MAKING POLITICS PAY: CASHING IN ON CAUSES : Fees and Costs
The high fees charged by direct-mail consultants William A. Butcher and Arnold C. Forde often exceeded the cost of the solicitations they sent to raise funds. For example, an October 1985 mailing for the California Tax Reduction Movement sought support for a new ballot initiative. Each of the 334,329 letters was signed by Howard Jarvis and contained a dollar bill to encourage donations. And despite what some letters said, the Jarvis organization wasn’t really down to its last dollar.
Some letter excerpts, written by Butcher-Forde:
“I’ll bet you our last dollar we can win back your right to vote on local tax increases in the (city of addressee) area and save taxpayers in California billions of dollars.”
“That’s why I took a big gamble--in effect, I’ve sent you our last dollar. Because I trust you to return it to me together with your investment of $25, $40 or $50 to clear the decks before we launch the Taxpayers’ Voting Rights Initiative.”
“(Name of addressee), I’ll be 84 years old next year, and this may be the last time I’ll be able to lead a statewide initiative campaign to save Proposition 13 from the attacks of big-spending politicians and extremist judges.”
And here’s how the costs worked out:
Cost of Mailer
Printing and paper: $42,968.62
Computer: $25,856.41
Mail preparation*: $44,180.42
Security: $2,600.00
Delivery: $250.00
Total: $115,855.45
* Folding, stuffing, stamping
Note: Cost does not include the $1 incentive per letter.
****
Butcher-Forde Fees
Commission on dollar bills and nonprofit postage/mailer costs: $84,068.04
Consulting fees @ $.25 per letter: $83,582.25
Total: $167,650.29
Source: Orange County Superior Court records
Researched by TRACY WEBER / Los Angeles Times
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