Learning From our Supporters

More than 30 Mackinac Center supporters participated this summer in one-on-one interviews with Tori Aultman, an Advancement intern and rising senior at Saginaw Valley State University. It was all part of a project to learn more about our members’ policy priorities. In this article, Aultman and Jim Walker, vice president for advancement, discuss the project and what we learned.

Q. What was the purpose of meeting donors in person?

Walker: This project is a win for the Mackinac Center, our supporters and our interns. First, it gives supporters the opportunity to give feedback and help our team better understand what people view as the most pressing policy issues of the day. Additionally, many of our members greatly enjoy meeting with our interns. Our interns are intelligent, principled and enthusiastic young adults who give us hope for the future of the republic.

Aultman: For me, this project was an opportunity to build relationships and hear directly from our supporters. I was inspired by the faith our donors put in the Mackinac Center, based on the impactful work of my colleagues.

Q. What did you learn about supporters’ policy priorities?

Aultman: Education remains a top priority, and many of the people I met with also are becoming more alert to our state’s problems in energy policy. Other issues that surfaced were government transparency, emergency powers and corporate welfare.

Walker: These insights and others that donors shared help us calibrate messages to take to lawmakers, the media and the public at large. When we learn how different public policies affect people — for better or worse — we can tell those stories and be a voice for change.

Q. What else would you would like to share about this project?

Aultman: It was energizing to hear that the Mackinac Center has had a positive impact on the lives of so many, through such wins as right-to-work and ending the governor’s overreach during COVID-19. This experience was a highlight of my internship this summer and has encouraged me to continue to be a voice for liberty in Michigan.

Walker: We’re grateful for the willingness of our donors to participate in these interviews and share their candid feedback. Their insight helps us in the larger process of being effective stewards of their resources and fighting for the principles we all share — free markets, limited government and individual liberty.