I'm glad I could be of help! I never knew direct mail could be so successful as long as you are cogniscent of the fact that you need to really find the proper mailing lists and decide what type of mailing you are going to do. If anyone has any questions about what I've read in the book, let me know and i will do my best to answer!
Krista

The "dummies" book are invaluable. They put the information you need in plain English. I can't even begin to tell you how many of them I've refered to for various things.

My last job was with a large national nonprofit and my primary responsibility was mailing lists. I used MS Access for the snail mail lists. When I got returned mail, the program is very easy to delete data from. For email lists, I used Outlook and tried to keep it updated with current data as best as time would allow.
To keep the lists as current as possible, I relied on the Chamber of Commerce. Some have their information on disc that for a small fee, they will allow you to purchase the current year (provided you're a member). Otherwise, there's a lot of data entry input from the annual book they usually have printed, listing all members. Very time consuming but for the most part, accurate!! When you target the companies, you're also targeting the employees!
Well publicized community events are also a great way to bring in new donors to nonprofits! And attending these events are great places to network!

__________________
Barb
Iken Organize