MELISSA BLOCK, host: So let's say you tune in to All Things Considered and you hear me say this: Wall Street is pulling back in early trading as investors look over the latest batch of quarterly earnings. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Would you feel with those blah, blah, blahs that I'm connecting with you? Well, that's the approach Framingham State College in Massachusetts used for a fundraising letter last month to appeal to younger alumni.</s>MELISSA BLOCK, host: The letter read, "With the recent economic downturn and loan crisis, it has become even more important for Framingham State College to receive your support. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." And more blahs. More than 130 of them.</s>MELISSA BLOCK, host: Well, some alumni were not amused. They called the letter insulting. Christopher Hendry, the school's vice president of college advancement and the guy who green-lighted the blah, blah, blah letter, has since apologized. Hendry says the school won't use the letter again. But he did point out that it did net about $2,000 from nearly 40 alumni who have never donated to Framingham State College before.
A recent fundraising attempt by one Massachusetts college tried humor, but went over poorly. The letter from Framingham State College read: "With the recent economic downturn and loan crisis, it has become even more important for Framingham State College to receive your support. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah." The school has since apologized to insulted alums.