Words don’t have to be this blatantly offensive to cause offense. Watching what you say isn’t as easy — or even as all-fire important

By Scott Swedenburg

“In our post 9/11, post-tsunami, post-Katrina world, donors’ anxiety levels are already dangerously high. You don’t want to be the bearer of even more bad news,” Selner says, adding that she doesn’t eschew the proven formula of using drama to get attention early in a direct-mail letter.

“But I don’t dwell on doom and gloom either,” she explains. “I try to show them early and often that, yes, things are not right here, but there are real reasons to be hopeful that you can help turn it around.”