The echo chamber is getting louder, we tune out damn near everything that doesn't match what we already believe and we're much more likely to distrust anyone

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

23.04.2025

Trump and the Sistine Chapel Playbook - Agitator | DonorVoice

It’s the day after Earth Day, and if you’re not already furious, allow me to help.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

21.04.2025

Ask Avoidance Isn’t a Donor Defect, It’s a Design Problem - Agitator | DonorVoice

When a donor doesn’t give, we usually default to two explanations:

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

18.04.2025

The Speech Stirred Souls. The Inbox Asked for $3. - Agitator | DonorVoice

The night Senator Cory Booker rose to speak in a 25-hour filibuster, something rare happened: sincerity leaked into the Senate chamber like light under a

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

16.04.2025

The Model That Knows When To Shut Up - Agitator | DonorVoice

Most fundraising models rely on a simple set of assumptions:

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

14.04.2025

Best Practice Is Just Peer Pressure in a Blazer - Agitator | DonorVoice

There's this belief in our sector that the quicker we ask the better off we are. This applies to the frequency of the appeals, but also within a given appeal.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

11.04.2025

DON’T EAT THE SEED CORN: A Checklist for Fundraisers in Tough Times - Agitator | DonorVoice

Let’s not sugarcoat it. Economic turbulence is here—and it’s got teeth. The stock market’s sliding, anxiety’s rising, and if history is any guide, fundraisers

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

09.04.2025

Why Your Best Appeal Is Failing 80% of the Time - Agitator | DonorVoice

We ran a test, five versions of a fundraising letter. Each one told the same story about the same woman — her loss of sight, her journey to get it back, and

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

07.04.2025

You're Being Watched. Protect Yourself. - Agitator | DonorVoice

The AFPICON 2025 Conference is coming up soon (April 27-29) and there’s a growing unease among Canadian and other non-US fundraisers—an anxious undercurrent

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

04.04.2025

“Audience-Led” Is the New Low Bar. Time to Raise It. - Agitator | DonorVoice

“Audience-led” sounds strategic. But too often, it just means sorting your file by lifecycle stage, giving level, or age group — and sending slightly

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

02.04.2025

Your Fundraising Team Needs a Robot With The Right Personality - Agitator | DonorVoice

Fundraising is communication.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

31.03.2025

A Billboard and Brush. Defiance and Hope - Agitator | DonorVoice

Given the last 70 days of assholery, cruelty, mendacity, and stupidity, we all deserve an uplifting start to the week.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

28.03.2025

When Progress Isn’t Enough: The Risk of Public Goals in Fundraising - Agitator | DonorVoice

One of the greatest movies of all time for those of us who enjoy parody, slapstick and juvenile humor is Will Ferrell's Talladega Nights.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

26.03.2025

Fundraising's 3-Minute Track Problem - Agitator | DonorVoice

There’s a popular belief that modern songs are shorter because people—especially young people—have shorter attention spans.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

24.03.2025

Cracking the Code: How to Make Sure Donors See Themselves in Your Appeals - Agitator | DonorVoice

Most fundraising messages follow the same pattern: brand on one side, programs on the other, and hope in between. We call this bookend fundraising, heavily

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

21.03.2025

Robbing the Sick to Pay the Suits. Donors Defect. - Agitator | DonorVoice

While we've been mainly focused on the need for citizens and nonprofits to fight back as Trump, Musk, and their lapdogs go hell for leather to destroy the

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

19.03.2025

More Exposure, More Money…Until It Backfires Like a Bad Tinder Streak - Agitator | DonorVoice

A mysterious student at Oregon State University attended class for two months completely enveloped in a large, black bag. Only his bare feet were visible.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

17.03.2025

Weaponized Giving - Agitator | DonorVoice

The prevailing wisdom in fundraising circles is giving is fueled by altruism, a desire to help. But recent research on retributive philanthropy—donating to

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

14.03.2025

Building a Shit Sandwich for Trump - Agitator | DonorVoice

The green shoots are rising. They push through the cracks, stubborn, reaching for light. You see it in the streets. In the faces at town halls. In

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

12.03.2025

Past Giving Predicts Future Giving—And That’s the Problem - Agitator | DonorVoice

Past giving predicts future giving, and that’s where the circular logic of donor understanding begins. It’s like saying, someone is on time because they tend

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

07.03.2025

Why the Right Identity, Not Just Any Identity, Drives Giving - Agitator | DonorVoice

You’re young or old, wealthy or working-class, conservative or progressive, male or female. These are easy-to-find labels and we all sort into multiple

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

05.03.2025

Kiss Our ASS - Agitator | DonorVoice

I just watched him—a a wannabe grand but disgustingly gaudy figure on a grand stage—peddling a litany of lies before Congress.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

04.03.2025

The Necesssary Fundraising Rethink - Agitator | DonorVoice

Fewer donors, falling acquisition, lousy retention. And the industry response seems to be, chase harder. Fundraising has become a high-volume solicitation

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

28.02.2025

Fundraising on Mount Stupid - Agitator | DonorVoice

Welcome to Mount Stupid—the place where half-baked ideas go to thrive and untested 'best practices' become gospel. Fundraising isn't immune to this

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

26.02.2025

When Might a Losing Test Win? - Agitator | DonorVoice

If you had to guess, did either of these test ads beat the control?

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

25.02.2025

Backlash Building - Agitator | DonorVoice

Twelve hours. That’s how long it took.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

21.02.2025

This Job Listing Reveals What Fundraising Is Missing - Agitator | DonorVoice

Are you in the behavior business? Your fundraising team probably says they are while your program staff is more likely to be acting like it.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

19.02.2025

Old Wine, New Bottles, and Why Your 'Engagement' Metrics Are Drunk - Agitator | DonorVoice

The jangle fallacy occurs when two similar or identical things are assumed to be different because they are labeled differently - old wine in new bottles.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

19.02.2025

When Best Practices Go Boom: A Behavioral Scientist's Guide to Fundraising Folly - Agitator | DonorVoice

Throughout more than a century of publication, the Sears catalog was the go-to source for American shoppers seeking out standard home goods. But nestled

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

19.02.2025

Two Heads. No Heart. - Agitator | DonorVoice

The news isn’t good. But then, when is it?

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

19.02.2025

Mind the Gap: Why Behavioral Nudges Don’t Always Transfer to Fundraising - Agitator | DonorVoice

Nudges have been the darling of behavioral science—subtle tactics designed to steer choices in predictable ways. Businesses use them everywhere, from pricing

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

19.02.2025

President's Day or Identity Crisis? - Agitator | DonorVoice

It's an odd holiday here in the States. The Brits might call it a Bank Holiday.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

19.02.2025

The 'Everything Matters' Paradox: How Bad Surveys Hide Good Data - Agitator | DonorVoice

Most surveys are garbage. Not because people don’t care about the results but because the design is garbage. It’s not an art form where you wave your hands,

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

19.02.2025

Chasing High Returns Is Killing Your Growth - Agitator | DonorVoice

Who doesn't want to show off a shiny 4:1 Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) from your latest campaign? Your CFO is probably already dreaming about next quarter's

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

03.02.2025

The Truth Keepers: A Cautionary Tale - Agitator | DonorVoice

Recent events have sent shivers through America's data, scientific, medical, environmental, civil rights and, in a multitude of other civil society communities.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

31.01.2025

From Burnout to Breakthrough: The Hidden Pattern Behind Extraordinary Fundraising Success - Agitator | DonorVoice

It starts with a failure. A man, good at what he did, walks away.

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

29.01.2025

Fundraising Renaissance or Reformation? - Agitator | DonorVoice

The last 15-20 years have seen a stunning decline in advertising effectiveness. Less effective ads are becoming more common. Copy-catting is one thing,

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

24.01.2025

Are You Writing Stories or Book Reports? - Agitator | DonorVoice

Here are two different ways to tell the story of Jack, an 87-year-old Korean War veteran who found himself struggling to make ends meet and ultimately found

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits

22.01.2025

Strategic Segmentation Starts with Donors, Not Your CRM - Agitator | DonorVoice

For the sake of this post, "segmentation" in air quotes or lowercase 's' isn't segmentation at all.

home›The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits›Startups

The Agitator | Fundraising, Direct Marketing and Advocacy Strategies for Nonprofits - Startups

The Contagion of Giving - Agitator | DonorVoice

Are You Fundraising Like a Cable News Channel? - Agitator | DonorVoice

Trump and the Sistine Chapel Playbook - Agitator | DonorVoice

Ask Avoidance Isn’t a Donor Defect, It’s a Design Problem - Agitator | DonorVoice

The Speech Stirred Souls. The Inbox Asked for $3. - Agitator | DonorVoice

The Model That Knows When To Shut Up - Agitator | DonorVoice

Best Practice Is Just Peer Pressure in a Blazer - Agitator | DonorVoice

DON’T EAT THE SEED CORN: A Checklist for Fundraisers in Tough Times - Agitator | DonorVoice

Why Your Best Appeal Is Failing 80% of the Time - Agitator | DonorVoice

You're Being Watched. Protect Yourself. - Agitator | DonorVoice

“Audience-Led” Is the New Low Bar. Time to Raise It. - Agitator | DonorVoice

Your Fundraising Team Needs a Robot With The Right Personality - Agitator | DonorVoice

A Billboard and Brush. Defiance and Hope - Agitator | DonorVoice

When Progress Isn’t Enough: The Risk of Public Goals in Fundraising - Agitator | DonorVoice

Fundraising's 3-Minute Track Problem - Agitator | DonorVoice

Cracking the Code: How to Make Sure Donors See Themselves in Your Appeals - Agitator | DonorVoice

Robbing the Sick to Pay the Suits. Donors Defect. - Agitator | DonorVoice

More Exposure, More Money…Until It Backfires Like a Bad Tinder Streak - Agitator | DonorVoice

Weaponized Giving - Agitator | DonorVoice

Building a Shit Sandwich for Trump - Agitator | DonorVoice

Past Giving Predicts Future Giving—And That’s the Problem - Agitator | DonorVoice

Why the Right Identity, Not Just Any Identity, Drives Giving - Agitator | DonorVoice

Kiss Our ASS - Agitator | DonorVoice

The Necesssary Fundraising Rethink - Agitator | DonorVoice

Fundraising on Mount Stupid - Agitator | DonorVoice

When Might a Losing Test Win? - Agitator | DonorVoice

Backlash Building - Agitator | DonorVoice

This Job Listing Reveals What Fundraising Is Missing - Agitator | DonorVoice

Old Wine, New Bottles, and Why Your 'Engagement' Metrics Are Drunk - Agitator | DonorVoice

When Best Practices Go Boom: A Behavioral Scientist's Guide to Fundraising Folly - Agitator | DonorVoice

Two Heads. No Heart. - Agitator | DonorVoice

Mind the Gap: Why Behavioral Nudges Don’t Always Transfer to Fundraising - Agitator | DonorVoice

President's Day or Identity Crisis? - Agitator | DonorVoice

The 'Everything Matters' Paradox: How Bad Surveys Hide Good Data - Agitator | DonorVoice

Chasing High Returns Is Killing Your Growth - Agitator | DonorVoice

The Truth Keepers: A Cautionary Tale - Agitator | DonorVoice

From Burnout to Breakthrough: The Hidden Pattern Behind Extraordinary Fundraising Success - Agitator | DonorVoice

Fundraising Renaissance or Reformation? - Agitator | DonorVoice

Are You Writing Stories or Book Reports? - Agitator | DonorVoice

Strategic Segmentation Starts with Donors, Not Your CRM - Agitator | DonorVoice

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