Award Winning Blog - Agitator

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

Save the Pie for Dessert

It’s July 2nd, which means 85% of your American colleagues are “working remotely,” which in practice means their laptops are open while they argue about who forgot to buy charcoal. So it feels like the perfect week to talk about something equally overused and underperforming: pie charts. You know, those colorful disks everyone loves to […]

Learn More July 2, 2025