Death to the Phonathon?

Earlier this week, Stanford University sent ripples though the fundraising community. Except this time it wasn't for a multimillion dollar gift announcement, it was to declare the end of its phonathon program. It sent communications to its alumni and friends that were clever and witty, grasping what many of our donors already feel about fundraising phone calls.

For some fundraisers, it was a pearl-clutching moment; how could they? For the rest of us, we stood and applauded! After all, less than 40 percent of homes have landlines, and if you look at younger generations, that number decreases significantly! I'm not suggesting here that you all go out tomorrow and slash and burn your phonathon rooms.

But let's think about it.