Meet the Broker: Liz Richardson

Today we meet Liz Richardson, a senior list broker at Carol Enters List Co. (CELCO). Richardson spent more than 10 years working in direct mail production and print buying, before moving into list brokerage.

The nonprofit organizations she encountered while doing production-related work intrigued her. So five years ago she changed careers, joining CELCO to broker lists and become more involved with fundraising work.

Richardson recommends lists for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Her other list brokerage clients include the Chesapeake Bay Foundation; U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum; Global Fund for Women; Animal Protection Institute; Lambda Legal; and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network.

According to Richardson some of toughest challenges that brokers face in the nonprofit fundraising market involve arranging for list exchanges, and negotiating for waivers on fees charged for list orders below minimum quantity requirements.

"I try my best for exchanges, so my clients won't have to break their pocketbooks," she says.

"Sometimes there's a 7,500-name minimum—but if I ask really nicely sometimes the minimum can be lowered to 5,000 names and fees on selections can be capped," she adds.

Negotiating life at home keeps her just as busy, maybe more so. She and her husband have an eight-month old daughter, plus a dog and two cats.

"We like to spend time outdoors on weekends taking walks," says Richardson. "I do yoga. I really like to read when I have time, but lately I've just been trying to catch up on my sleep."

What should nonprofit groups know about list modeling?

Modeling doesn't work for every organization, especially mailers unwilling to share information about their house files. Moreover, it's an opportunity for analyzing house lists and gaining demographic insights.

"It's a really great source for new names, because most nonprofit groups don't have a lot of power with their house files for list exchanges," says Richardson. "No file is too small."

Small organizations tend to be the most cautious about list modeling because they want to know how it worked for other fundraisers. Brokers can find out for them, about how other organizations' list modeling efforts have fared.

"People talk at conferences about what works," Richardson adds. "Brokers have to attend a lot of conferences and meet people who do modeling to find out what works."

Are lists of gays and lesbians difficult to obtain?

Most gay and lesbian organizations do not have their lists on the market. However, files are accessible to brokers like Richardson with savvy to negotiate with organizations willing to make list exchanges.

"My specialty is probably the gay market and I find the universe of names available is somewhat limited," she says. "So maybe I might have to make extra phone calls to organizations, when their lists are not on market."

Know someone you'd like to suggest for Meet the Broker? E-mail Jim.Emerson@Penton.com