[akolbe]

That's precisely the point though: telling people "what gets them to donate". That's manipulative.

And it's the inevitable result of a sophisticated, decade-long program of A/B testing. And this is the outfit, remember, that wants to steward "the essential infrastructure of the ecosystem of free knowledge", the most-propagated information source on the planet.

I'd rather have someone in charge of that who's committed to telling "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth", rather than someone who tells people what "gets them to do what they want them to do". Wouldn't you?

[aezell]

In an altruistic and idealistic world, sure. But that's not the world I live in.

Personally, I find the ads histrionic and would like them to change. However, an article like this that insinuates something akin to malice or subterfuge instead of recognizing the reality of non-profit fundraising isn't helpful. That was my point.

[akolbe]

A little more courage ... :) In my view you should hold those who claim to be different from the corrupt profit-makers that preceded them to the standards they claim to embody.

Nothing will ever improve by accepting that the new boss you've just met is the same as the old boss.