X-Message-Number: 1074 Date: Wed, 29 Jul 92 09:37:25 PDT From: Dave Ross <> Subject: Re: Raising Money for Cryonics Steve Harris suggests, in message 1043, that 'wheedling the wealthy' is a bad way for Alcor to raise money because getting money from them, even for worthwhile causes, is extremely difficult. While I normally agree with Steve on most things, I disagree strongly on this one. I personally have raised more than $30 million in business capital from wealthy individuals and I did it every time with a careful business plan showing precisely what I intended to do with their money. Most wealthy people that I know who have made their own money did so by taking advantage of deals that came their way that were to their monetary benefit. In all the years of raising money from them I have NEVER met ONE rich person who did not understand that people will not work for them for free. They may cut shrewd deals, but they cut them with the understanding that if there is not strong financial motivation for the people they are backing, then those people will walk away. My investors and others I know got rich by knowing that money is cheaper than good ideas worth funding. Not all the benefits that accrue to wealthy investors need by financial. (that's need BE financial) Many wealthy people that I have known give a large fraction of their yearly income to charities and research organizations. Since Alcor has a strong case that its research will have benefits to lots of people and in particular to anyone signed up for Cryonics, I believe that a well-constructed business plan is in fact the way to approach these people, and I believe I have the experience to back up that hypothesis. Besides, the most important thing a business plan does is get the writer thinking about just what his organization is actually planning to do. It focusses the mind wonderfully. -dave ross Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1074