Developing a mailing list

Three Main Principles of Fundraising

• People give money to people first, to causes second.
• Fundraising is strictly a numbers game. The more people you ask, the more donations you will receive. One hundred letters will bring in between 60-80 donations.
• Invariably, you will get the largest donations from some people you least expect. Some people will make a significant donation because the Amigos program will hit their “hot” button. The relationship with the potential donor does not have to be a close one.

Your Mailing List Should Include:

• Relatives
• Friends of the family
• Parent’s business contacts
• People who provide services to your family, such as doctors, dentists, orthodontists, veterinarians, accountants, lawyers.
• Members of your church, synagogue, or mosque
• Civic organizations
• Local merchants
• Teachers (other than your current Spanish teacher)
• Coaches
• Scout leaders
• Parents of your friends
• Neighbors
• People you have worked for, i.e. in babysitting jobs, after school jobs, summer jobs

Develop your list

• Review with your parents their personal phone book, their business phone book, clients, patients, customers, vender lists
• Go through family club lists, family invitation lists, family picture albums
• Go through your school directory for the names/addresses of students, parents of students, and teachers
• Think about your neighborhood contacts

Do not make the decision for potential donors by excluding them from your list. If people do not want to give, they won’t. If they want to, they will. Let them make the choice.