Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Ask Avoidance Isn’t a Donor Defect, It’s a Design Problem

When a donor doesn’t give, we usually default to two explanations: The timing must’ve been off. We didn’t make it emotional enough. The fix? Try again. Ask harder, add more urgency., insert a sadder story. But behavioral science tells us something else might be going on: people avoid emotionally triggering fundraising not because it wasn’t […]

Learn More April 21, 2025

The Speech Stirred Souls. The Inbox Asked for $3.

The night Senator Cory Booker rose to speak in a 25-hour filibuster, something rare happened: sincerity leaked into the Senate chamber like light under a closed door. “I can’t allow this body to continue without doing something different,” he said. For a moment, we believed him. And then we didn’t. Because the moment the cameras […]

Learn More April 18, 2025

The Model That Knows When To Shut Up

Most fundraising models rely on a simple set of assumptions: Recency means readiness Frequency means loyalty Bigger gifts mean bigger love And that all this adds up to a reliable way to pick who gets your next fundraising appeal. But here’s what most models don’t ask: What happens when you actually market to someone? Did […]

Learn More April 16, 2025

Best Practice Is Just Peer Pressure in a Blazer

There’s this belief in our sector that the quicker we ask the better off we are. This applies to the frequency of the appeals, but also within a given appeal. Best practice only exists to be challenged and replaced. A case in point, we analyzed thousands of tele fundraising calls done by our team to […]

Learn More April 14, 2025

DON’T EAT THE SEED CORN: A Checklist for Fundraisers in Tough Times

Let’s not sugarcoat it. Economic turbulence is here—and it’s got teeth. The stock market’s sliding, anxiety’s rising, and if history is any guide, fundraisers are bracing for another punch in the gut. I’ve been working in the fundraising trade for more than 60 years. That means I’ve lived and worked through every recession since 1960—and […]

Learn More April 11, 2025

Why Your Best Appeal Is Failing 80% of the Time

We ran a test, five versions of a fundraising letter. Each one told the same story about the same woman — her loss of sight, her journey to get it back, and how donors made it possible. What changed? The way the story was told was tailored to match the personality of the reader. The […]

Learn More April 9, 2025