Otis is a much-sought-after copywriter for nonprofit fundraising messages. He has written campaigns for UNICEF, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, The March of Dimes, Susan G. Komen, the USO, and dozens of other organizations.

Most of Otis’ career was spent in the education industry, working at the psychometric R&D firm Metametrics, Inc., Pearson Education, and others. Since 2013 he has focused on the nonprofit sector, applying psychology to fundraising and donor behavior. He is the co-author of the 2017 book, Dollar Dash: The Behavioral Economics of Peer-to-Peer Fundraising and is a frequent speaker at national nonprofit conferences. He writes a blog at NonProfit Pro, "Peeling the Onion," on the intersection of psychology and philanthropy.

Otis has a Ph.D. in social psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University and a B.A. from the University of Virginia, where he also played on UVA’s first ACC champion basketball team.