Communications

Do Donors Care About Your Solution or the Problem?

Would you be more willing to help the spotted owl if a solution offered to save 10% of the habitat or 50%?   Randomized experiments show it doesn’t matter. Odd, right? What about swapping out the spotted owl for reptiles?  Support goes down.  But, swap in turtles for lizards and support goes back up. Your $.50 […]

Learn More April 17, 2023

Is Your Quality Data 3,008 or So 2000 and Late?

The Black-Eyed Peas may not be in my most played list but hey, a catchy, memorable lyric is a catchy, memorable lyric.  Retention data is the rearview mirror view on quality, it’s 2000 and late. It’s a lagging indicator of quality.  You don’t need more donors, you need more donors who stick around.  But if […]

Learn More April 14, 2023

Do You Share Elon Musk’s Personality?

How you speak says volumes about who your disposition, your personality.  In fact, the ‘origin’ story for the Big Five (OCEAN) started with the supposition that our individual differences are reflected in the words we use. So, it stands to reason that I can decipher your personality by analyzing the words you use in conversation. […]

Learn More April 12, 2023

“Because It Works, That’s Why.”

Perhaps it’s time to rethink the ‘because it works’ claim so often trotted out in defense of dubious, deceptive fundraising tactics; enter the political email season. Between April 1st and 19th of 2019 the presidential candidates (at the time) sent a combined 1,730 messages, more than 19 a day, to supporters.  In defense or explanation […]

Learn More April 10, 2023

Speed Kills

Urban Dictionary says “Speed Kills” is an expression the British police made up to justify all the money made from speed cameras.  That origin story is patently false but also patently funny. In our world speed matters.  I expect readers’ fast-twitch muscles kick in and interpret that to mean faster is better, which ain’t the […]

Learn More April 7, 2023

Creating Quality Donors From Scratch

Are you tired of playing “Donor Roulette” with your acquisition efforts? Growing weary of playing the numbers game and crossing your fingers for donor gold? What if we told you there’s a better way to know your donors from the get-go? A way to ensure you’re not just acquiring any donor but cultivating the right […]

Learn More April 5, 2023

Is AI Creative?

Creativity is often defined by three criteria, The idea or product is novel (original) and, Has value or utility (usefulness), Within a specific context or task (task appropriateness) AI can certainly devise novel works of music, art and writing.  It’s true AI has no cognition, emotions or experiences and therefore, its originality is limited to […]

Learn More March 31, 2023

Remember When You First Fell In Love?

You were sure that exhilarating rush would last forever.  Alas, as we all know, the early flames of a long-term relationship usually die down.  A stable bond replaces the exhilaration.  BUT…that bond needs occasional juicing if it’s to stay healthy and deepen. A good deal of what the Agitator covers focuses on the essential task […]

Learn More March 27, 2023

The Power of One Vs. Collective

Joseph Stalin said “the death of one person is a tragedy; the death of one million is a statistic.”  And Mother Teresa agreed, “If I look at the mass, I will never act.” Our sense of empathy and moral motivation to help tends to fall off when faced with a group in need versus an […]

Learn More March 24, 2023

Repeat Giving Gamified

Wordle will tell me how many consecutive days I’ve played, my streak.  Same for Peloton and the activity app on my watch and phone.  Streaks, we love to maintain em’.  It becomes a goal unto itself. And if that goal is tied to an Identity – as runner or biker or puzzle person – then […]

Learn More March 22, 2023

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