times: Be concrete, specific, make it tangible, show one child. Speaking of children, I find it useful to act like one (insert joke here) by asking, but why? Why does being concrete sometimes work so well and sometimes fall flat? Here’s what we know. […]

Learn More July 11, 2025

Distance Kills Giving, How to Shrink the Gap

Literal distance, pyschological distance and worse yet, literal + psychological. When a beneficiary is halfway around the world, doesn’t look like me and lives a life I’ll never live the impulse to give gets diluted. Far becomes abstract, and abstract doesn’t open wallets. This is why so much fundraising advice focuses on reducing distance. Show […]

Learn More July 9, 2025

If You Can’t Hire Another Fundraiser, Check This Out

Imagine this: It’s late. You’re at your desk, your coffee’s cold. You’re staring at your donor database, wondering if anyone on your team—hell, if you even have a team—will find time to write the newsletter, segment the list, follow up with last month’s lapsed givers, and maybe—just maybe—figure out where the next new donor is […]

Learn More July 6, 2025

The True Spirit of the 4th of July

Imagine this: You’re sitting on the porch, a flag hanging limp in the humid air. Someone down the block is lighting firecrackers. You’ve got a cold drink, and maybe—just maybe—a sliver of optimism about the country all our U.S. readers share. And then you remember: Congress is still Congress –even though its again on recess. […]

Learn More July 4, 2025