Award Winning Blog - Agitator

The Frequency Machine: More Asking, Less Giving?

It took 15 days to break my resolution to not write about frequency anymore… Medium and large charities are few in numbers but have the vast majority of donors and thus, dominate the collective donor experience. And a soiled Commons affects us all. Standard fare for a medium or large charity is sending 10-20 mail […]

Learn More January 17, 2025

‘She Was Sad’ is the Most Boring Sentence Ever

“She was sad” should be in the dictionary under “tell, don’t show”. Emotion—something so central to human connection—gets watered down into the simplest, most literal words: sad, angry, happy. What if we went deeper? Imagine instead: “She was crying.” Now we’re showing. Now we’re describing. And chances are, you just felt a twinge of sadness […]

Learn More January 15, 2025

Are You There for Your Donors in Crisis, Or Just Their Donations?

As I write this, the Los Angeles area wildfires are tearing through one of the most philanthropically generous regions in America. Hard-hit communities in Los Angeles metroplex aren’t just some wealthy enclaves – they’re home to some of the most loyal, generous, and engaged donors who fuel causes and movements across the country. Think about […]

Learn More January 13, 2025

Emotion Is A Spice Rack, Not Salt

The word “emotion” in fundraising is often treated like a monolithic blob. “Make it emotional!” they say. But Emotion isn’t salt, something you sprinkle on everything and call it a day. It’s more like a spice rack: different emotions have unique flavors and purposes. Use the wrong one, and your recipe (or fundraising appeal) falls […]

Learn More January 10, 2025

Are You Playing the Dystopian Fundraising Slot Machine?

Too many nonprofits, consultants and vendors treat donor lists like handfuls of slot machine tokens. They trade them, rent them, share them. Too often, they exploit them. And now, this bad behavior it’s catching up and harming us all. Among the worst in the rogues gallery staining both the charitable and political sectors are the […]

Learn More January 8, 2025

Do Your Donors Want To or Have To?

How many New Year’s resolutions start with, “This year, I’m going to exercise more regularly”? And of those, how many play out like this: Day one: You’re a fitness god. The gym is your temple. You practically high-five strangers on the treadmill. Day two: Reality hits. Muscles you didn’t know existed are staging a rebellion. […]

Learn More January 6, 2025