I suppose what I find annoying is the way people can't seem to separate their personal feelings from it being a "bad thing." It was a smart business move. Period the end. Sorry you got so upset and won't donate.
Maybe a couple of the complaints can be construed as objecting to any sort of fundraising outreach, but most of us are pointing out why we think the JREF's approach is decidedly suboptimal. It's annoying to have that feedback dismissed as emotional "whining."
I don't mind being hit up for money by a cause I've supported in the past. I don't mind getting the emails and PMs, and I can easily delete them.
And for all the talk about "best practices," other organizations do it better. The National Center for Science Education (an organization whose supporters probably overlap with the JREF's somewhat) contacts me about four times a year. Yes, it contains a request for donations, but that comes at the end of a report of what they've been doing and what they hope to do. I'm a little annoyed at the NCSE for their sucking up to religion, but I'm thinking of overlooking that and cutting them another check because they make their case well.
My alma maters hit me up for money all the time, and I don't object to them doing it (as long as it's not by phone!). But they make sure that's not the only time I hear from them and it's not the sole message when they do ask. They send out alumni publications, brag about specific accomplishments of their students and faculty, and talk about what capital projects they have in mind for the future.
I try to cut the JREF a little slack because it's a small organization, and one that seems to be trying to make the transition from an organization that provides a platform for Randi (which is worthy, but not sustainable long-term) to being an organization that is less dependent on Randi personally and more about carrying forward his work and (eventually) his legacy.
I think DJ is probably making some progress in that area, though it's hard to tell. I just remain baffled at the attitude that he seems to be perpetuating that the Forum is just some kindness that the JREF deigns to provide us all. I would think that most organizations would love to have an active web community of people at least broadly sympathetic to the organization's goals. If the Forum and the JREF have drifted apart over the years, that's not surprising considering that the JREF's main presence in the Forum over those years has been to step in and announce new, stricter rules because the Forum was embarrassing the JREF in some way. Even if all of those measures were necessary, it shouldn't have been the primary interaction between the two. I wish DJ was more interested in fixing that relationship rather than just shrugging and accepting it as an unchangeable fact.
