A Realistic Look at Annual Funds

Direct mail made its debut in the late 1940s and ramped up slowly as the “better way.” In the 1960s, the ZIP code provided new tools for targeting. But, the real explosion was caused by the computer in the 1970s with the advent and growth of the digital database.

Computers enabled direct mail to really take off. Canvassing became much easier and much broader. There were few geographical limits that could not easily be bridged. And volunteer efforts began quickly to shrink because the “return on investment” was simply not competitive.