State Campaign Fund Raising: Targets and Response

Abstract

The extent to which campaign contributors are solicited by, and respond to, four different fund-raising techniques--direct mail, telephone, personal face-to-face, and group appeal--are reported. Data from contributors in two states indicate that there is significant variation in the use of all four modes of solicitation, and each apparently reaches and motivates somewhat different populations. The data also suggest that many contributors give without being asked while the cadre of new contributors for whom fund-raising solicitations are important is not very large. The study indicates that further research on the use of different fund-raising technologies may provide an important link in understanding the financing of political campaigns.