From his extensive direct-mail appeals, Rogan has "acquired," as they say in the trade, a base of at least 50,000 donors.

Ms. Backus said the number of people who responded to their direct-mail appeal had increased by 45 percent over the same period in 1999.

The campaign expects to raise nearly $3 million in the early months of next year, chiefly through direct-mail appeals and donations solicited over the Internet.

In the early years, the company sent direct-mail appeals to high school athletic departments, with limited success.

If the key undecided votes were in labor households, for instance, they would probably be reached through direct-mail appeals, using the union rolls.

"The panic is inappropriate," he added, "but we still are likely to see a temporary" effect on the response rates to direct-mail appeals.

The same day, Dr. Dobson sent a direct-mail appeal to 2.5 million people.

After that, to devise a direct-mail appeal, Malchow would go over polling information to find out which issues would prove most effective.

They are going directly to their supporters with repeated personal phone calls, strolls through neighborhoods, small information sessions and multiple direct-mail appeals.