X-Message-Number: 18538
Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2002 23:01:45 -0700
From: Mike Perry <>
Subject: Cryonics Assistance Fund Help Wanted

The subject has recently come up of the Venturist Cryonics Assistance Fund, 
which is now devoting its resources to James Swayze, but in the future may 
be able to help other people too.  That will take more money, thus we need 
to find ways of raising money. The ideas below come from Dave Pizer, and 
relate to holding an auction through Ebay. We need someone with the time 
and knowledge to serve as the chairperson, as Dave explains, and others to 
serve on the committee. Anyone interested contact me at  Thanks.

Mike Perry

[From Dave Pizer:]
When I was doing fund raising for Alcor, I took a fund raising course at 
Arizona State University. I remember from the class that it is much harder 
to raise money in general than it is for a specific project or person. So 
in the case of James Swayze there is a face and personality that people 
might want to save. In addition, James has written a lot on Cryonet and has 
won some supporters. To just raise money for people to freeze needy people 
in general might be a lot harder at this time (but not so much harder in 
the far-away future when cryonics might be considered as more mainstream). 
So holding an auction might be a very good way to raise money for a general 
rescue fund. First you will need someone to be in charge, a chairperson, 
who knows how to deal with Ebay. That person has a committee of several 
persons (whoever wants to volunteer). The volunteers donate things and 
solicit more things to be auctioned off from members of the cryonics 
community. Everyone has "stuff" lying around that they might not want to 
throw away because it has some value, but they don't use it anymore. The 
committee gathers this stuff up and the chairman contracts with Ebay to 
auction it off. The proceeds, after Ebay's commissions, are deposited into
the Venturist's account and held until someone needs them. It could 
probably be coordinated all by e-mail. It would be good for the chairperson 
to have the stuff in his/her possession
before it is offered on Ebay.

I don't want to be the chairperson, but I would serve on the committee, and 
I do have lots of odds and ends lying around that could be 
shipped/delivered to the chairperson to be auctioned off. I will support 
any effort to get this going.

David

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