Award Winning Blog - Agitator

Does Biden/Trump Winning 2024 Lower Charitable Giving?

The answer is an emphatic yes and no. The classic case of crowding out is government spending on social ills that lowers the need for individuals to give. Empirical evidence for this effect has been mixed. But, what if the effect is more complicated than that and what if it has nothing to do with […]

Learn More September 12, 2022

Trust in the Eye of the Beholder?

We do a lot of surveys. Heck, I’ve got an advanced degree in Survey Methodology, whatever the hell that means. Surveys are ubiquitous it seems, especially in politics and public policy. Your organization might do a survey for constituent understanding or for public release to advocate for this or that cause. What makes surveys trustworthy […]

Learn More September 9, 2022

Effort is a Fundraising Killer

Effort, be it physical or mental is often avoided. People will even endure physical pain to avoid mental effort in lab settings. If there are two equally rewarding outcomes we humans tend to follow the law of least work, the path of least resistance. Think about giving to charity. You do or you don’t. If […]

Learn More September 7, 2022

The Quiet Frenzy of Union Organizing In Nonprofits

As we celebrate Labor Day here in the U.S. it’s appropriate to note the quiet frenzy of labor union organizing that has gripped parts of the nonprofit world. Recent moves by workers—particularly younger workers—to organize unions in some of the nation’s best-known companies –Starbucks, Trader Joe’s, Apple, Amazon, Chipotle—have pretty much put the lie to […]

Learn More September 5, 2022

Are You Using the Power of Retro Fundraising?

Summer is coming to an end. Schools are about to re-open. Remember that first day back at school? It was full of excitement and eagerness. You had a new bag, new supplies, and you probably couldn’t wait to see your friends. Or maybe it was a bit different for you. Maybe you were shy, or […]

Learn More September 2, 2022

The Science of Personalized Matching

At DonorVoice we use the term personalized matching to describe the process of creating persuasive appeals that align with the phychological characteristics of the recipient donors. If you’re a regular reader of the Agitator, you already know that personalized matching works. Personalized matching applies the old adage “know your audience” to large-volume marketing. But you […]

Learn More August 31, 2022