Heidi Dutton ([email protected])
Mon, 13 Jul 1998 18:29:09 -0400
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It's that time of year again! WIRE's Amnesty International membership will
expire next month. So I have officially kicked off this year's Amnesty
International Fundraiser! I'm calling it the 'U2 Mailing List' Fundraiser,
because I am opening it to all lists! (WIRE, EXIT, ONE, etc, etc...)
Donations are being accepted NOW! :-)
I again will set *no minimum* donation amount, just like past fundraisers.
(the idea is not that we all contribute tons of money each, but that the
sum is greater than the parts! You are contributing to a $1000.00 -plus
group donation, we work as a team, etc...) I will set a date deadline, not
a dollar amount, as a goal. Just like past fundraisers, every dollar
received will be accounted for daily as I receive it in the mail, and at
the end in a public tally. For this reason, some people have opted for
"code names", so that they would know that I am accounting for their money,
but they were still able to keep their privacy if they wished.
As in past years, I will accept cash, checks drawn on US funds, or money
orders drawn on US funds. Most people opted to send cash (wrapped up well)
, especially those outside the USA. I usually receive donations from 12 or
so countries. If you prefer sending a money order (drawn on US funds),
that would be fine! As I did for past fundraisers, I will handle all of
the conversion of foreign currency to US dollars, if you prefer not to (in
Europe, it can be expensive to buy a money order or convert cash to US
dollars- and that is extra money that could be going to Amnesty
International!) all you will need to do is put the funds of your choice
into the mail!
My goal, as for all past fundraisers, will be to make it as easy for you to
contribute as possible. And the other crucial thing is that I insist on a
procedure that mandates full public disclosure of all money collected. This
way, you will never need to worry about what is going on with your money.
**FAQ**
"How should I send this money?"
I will accept cash, or checks or money orders drawn on US funds. My bank
will not take money orders or checks NOT drawn on US funds, and I will have
to send your donation back to you if you send it like that. For our friends
outside the US wanting to donate, don't worry about currency conversion- I
can do that for you! Many people have sent cash, without incident- PLEASE,
if you opt for cash, just wrap it in a few pieces of paper so that it is
not visible outside the envelope. Please make checks and money orders out
in *MY* name, you will see the reason at the end of this post.
*BE SURE to include your return address, in case your donation must be sent
back to you!*
"Where should we send it?"- send to-
Heidi Dutton
189 Summer Street
Plantsville, CT 06479
I will post daily to the list stating what donations I receive in the mail-
to let you know your money arrived safely. I will post a NAME with the
amount recieved, so if you want to stay anonymous, you MUST tell me what
CODE NAME you want me to use. Just put that on a slip of paper in with your
donation. If I do not get a code name from you, I will use your real name!
This is important- the final public tally will also have the name you give
me.
"How long will this thing run?"
Last time WIRE donated $1074....I want to beat that! And with 3+ lists and
over 4000 people, I think we can. I'm giving this fundraiser a month and a
half, until around 8/31. This is a bit longer than past fundraisers, with
the specific intention of beating $1074.00. PLUS - if we get over $1000,
we can have 2 or 3 people represent us again at the AI Media Spotlight
Awards dinner in NYC in September!
"How will the donation take place?"
While we are collecting the money, I will notify Amnesty International that
we are planning to donate again this year. Our contact was Jeff Zick in
the NYC office. If he is still there, he will remember us from the other
fundraisers - he will be most familiar with my requirements. What do I
require? I require that when I send AI our money, AI will send a post to
this list stating exactly how much I sent them, the check number, and the
date they receive it. Then, from the daily public tallys, to the final
public tally, to AI, you yourself can do the math and see that AI got every
penny we collected. I will send AI *one* check, so they only have to
mention one check number in their "receipt" to this list. It will be less
of a hassle for them to comply with my requirement. And, it is imperative
that they do comply- so you can have the peace of mind of being sure AI got
all funds.
"Why can't you just email me privately when you get my money?"
I do this for your protection and mine! I post it publicly, so that I
have "witnesses" that I said I received your donation. Often during these
fundraisers, I will get email saying, "Did you get my money? I sent it to
you 2 weeks ago, and it was cash, so I'm concerned - I don't read WIRE..."
Well, in this case, I say, "Yes, I received it, look in (specific date) of
the archives for the public post I sent mentioning it." And all is well. If
I posted it only to private email, it defeats the whole system (and this
system works well- best not to mess with it!) of accountability, everything
being out in the open, and having everyone know what is going on at all
times (and being able to cover my ass! :))
"Why should I send YOU money? How do I know that you will do what you say
you will?
If anyone have any questions about my credibility or reputation for doing 3
past fundraisers for WIRE, I do very much encourage you to ASK past
contributors (most of them are still here on WIRE) PLEASE do post to WIRE
asking about me- I *want* you to do this. You will find that all
fundraisers went off perfectly, and that I can prove without a doubt where
the money ended up. You will find that Amnesty International is a cause
near and dear to my heart, and that I take these fundraisers VERY
seriously. I also take *extremely* seriously the trust that people put in
me, when they send me their hard earned money. PLEASE do ask about me, I
want you to, if you have any doubt.
** Everyone who donates at least $1.00 (or the equivalent) will be entered
in a drawing to win a really great prize! I will give away a brand spanking
new, unread bubble-wrapped copy of the book "A Conspiracy of Hope" to the
person whose name is drawn! (I bought 2 copies last year- plan ahead, I
always say!) This is a great prize because it's not something that you can
just walk into the bookstore and buy!
***GIVAWAY** Everyone who donates $1.00 or equivalent will receive an
Amnesty International bumper sticker. It's the black and yellow one, I
have a ton of these left over from last year! I'm going to work on getting
a few more small goodies, I'll let you know when I get that far! :) My
friends at Mirror Graphics in Boston, who made the pins I gave away last
year, are still at it- I'll be in contact with them within the next few days!
****AUCTION** - someone (who shall remain nameless until I have permission
to mention her name) has kindly donated 2 items for me to auction off-
100% of the proceeds from these items go toward the group AI donation! Here
they are- as soon as I am informed where I should start with the bidding,
I'll tell you! :) Last year, we auctioned off a POPmart Dublin tour shirt
- we made $125.00 from that shirt alone! These auctions are great for
fundraising!
1. The Fly 7"
2. Angel of Harlem single CD
If you have any questions that I have not answered, please email me. Within
the last 3 years, U2 mailing lists members as a group have donated
@$1300.00 to Amnesty International!
Questions? ASK! :)
Heidi
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