Education is good for everyone — but so is cod-liver oil.

By Jeff Brooks

2. Fundraising media are terrible teaching venues. What does it look like when a donor receives a piece of direct-mail fundraising? It’s not pretty. Picture a mailbox stuffed with bills, catalogs, useless credit card offers, maybe a personal letter — and half a dozen or so fundraising appeals. Every single day, more stuff arrives than she can possibly read in a day. Faced with this avalanche, she stands over the recycle bin and quickly sorts it into categories: