MCH invited a special panel of leading education administrators from across America to share their insight regarding school spending and the impact of ARRA stimulus funding in 2009 and beyond.

Panelists for the webinar were Kim Brightwell, CFO of the Blue Springs School District in Blue Springs, MO and Marjorie Murray, Director of Special Projects at Seminole County Public Schools in Sanford, FL. The event was well attended and there were a number of targeted questions from our audience. Key takeaways from our panelists:

• They have been overwhelmed with emails and calls from vendors and have a difficult time sorting through inquiries and replying appropriately.
• They appreciate vendors who take time to understand their particular school district’s needs and who were willing to work with them on delivery dates, payment schedules, etc.
• Marjorie and Kim agreed that they were more likely to give their attention to a strategically written direct mail piece that related a vendor’s products and services to programs approved under the funding guidelines.

Feedback regarding the webinar content was positive and included high praise for our panelists. Here are just a few of the comments we received in response to the survey question “What did you like best about the webinar?”:

• “The honest talk from two decision-makers in the trenches.”
• “Confirmed our thoughts about volume/pressure being placed on administrators by suppliers.”
• “Two educators doing different things so we could see both ends of the spectrum.”

Attendees were reminded to utilize all of the MCH resources available including the BudgetAware™ Bulletin, white papers, and other information at www.mailings.com.

To listen to the webinar in its entirety, you will need to listen to Part 1 and Part 2.

MCH, Inc. has released an updated edition of its BudgetAware^TM Bulletin. The free report is designed to help B2B marketers stay informed about state budget deficits and how ARRA stimulus funding is impacting institutions in each state. In addition, education marketers will benefit from the special focus on estimated increases in State Fiscal Stabilization Funds (SFSF), Title I, IDEA, Early Childhood, and Technology funding dollars available to each state.

According to a study by the US Government Accountability Office, states will spend nearly 60% of the ARRA stimulus funds they receive on healthcare and education. The study also projects ARRA spending totals for each year through 2016 with the largest portion of state stimulus funds being spent in FY 2010.

MCH Director of Marketing, Kirk Chritton, said, “State budget shortfalls are a moving target. The fiscal condition in each state will influence how the governor will spend ARRA discretionary funds. MCH believes the most effective way for B2B marketers to capitalize on stimulus spending is to create a state-by-state strategy. The StimulusMarketing website and BudgetAware Bulletin are solid resources that can be used by marketers in fine-tuning their strategy for 2009.”

MCH is America’s leading compiler of business-to-institution (B2i) databases and mailing lists and has served institutional marketers for 80 years. The MCH database features information on 1.1 million institutions and 8 million decision makers. The largest institutional markets include governments, hospitals, medical practices, schools, school districts, and churches. MCH also provides custom telephone research and data processing services. Click here to get a copy of the free BudgetAware^TM Bulletin.