Happy New Year and  the best of wishes for 2018 from all of us at The Agitator.

We’re going to forego the traditional “trends to watch for the coming year” in favor of the realization  that in many ways 2017 has been a weird year and we’re pretty certain there won’t be much relief in 2018.

What we’re absolutely certain of is that despite the political/ social despair and impatience so many of us are feeling in the Trump era the future is full of potential.  Of course, a lot of this potential is unknowable.

Regardless of our personal emotions –they run from optimistic to pessimistic– we know the sector will face greater challenges and will need to discover more effective ways of meeting them.

And so, we’re going right back to work.

Researchers say that landmarks which signify the passage of time—like the New Year – are great times to ask for new commitments from your donors and to also make some changes in yourself and the way you approach your work.

To honor this “fresh start” phenomenon we’re devoting this week to the subject of testing.

Over the years we’ve written a lot about the subject of testing and bemoaned what Roger calls The Curse of Testing Illiteracy.   Almost every fundraiser –but particularly direct response fundraisers—talks about ‘testing.’  But,  few fundraisers and their consultants really understand what true testing means and how to conduct it.

So, for the rest of this week we’re wading back into these waters with a fresh view on the subject through Nick’s eyes and through some behavioral science research.

To say this is an important subject is gross understatement.  In The Idiocy of Testing, Roger noted:

“… that one of the great barriers to growth in our sector is that despite the countless thousands of hours and millions of dollars spent on so-called ‘testing’, the result is navel-gazing at best and months or years of time wasted at worst. Years that could have/should have resulted in breakthroughs and growth.”

As you dig into these fresh Agitator posts don’t let the seeming complexity of these insights throw you.  Rome wasn’t built in a day.

What’s important is understanding how you can put effective testing to work in the coming year to help grow your organization and better serve your donors.

This week’s posts are intended to help you look at the way you’re now conducting your testing and understand ways you can improve on your practices.

There’s no better time than the beginning of the year—right now—to make some changes.

In the words of Seth Godin:

“Start small, start now.  This is much better than, ‘start big, start later.’.  One advantage is that you don’t have to start perfect.  You can merely start.”

Here’s to a terrific 2018.

Roger, Tom  and Nick