As the nexus between the nonprofit community and the donors who support it, the fund-raising profession has a tremendous impact on how the nonprofit sector is perceived by the public and how it fares in an atmosphere of decreasing government support and increasing competition for donor dollars. But fund-raising professionals must cope with a growing list of important issues, including resource management, increased regulation at all levels of government, ethical scrutiny, donor diversity, and the establishment of professional standards. In the face of all these pressures, it is not surprising that little attention has been given to the premises that underlie many of the decisions fund raisers make in their daily professional lives.  Read more