In 1992 I had the absolute pleasure of working with numerous nonprofits and their fundraising throughout Europe. During that year, I was handed a copy of a revolutionary new book on fundraising tec…

Source: trust.guidestar.org

I read Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great, several years ago, but I still recall his observations about “carefully selected technology”.  I am a data nut – I love to see numbers converge into patterns and use that understanding to guide new, innovative behavior.  But data can only identify the starting point.  As this guidestar.org Blog post states – fundraising and philanthropy is more art than science.  We make emotional decisions and then look for logical, reasoned facts to justify those choices.  

But by using technology wisely, to engage and inspire, we stay human.  Our prospective clients and donors know we care about them because we give them tools to improve their lives.  Especially when it comes to social media and the ability to “reach” large target populations, we have to be careful to add to our partners’ lives, not simply treat them as a piggy bank.