The initial mailing in early March cost about $100,000.

Over the years, Publishers Clearing House grew from an initial mailing of 10,000 letters to a marketing legend.

An initial mailing drew 1,000 members.

Follow-up to the initial mailing continued for four months with a second mailing, phone calls, and faxes to laboratories that had not responded.

The coupons expired 90 days after initial mailing and were not renewable.

The first follow up mailing was the same as the initial mailing and included an additional copy of the questionnaire.

Mr. Mankoff's wife, Cory Whittier, who works in the direct mail business, helped him organize an initial mailing.

She said the union planned an initial mailing to its 660,000 members, then would follow up with group interviews and polling to determine what issues interested members.

So an initial mailing might include a petition, a card to send to a victim, a thank-you note to send to an activist.

Possible Misinterpretation Jon R. Moran, legislative analyst for the league, said an initial mailing sent out by the league might have been misinterpreted by some officials.