Award Winning Blog - Agitator

The Doom Loop Is a Media Problem, Not a Donor Motivator

If it bleeds, it leads, a cliche if there ever were. The usual interpretation is media force-feeding us a steady diet of misery and we reluctantly choke it down. But the more honest question is the uncomfortable one: are they shoving negativity at us, or are they simply serving what we reliably choose? A Russian […]

Learn More November 24, 2025

What Happens When AI Trains on the Good Stuff?

Readers think they can spot real writing, trusting their ear for voice, rhythm, style. They assume they know what human feels like on the page. So when a group of researchers pitted expertly trained fine arts writers against AI, the expectation was obvious, humans would win easily. And they did…in the first phase. When […]

Learn More November 21, 2025

The Unicorn We Need To Retire

I’ve been meaning to tell you something for a long time, and it’s time I finally say it out loud. It’s time to retire Renewal-as-We-Know-It—and the two donor behaviors that should replace the way most folks do renewals. It’s a confession of sorts—one part memory, one part reckoning, and a larger part responsibility. You see, […]

Learn More November 19, 2025

DONOR PRIVACY ALERT: AN OLD BATTLE, A NEW FLASHPOINT, AND A TASK YOU CAN’T PUT OFF

There are moments in this work when we don’t have the luxury of putting a thing aside, even for an afternoon. This is one of those moments. If you skim this post quickly, fine — but don’t delay acting on it. Not this time. Not with what’s at stake. An important federal case — Buckeye […]

Learn More November 17, 2025

Save One or Save Many? Depends on How You Ask

It’s rarely as simple as do X to get Y. “X” in fundraising is almost always a bundle of things, the donor’s Identity and Personality, the moral framing of the issue, the context, etc. Every element interacts so do X, get Y is akin to a 3rd grade math applied to a calculus problem. A […]

Learn More November 14, 2025

Why Brand Still Isn’t What You Think It Is

I’d wager most people in direct response think of their acquisition as brand building. There’s a certain logic to it, sure but it’s mostly wrong for two reasons. 1) The algorithm. Direct response is bought to minimize cost per acquisition. That’s true whether you’re buying through Meta, Google, or a data co-op. The algorithm hunts […]

Learn More November 12, 2025