X-Message-Number: 30965 References: <> From: Kennita Watson <> Subject: Fwd: Why we can't take Paypal Date: Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:03:54 -0700 My wide-net suggestion would not involve 501C3 -- I don't think people donating $5 or $10 or $20 much care if it's tax-deductible. I wouldn't use the Venturist account; I'd set up a separate one, named "William O'Rights Cryonic Preservation Fund", and maybe connect it to a new savings account (or the CI account, if they have one). Set up a Web page (much of the work there has been done, due to Mr. Pizer's eloquent pleas) and add the URL to signature lines, Webrings, etc. Have a blog of his condition, life accomplishments, etc. One of those thermometers showing how much of the money had been raised would be a good touch. You might even get a human-interest story in the paper.... "I hope that anyone who would send money using Paypal to help Mr. O'Rights will still send the money direct to the Venturists using a check (or cheque if out of the country)." -- I think Mr. Pizer greatly misestimates "anyone" on this count; PayPal Donate is *much* easier for a potential donor, and easy is the key to getting minimally-motivated folk to give. Just sayin'. Live long and prosper, Kennita Begin forwarded message: > From: david pizer <> > Subject: Why we can't take Paypal > > Concerning the O'Rights fund raising said: > "I think it would help if there was a Paypal account for > contributions." > > I would agree with Martin that if Paypal worked like it should that > would be helpful. But the Venturists have had a lot of trouble > with Paypal when we used them in the past. When we were collecting > money for Marce, Paypal froze all the money in the Venturist Paypal > account and would not pass it through to us. It took us months of > hard work to finally get them to release the money. The process of > dealing with them was aggravating as they seemed very hostile to > cryonics and also they were having trouble from the feds on all the > Paypal accounts they allow to collect money that have 501c3 > designation. > > I speculate they got into some kind of trouble concerning 501c3 > accounts and rather then do the work to straighten in all out they > just froze money in those accounts (to satisfy the feds and keep > from getting fines to themselves for wrongly hanlding the 501C3 > money) and made us do the work they should have been doing. > > Further, I suspect that they have not yet straightened out their > problems with regulations concerning how they handle 501c3 > organizations' money and either they or the feds could confiscate > the money again. If the feds confiscate the money, for Paypal not > following fed laws or whatever the problem is, we might never get > it back. > > I hope that anyone who would send money using Paypal to help Mr. > O'Rights will still send the money direct to the Venturists using a > check (or cheque if out of the country). > collecting money for Marce, Paypal froze all the money in the > Venturist Paypal account and would not pass it through to us. It > took us months of hard work to finally get them to release the > money. The process of dealing with them was aggravating as they > seemed very hostile to cryonics and also they were having trouble > from the feds on all the Paypal accounts they allow to collect > money that have 501c3 designation. > > I speculate they got into some kind of trouble concerning 501c3 > accounts and rather then do the work to straighten in all out they > just froze money in those accounts (to satisfy the feds and keep > from getting fines to themselves for wrongly hanlding the 501C3 > money) and made us do the work they should have been doing. > > Further, I suspect that they have not yet straightened out their > problems with regulations concerning how they handle 501c3 > organizations' money and either they or the feds could confiscate > the money again. If the feds confiscate the money, for Paypal not > following fed laws or whatever the problem is, we might never get > it back. > > I hope that anyone who would send money using Paypal to help Mr. > O'Rights will still send the money direct to the Venturists using a > check (or cheque if out of the country). Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=30965