Alice in Wonderland is a great read-aloud children's story, a collection of logic puzzles, a bizarre hallucinogenic romp.  It is also a commentary on the absurdity of Victorian manners.  Take, for instance, this exchange when Alice arrived at the Mad Hatter's Tea Party.

The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it: 'No room! No room!' they cried out when they saw Alice coming. 'There's PLENTY of room!' said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.

'Have some wine,' the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.

Alice looked all round the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. 'I don't see any wine,' she remarked.

'There isn't any,' said the March Hare.

'Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it,' said Alice angrily.

'It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited,' said the March Hare.

'I didn't know it was YOUR table,' said Alice; 'it's laid for a great many more than three.'

'Your hair wants cutting,' said the Hatter. He had been looking at Alice for some time with great curiosity, and this was his first speech.

'You should learn not to make personal remarks,' Alice said with some severity; 'it's very rude.'

The Hatter opened his eyes very wide on hearing this; but all he SAID was, 'Why is a raven like a writing-desk?'

Fundraising simultaneously occupies two worlds: the world of human relationships and the world of Return on Investment.   It is very important to calculate ROI every way you can slice it, but when you carry your ROI-head into the world of human relationships, you act in a manner that Alice might describe as "curiouser and curiouser" and Miss Manners would say is "downright rude." 

Miss Manners recently got a letter from a man who gave a couple thousand dollars to each of a hundred charities.  When he lost his job, he had to stop writing checks.  He wrote to Miss Manners about being hounded by solicitors, and she replied: "It has always puzzled Miss Manners to find how often those who work on behalf of other people in general feel free to annoy the particular people with whom they come into contact." 

In these volatile times, your contribution income is likely to take some curious turns.  Use your ROI-head to make your budget, but not to talk to your donors.