In the Dutch Republic, charitable collectionswere regularly organized by both religious and secular authorities. This book examines the policies of church boards and town councils in organizing these charitable appeals, as well as the general population s giving behavior. Using archival sources from the towns of Delft, Utrecht, Zwolle, and s-Hertogenbosch, Danielle Teeuwen shows how these authorities deployed organizational and rhetorical tactics including creating awareness, establishing trust, and exerting pressure to successfully promote fundraising campaigns. Not only did many relief...