Editor's Note: Use Us ... We Like It

Over the course of those two days, I was immersed in the most minute details, the nuts and bolts of the fundraising milieu. I met, learned with, ate with and laughed with you, the readership of FundRaising Success, the people who fuel the machine that is fundraising for nonprofit organizations.

And it is a machine. Unlike corporate interests that often run on profit and power, the fundraising industry is greased by compassion and a desire to make the world a better, safer, saner place. But it’s a machine, nonetheless, with moving parts that have to be tended to, replaced, integrated and oiled on a regular basis. It’s also an art. And a science. It’s more complex and fascinating than most people on the outside could ever imagine. Even the folks on the inside have a lot to digest in their quest to keep the coffers healthy.