A Blast From the Past: A Fundraiser’s Nightmare (August 2009)

FundRaising Success published its first issue in November 2003, which makes this our 10-year anniversary year. To celebrate, we'll be taking a look back at past issues throughout the year.

Today's blast from the past is an Editor's Note where I confessed to having been a fundraiser's nightmare in that my giving was erratic and seemingly not related to any organization's strategies. In response, I got an e-mail that excoriated me for my sometimes willy-nilly approach to giving. The writer said I made a mockery of the donation process and did a disservice both to donors and to the people who dedicate their lives' work to fundraising. She also called for my immediate dismissal. So below are links to both the original column and my response to the e-mail (in a subsequent column).

I've had a craptastic couple of weeks, thank you very much. So imagine my delight when I opened my mailbox to find a small envelope addressed to me in actual handwriting. How sweet that one of my dear friends would send me a pick-me-up and, better yet, take the time to do it the old-fashioned way! I was on top of the world.

But my euphoria melted away as I opened the envelope and realized that what I had received was not a heartfelt "thinking of you" note from a friend. Rather, it was a fundraising solicitation from an organization that I like and had donated to previously. Call me petty, but the disappointment was enough to make me toss the direct-mail piece into the recycling bin without reading a single word.

Click here to read the original column and here to see the follow-up.