They did an initial mailing of 10,000 pieces and the response was so good they did another of 25,000 pieces. In addition to the letter, they also included a postcard in their quarterly card pack mailings. In the case of the letter, I remember different giveaways and Lily Tomlin's name attached. For Friedman and Epstein this was just pre-production money. There are 1000s of organizations that meet regularly in cities like Chicago.
People organize around business, sports, race, religion, and other common interest.
One strategy is to attend a meeting and do a short presentation there. Filmmakers who have done this sort of thing tend to make a 20 minute presentation and show a five or ten minute clip of their work. The filmmakers invite audience members to speak with them after the presentations to learn more about the project and about opportunities for supporting independent filmmaking. Morrie Warshawski refers to filmmakers who did Lions Club and Rotary Club luncheons. It was not clear how much was raised as investments and how much as donations by this strategy.