Richard Viguerie first opened the doors of his company in 1965, and since then, his direct mail (and Internet) fundraising programs have raised more than $7 BILLION for all kinds of charities and non-profit causes.  Because of his accomplishments in direct mail and fundraising, he is best known as the “Funding Father” of the Conservative Movement. 

A number of political observers have said there might never have been a Ronald Reagan Presidency if it had not been for Richard’s pioneering direct mail programs, which found millions of contributors for the conservative cause.

• John F. Kennedy Jr.’s magazine George called the founding of Richard Viguerie’s company one of the “defining political moments of the 20th Century.”

• Ronald Reagan’s 1968 campaign manager Cliff White and journalist William Gill wrote this in their book Why Reagan Won: “In every election from 1966 onward, the Viguerie Company and its score of imitators . . . brought information to millions of Americans, information that quite often the people could not obtain from newspapers or television or mass-circulation magazines.”

• The New York Times Magazine profiled Viguerie as “the direct-mail impresario who sends out 120 million letters per year” and the person who “may have understood the value of a name before anyone else in contemporary politics.” Known for his “affability and wide-ranging intellect,” the Times noted, he “works diligently to find the precise message” and “interrupts his 13- to-15-hour work days only to study commercial marketing for two or three hours each afternoon.”

• Praise for Richard Viguerie comes from across the political spectrum. “Every non-profit mailer, whatever their political persuasion, owes Viguerie a debt,” noted Ray Shultz, publisher of Direct, the magazine of direct marketing.

• People magazine called Viguerie “a direct-mail genius” and named him “one of the 25 most intriguing people of the year.”

• Lanny Davis, a senior adviser and confidant to Bill and Hillary Clinton, called Viguerie a man of “integrity, character, and honor.”

• Data-mining guru (and former Al Gore campaign manager) Hal Malchow said that Viguerie is one of “the few who actually change the world in profound and far-reaching ways.” Viguerie is, Malchow said, “the father of my profession, the creator of grassroots politics in America, a pioneer, and a visionary.”

• The legendary direct mail fundraiser for liberal causes, Roger Craver, said Richard Viguerie “deserves a tribute” for “giving the little guy access to the public debate. . . . He opened up the system. . . . I must also acknowledge my gratitude to Richard for what he’s taught me about raising money and involving citizens.”

Helping build the Conservative Movement has always been one of Richard’s passions.  That’s what he’s most famous for.  However, Richard’s fundraising expertise and programs have actually raised far more money for veterans and humanitarian organizations than for political causes.