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Consultant's Corner
Internet and direct mail fundraising
By Stacy D. Cole
June 29, 2004
Internet and direct mail fundraising represent the newest and one of the oldest ways of political fundraising. Only since 1999 has Internet fundraising shown that it can be a force in politics. Yet, it still has plenty of time to reach its full potential.
What follows are descriptions of what is involved with each of these ways of fundraising:
Direct mail-direct mail fundraising is a solicitation via U.S mail for someone to donate their money to a political campaign or cause. People are not normally inclined to give to political campaigns. This is where you have to appeal to them as to why they should donate and compel them to sit down to write the check immediately.
It is imperative that you have a good writer who can tap into people's emotions. The opening words or opening headline should grab their attention, because that mailpiece is competing with the other mail that came in that day. It may get a 5 or 10 second look before it goes into the garbage. Or, they may open it up and read all of it. That's why you need an attention-grabbing headline or opening statement.
The general success rate for direct mail solicitations is 2-4%. If you get anything above that, you are considered very successful. There is no reason not to believe that you can meet that, if not beat it. The only way to know is to try.
Internet fundraising- The new kid on the block for fundraising is on the Internet. The internet is revolutionizing how politics and campaigns are operating, and fundraising is a big part of that. Internet fundraising is usually mentioned in the mainstream press when they speak of the big successes of Howard Dean or John McCain. The two Presidential candidates made strong inroads in fundraising for their respective campaigns by raising millions of dollars through their websites.
When you start your campaign website, (which we'll talk about at a later date), you should have an area where people can donate to your campaign. There are numerous companies who will provide the software for your site, and they usually require compensation by taking a small percentage of the money that is collected.
You will have to research which of these companies is best suited for you. They will work with you to help raise the most money that is possible for your campaign. Hint: look for firms, and judge them, not on their won-loss record, but how successful they have been at Internet fundraising. Remember, Internet fundraising companies are not involved in how campaigns are run, just in the fundraising aspect.
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