Can Direct Mail Be Used Effectively for State Think Tanks?
Published on Monday, September 01, 2003 ARTICLES By Whitney GarlinghouseDuring the spring of this year, I carried out a study for Yankee Institute in Connecticut for the purpose of examining if and how the institute might employ direct mail (DM) strategies for fundraising. The methodology used was quite simple – to contact other sister organizations around the nation and learn from their first hand experiences with DM. Fourteen state think tanks were contacted. What follows here is a summary of these findings, along with specific recommendations extrapolated from this information, which could be used by any state think tank.Summary of FindingsGenerally, direct mail, in isolation, has not proven to be a good way to raise money for support of state think tanks. Prospecting is expensive and usually does not break even, although with most organizations it has come close. The lifetime value of names procured through prospecting can easily be expected to be a positive contributor to the budg
