This fall's schedule has thrown me for a loop. I usually drop our Annual Fund direct mail appeal in mid-Sept. However this year our fall "gala" is earlier (early October)and the invites need to be mailed right after Labor Day. Should I simply mail out the Ann Fund letters on the heals of that invite, or wait until late October, after the gala, to send the direct mail piece? Waiting will push other mailings off schedule as well. Any ideas?

I am not an expert but I would simply make sure that there were 2 weeks between the 2 mailings. We do a Sept mailing and a November mailing so postponing into October would cause huge problems for us. We also compare giving month over month for the past 3 years and have monthly goals so we don't wiggle with the schedule that much or we'd have "some 'splaining to do, Lucy!" One other suggestion is to be sure to include an [ ] I can not attend but would like to make a tax deductible contribtion of $_____ . If they give, you can then suppress them from the fall mailing. *** my spelling is fine, it's my typing that stinks. Where is spell check? Melissa S. Graves Manager, Development Database & Direct Mail Planned Parenthood of Connecticut [Email Removed] 203-752-2804

THanks Melissa. Looks like this year will just be one of those years when the stars don't line upas usual. I forsee lots of asterisks at the bottom of monthly reports. -Tom