The job market is tough, but not for the reasons you may think. For several months in 2016, I looked for a senior-level job in development. During my 20-plus years working in nonprofit and higher education fundraising, I've developed several skills, including the ability to scout and hire great talent.

In September 2016, Stanford University made a surprising decision: We eliminated our phone program for fundraising, the result of a dramatic rise in negative responses to our calling. In 2011, for every eight people who answered our calls and made gifts, only one said, "Never call me again." By 2015, the ratio was 3-to-1. From complaints in our general inbox to offhand comments in meetings with alumni, we knew that our calls were alienating prospective donors—and that we were compromising tomorrow's gifts with today's annoying asks.