Mystic Seaport Case Study

The most likely constituents for the Mystic Seaport organization are the people that use the docking ports in the area or live in the area, those who are interested in maritime activities, and those who are interested in learning about and maintaining the historical aspects of America’s seafaring past. I believe that these would be the best constituents to seek donations from because they would all have an avid interest in maintaining the Mystic Seaport in operating conditions and to continue to grow in other aspects. For example, the people that live within the area and who use the seaport for personal use would have an interest in maintaining Mystic Seaport because it provides a constant income for the area as well as keeping the interest

I find that initial mailings should be done to those that live within the area to introduce what Mystic Seaport is and what it does for the community. The mailing can include a newsletter of things that have happened over the last year while they also inform of things that are coming in the future. People are always up to attending functions where they do not have to pay for things such as breakfasts and luncheons. I believe that offering a breakfast or a luncheon to all the people that they would like to have make donations would be a good prospect so that you have all different types of people involved and they can mix and mingle with each other to get a better understanding of the different levels and needs that Mystic Seaport addresses. Another good way would be for the constituents to be provided with a guided tour of the facilities by someone who has the knowledge of both what the location contains and what the needs are to help keep it operating as it has done and if there are enhancements required the reasoning behind it. The reason I chose these methods is because most people want all the information that can be gathered before committing themselves to making a donation. In this manner, the historical and future information would be provided in writing as well as giving the prospective constituents a manner of being able to socialize with other donors and people who have use of the facilities. I wasn’t able to find anything stating exactly what type of strategies are being used to maintain their current funders or to entice new constituents to give to their organization. As I sought out information, I was only able to locate via their website a link that led to supporters and the different manners in which a person could make a donation such as, their annual fund, corporate sponsorship, in-kind donations, foundation support, legacy