And So It Begins

The email below across my inbox this morning through a chain of forwards. It comes from a major fundraiser (and donor) for the Dartmouth Parents and Grandparents Fund, addressed to Beth Meyer, the head of said fund. I think it sums of the common sentiment quite nicely.

From: [redacted]
Sent: Thursday, October 18, 2007 1:07 AM
To: Elizabeth.A.Meyer@Dartmouth.EDU
Cc: James.E.Wright@Dartmouth.EDU
Subject: Withdrawal from Parents Fund

Dear Beth,

So much of a college’s success depends upon the support of its alumni body. At Dartmouth it seems that the college may have devalued the importance of this group. It would be very hard for us to “sing the praises” of the college to alumni parents when that key constituency has apparently been abandoned. We hope Dartmouth’s position on this issue will change and, when it does, know that we will be the first in line to raise money for this wonderful institution. Until then, we cannot be supportive.

Beth, despite our deep disappointment, we send you our personal best,

[redacted]

In light of this email and comments in the post below, you can’t help but wonder which is worse: The loss of a couple larege donors, or “death by a thosand papercuts” insinuated here in the loss of a large number of smaller donors.