With little to show but enthusiasm, the development staff at the National Constitution Center managed to fund a dream.

By Margaret Battistelli Gardner

The program was such a potent exercise in brand awareness that the NCC later used the concept as part of its control package, which, Seiter says, remains the most successful in the center’s short history.

Getting DM involved
The NCC started its direct mail program after the groundbreaking in 2001 with very little to offer; packages couldn’t regale potential donors with promises of parties or free admission or other traditional perks, simply because the center didn’t exist yet. Donors at all levels got a newsletter and a pocket copy of the Constitution; $100 donors got a pin.