For years I’ve heard references to the retail world with the insinuation that best practices in customer service were applicable to donor stewardship. Surely a few are, like acting with integrity, timeliness and respect. But a key truism – that the customer paid for a product or service while the donor GAVE without any specific promise in return remains an issue that needs to be addressed. I remain convinced that ours is a more complex relationship than that, and one unique to philanthropy.

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