Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Bringing Back the Best of the Good Old Days

Forty years ago, when our kids were small, we’d pile into the car and head to the local Chili’s in Northern Virginia. Back then, it felt like the friendliest place on earth. The fajitas sizzled, the chips came out warm, and the servers remembered your name—or at least acted like they did. The place smelled […]

Learn More August 18, 2025

Good Stories Beat Good Ideas

The nonprofit sector has almost no barrier to entry and an unforgiving math problem: more organizations every year, fewer donors giving. The easy wins are gone and the noise has increased exponentially. The solution isn’t necessarily a bigger audience, a new program, or a sharper operational plan. It’s the story. Humans don’t just like stories, […]

Learn More August 15, 2025

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