May 6, 1992
TO: DIRECT MARKETING COMMITTEE NO. 12-92
MARKETING POLICY COMMITTEE NO. 12-92
PUBLIC INFORMATION COMMITTEE NO. 16-92
SALES FORCE MARKETING COMMITTEE NO. 12-92
SHAREHOLDER COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE NO. 11-92
RE: Update on ICI Education Foundation
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As many of you are aware, the Institute's Board of Gover-
nors authorized the formation of an education foundation to
increase public awareness, understanding, and potential use of
pooled investment vehicles. The Foundation's Board recommended
secondary-school economics teachers and students for its first-
priority audience. After careful consideration of alternatives,
we concluded that this audience offers the most cost-effective
means of making a lasting impact on a broad segment of the
population.
Based on market research conducted among secondary schools,
the Foundation has developed a variety of ideas for possible
secondary-school programs, their proposed marketing and distribu-
tion, and estimated costs for each. Before proceeding with any
specific program, we are seeking industry input in two major
areas: which programs to develop, and how best to fund these pro-
grams. The Foundation's Board expects to present the results of
interviews with key industry leaders and suppliers to the ICI
Board this fall.
In the meantime, if you plan to attend ICI's upcoming
General Membership Meeting, you may be interested in seeing a
12-minute video summarizing the results of our secondary-school
research. Among other findings, the research concludes that
mutual funds are missing from the secondary-school curriculum,
while competing products from the banking, brokerage, and insur-
ance industries are heavily represented. You're invited to stop
by the ICI Education Foundation exhibit to watch secondary-school
economics teachers discuss investment education in "Making a
Market: Mutual Funds 101."
Sue Duncan
Vice President