Award Winning Blog - Agitator

The Three Layers of A Person and Your Fundraising Story

I want a story that speaks to me. But who am I? A bundle of complexity just like you and exactly not like you. Personality Psychologists often talk about three layers of a person, The foundational, rough sketch layer are our broad personality traits. You’re extroverted, I’m introverted. You’re agreeable, I’m not. But, there are […]

Learn More March 20, 2023

Iron Law of Megaprojects

Your mega-project will fail. This reality and Iron Law comes from a Dane, Bent Flyvbjerg, who has spent a lifetime studying mega-projects. In our world this megaproject might be he new website, the CRM conversion, a new “product” with heavy investment. His research shows these projects are over-budget, late and under-deliver, almost always. 48% are […]

Learn More March 17, 2023

All Segmented Up and Nowhere to Go

Why create segments? The only reason is you believe Different Strokes was something other than an early 80s sitcom. But what makes people different isn’t the question. Some people like red hats, others blue; knowing that won’t help you raise more money. What are the different reasons people support your charity is closer to the […]

Learn More March 15, 2023

Your Beneficiary is Too Far Away to Help

If I show you a beautiful, scenic picture from 5 feet away you will appreciate and feel it more than if I show it to you 50 feet away. We humans apply this same logic to charitable giving, assuming more impact on nearby vs. faraway beneficiaries is physical and social distance and they operate independently. […]

Learn More March 13, 2023

Cleaning Up Digital Fundraising’s Political Pigpen

Among the lessons I’ve learned over my 60 years in this trade is that whatever the new fundraising technology it produces the same types of reoccurring problems and battles. Then after a suitable period of donor abuse, handwringing, name calling, litigation, legislative threats, and some governmental regulation things calm down and a sort of generally […]

Learn More March 10, 2023

Is Your Quest for Relevance Spewing CO2?

People who say messages must be relevant or authentic are often guilty of putting extra CO2 into the air. These are extra words. Nobody’s advocating or aiming for the opposite. More critically, these extra words are rarely followed with specifics – as in how, exactly. The path to relevance is, like Hell, paved with good […]

Learn More March 8, 2023