What lists are available?
There are hundreds of lists that work for fundraising offers – but not every list works for every offer! Knowing which lists work for what is where we come in. Depending on the focus of your organization (or package), we will tailor a list recommendation based on your specific needs and goals.

Can I only order the lists you manage?
We manage some of the best fundraising lists on the market, but we can get you any list that’s available. Many mailers come to us just for one or two of our managed lists, but if you have more ambitious plans, we can develop a mailing strategy to include both lists that we manage and those we don’t. At that point, we become your list consultant, and we charge a $1,000 consulting fee up front, which is refunded if you order at least 500,000 names in one year.

How much do lists cost?
Rental rates vary, and adding specific criteria (choosing only women, or names in a certain area, for example) will add additional charges. The basic charge for a list is called its “base rate”. That’s the rate charged if you only take a portion of the full file, without adding any additional criteria. Most rental lists cost from $70/m (per thousand names) to $100/m, with selection criteria adding anywhere from $5/m to $25/m.

Another option available in limited cases is a list exchange. If your organization already has a donor file, and you want to mail to another organization’s list, they may be interested in exchanging lists with you. Exchanges are on a name-for-name basis. That is, if you receive 5,000 names from an organization, you agree to let them mail to 5,000 of your organization’s donors. If you only have 2,500 donors, you’d have to let them mail to your list twice.

While no money changes hands between organizations in an exchange transaction, we charge a $10/m “exchange fee” to the mailer to cover administrative expenses.

Are there limitations to what I can do with a list once I get it?
Yes. When you rent a list, the terms, unless negotiated otherwise up front, require that you use it only once – it can’t be saved or copied for any reason. Lists will be shipped to the lettershop or service bureau you designate. For security and privacy, no list can be delivered directly to the mailer. With few exceptions, the lists we’d recommend are marketed for direct mail purposes only. No telemarketing or emails are allowed.

What’s a “minimum”?
You’ll notice a field on our data cards that says “minimum”. It means the smallest order allowed on that list – in most cases 5,000 names.

Can I reach a minimum by ordering smaller quantities from a number of lists?
No, minimums are applied to each individual list order.

What would you need from me to get started?
If you’d like to be contacted by a Names in the News broker, please fill out our client information form give us an idea of your needs.

With that information, and a copy of the package you want to mail, we can draw up a list plan for your review. List owners will want to approve the package you’re mailing, so we’ll need to send them a sample when asking if they will allow your organization to mail to their list.

You may also want to check our Quick Recos to see which of our managed lists would be recommended for your general market.

What forms of payment do you accept?
Check or money order. New mailers will be asked to prepay for any lists ordered.

How quickly can I get a list?
It depends on the list, but two weeks is a reasonable timetable to use, though chances are it may happen more quickly (and of course, there are the exceptions that can take longer). As soon as the list owner approves your request, the necessary forms are completed and prepayment is received, a list can be ordered and shipped within 72 hours.

Ready to start?
Please fill out our client information form and a Names in the News representative will contact you within the next business day.