<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-size: 13px;color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family: Arial;"><br>Mr.Ludlow:<br><br>I feel your pain. I agree that LP News should not necessarily remain a print vehicle until the end of time.<br>However, a straw poll on LP.org would not yield what I would call a scientifically valid result. For example, people who don't go to the web site, but do read the print newsletter, would not be included in that poll.<br><br>I understand that doing a statistically valid poll with a polling company could easily cost $7000 or more.<br><br>Couldn't we ask an intern or two to call 100 or 200 members and do a survey that way? I bet Mr. Katz could tell us how many calls we would need to have reasonably valid results.<br><br> Scott Lieberman<br><br><br>GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG<br><blockquote style="padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 0px; border-left: #0000ff 2px solid; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; font-size: 10pt; font-family: arial,sans-serif; color: black;">-----Original Message-----
<br>From: Kevin Ludlow <ludlow@gmail.com>
<br>Sent: Feb 16, 2016 5:16 PM
<br>To: lnc-business@hq.lp.org
<br>Subject: Re: [Lnc-business] ROI - LP News vs Reason Magazine
<br><br><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Wes,<br><br></div>I like you as a person. Just wanted to say that first.<br><br></div>But professionally speaking here, I'm really embarrassed at this vague attempt of business reasoning that ultimately concludes analysis can't be done, so let's keep pushing forward anyways.<br><br></div>The fact that we spend such a significant chunk of our budget on this and yet you guys apparently can't figure out how to measure the output it, at least to some very basic degree, is incredibly disheartening. Better still is the conclusion that even though we can't figure it out, we should just continue down the same path, value be damned. So how can we justify increasing it? Obviously we can't, but it gives us the warm and fuzzies so let's do it.<br><br></div>Further, you mention how other organizations use a mix of print, digital, social-media, etc. Am I to conclude from your email that we're going to start splitting up the $9,000 per mailing and mixing it through all of these mediums? I would be delighted to help the group spend $4,500 on a different medium. I feel pretty confident what the results will be.<br><br></div>Thinking towards the future, a few people in leadership have questioned why we felt it was so important to form a caucus with the intent of changing how we do business. THIS is a pretty good example of why. I don't expect the task to be trivial. I don't expect the task to be perfect. No reasonable person would. But to simply ignore why it needs to be done on the idea that it CAN'T be done speaks volumes to the kind of organization that we're running. I hope to help change that.<br><br></div>So here's an idea: how about we put a straw poll on the front page of <a target="_blank" href="http://lp.org">lp.org</a>. We can ask people if they want to increase the number of issues, keep it the same, decrease the number of issues, or do away with it altogether. You can even ask how many people throw it in the trash. And just for fun, feel free to make it a "vote with your dollars" so the LP can get a little something from it.<br><br></div>At least then you'll have you're democratic answer.<br><br></div>-Kevin Ludlow<br><br>GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG<br><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Feb 16, 2016 at 6:35 PM, Wes Benedict <span dir="ltr"><<a target="_blank" href="mailto:wes.benedict@lp.org">wes.benedict@lp.org</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div bgcolor="#FFFFFF" text="#000000">
"Reason magazine--which is known as 'the largest and most
influential libertarian publication in the world today'-needs to
raise an additional $300,000 per issue to pay its bills. . . That's
on top of the money we earn from subscriptions, advertising, and
other commercial activities." (Matt Welch - Reason Magazine
fundraising letter, 2013, copy attached.)<br>
<br>
I've been asked the ROI on LP News. Rather than write about it
several times, I thought I'd share a few thoughts with the board all
at once, and then forward this email to the people who ask me about
it again over the next few months.<br>
<br>
LP News is a newsletter. It's #1 goal isn't to raise money directly,
although it does raise some money directly. As a newsletter, it
informs the readership about our activities. It sometimes inspires,
sometimes educates and trains, and sometimes bores people I'm sure.
I usually throw Reason Magazine in the trash without reading it, but
I do think it's great for a libertarian publication and I hope they
keep it up. <br>
<br>
LP News acts as an advertisement to our subscribers to show what the
national, state, and local candidates and affiliates are doing so
that when those same subscribers receive fundraising letters, they
are more likely to donate in response to fundraising requests.<br>
<br>
Some people have very strongly urged us to increase production of LP
News to a monthly publication. Others have very strongly urged us to
discontinue it altogether. Others have urged electronic only. I
personally prefer 4 to 6 issues per year. But if the LNC ever or LNC
members ever mandate 12 or 0 and I'm still here, I'll comply.<br>
<br>
LP News is posted online at our website LP.org. If you don't know
where, that proves a point about the likelihood of people reading
the online version. I want it in print too because I want to put in
your mailbox right in front of you from time to time. <br>
<br>
Wikipedia definition: "Return on investment (ROI) is the benefit to
an investor resulting from an investment of some resource."<br>
<br>
In trying to calculate a financial number of ROI for LP News, two
Libertarians could argue extensively over what items should be
included as investments, and what should be included as returns. <br>
<br>
For those interested in trying to calculate ROI using whatever
numbers might be available, you might find some numbers in the LNC
meeting archives for that: <br>
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.lp.org/leadership/lnc-meeting-archives">http://www.lp.org/leadership/lnc-meeting-archives</a><br>
<br>
I'm not interested in trying the calculation myself, because I don't
think any reports have enough data to make an accurate calculation,
and I think even more detailed reports would probably only provide
more precise misinformation. The LNC adopted a membership plan that
required publishing major donors' photos in LP News, presumably to
recognize them, thank them, encourage them to donate again, and
encourage others to follow suit. What is that worth and how do we
measure it? The upcoming LP News has a convention registration form
in it, which saves us the postage of an extra convention mailing.
Should the money coming in from that be counted as a return to LP
News, or to the convention? I suppose in the long run, the sum
financial ROI of all our non-profit's activities, which are highly
co-dependent, are close to zero, as we spend most of what we raise,
rather than build up a large pot of money, but one of our economists
or accounting gurus might be able to state that more correctly.<br>
<br>
Some people have said LP News is a print medium, which is becoming
obsolete, and we should end it and go all electronic. Well, I'm for
raising funds using multiple channels. The LP is mostly white males,
but we should still reach out to women and minorities. Less than
half our revenue currently comes from online sources, although it
has been growing steadily as a percentage of the total. <br>
<br>
The experts in the political industry continue using a combination
of print and online fundraising techniques and newsletters. There's
a reason for that. There's a reason the grocery store and department
stores still put newsprint flyers in your mailbox, and Chinese
restaurants put door hangers on your doorknob. <br>
<br>
While I am in favor of continuing LP News at 4 to 6 print issues per
year, at least for a while, I'm more interested in what people think
of Liberty Pledge News. Liberty Pledge News is a monthly print
publication that gets mailed to our monthly pledgers. If you're not
familiar with Liberty Pledge News and would like to sample it for a
few months, please sign up for a monthly pledge of $10 or more here,
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.lp.org/contribute">https://www.lp.org/contribute</a>, or as part of a membership here:
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.lp.org/membership">https://www.lp.org/membership</a>.<br>
<br>
Sample Liberty Pledge News with a monthly contribution today: <br>
<br>
<div align="center"><b><big><big><a target="_blank" href="https://www.lp.org/contribute"></a><a target="_blank" href="https://www.lp.org/contribute">https://www.lp.org/contribute</a><br>
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.lp.org/membership">https://www.lp.org/membership</a></big></big></b><br>
</div>
<br>
and help me decide - keep it, or kill it!<br>
<br>
If every LNC member and officers signs up for a $15 per month
monthly pledge, M Carling has offered to donate ten times that
amount, or $150 per month.<br>
<br>
Yours in <a target="_blank" href="https://www.lp.org/membership">Liberty Pledge
News</a>, <br><span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888">
<pre cols="72">--
Wes Benedict, Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee, Inc.<br></pre></font></span></div><br></blockquote></div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><br><div><br></div></div></div></div>
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</ludlow@gmail.com></blockquote></div></body></html>