X-Message-Number: 1839 Date: 28 Feb 93 00:18:53 EST From: Charles Platt <> Subject: CRYONICS Volunteers To: Cryonet February 27, 1993 I'm flattered by all the nice things that Ralph had to say about me in his recent posting on the subject of budget problems, employees, and volunteers. I agree with almost everything he says (he speaks with authority; he's in Riverside, and I'm not). But I must take issue with one point. In my experience, people in any field do not generally call to offer their services for free. I hate to state the obvious, but maybe it needs to be stated. The real way to get people involved is to deal with them one on one. This was true in my own case. There is one reason why I am now active in cryonics: Brenda Peters called me and persuaded me. I had spoken on the phone to other people from the New York group on two occasions, six months before Brenda called me, and I had never bothered to follow up my initial contact with them. I never even went to any of their meetings, let alone offered to help. Why not? They didn't ask me to! I realize that Alcor does not have a pool of eager voluntary labor at Riverside. I realize also that some volunteers are more trouble than they're worth, because they don't work very hard, they screw up, they want to hang around chatting, and you have to re-do the job after they're gone. And it's true that some jobs at Alcor have to be done by paid staff, because they involve confidential information about members. However, Ralph himself published a list of jobs suitable for volunteers, in an issue of Cryonics just last year. Maybe it's time to follow up that list with some specific pleas for help. I know for a fact that there are literally scores of Alcorians within a one-hour drive from Riverside. I cannot believe that none of these people would respond, if, for instance, Derek stopped signing people up for a day or two and made begging phone calls instead. One last point. I understand that the previous administration was not receptive to the idea of an outsider such as myself representing Alcor to the media--giving radio interviews, sending out info packets, or whatever. Fair enough; it's important for a cryonics organization to present accurate facts and the right image. When a loner 3000 miles away is given free rein, who knows what might happen? On the other hand, now that it has been allowed to happen, it seems as if it might be workable after all. In a one-week period, I know for a fact I have saved Alcor employees a total of approximately two hours on the phone. This isn't much, but it is certainly a measurable contribution. And while I don't give interviews that are as succinct as the ones which Carlos used to give, I think I did an adequate job. Thus, something which was thought to be impossible has turned out to be possible after all. Maybe Ralph is right, and my situation is singular. Maybe it cannot be replicated. But I still have difficulty believing this. --Charles Platt Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1839