X-Message-Number: 1798 From: (Thomas Donaldson) Subject: Re: cryonics: #1775-#1781 Date: Sun, 21 Feb 93 11:50:13 PST To Al Lopp: Much as it would hurt, I would favor a combination of lowering the paychecks of some or all of the workers at Alcor South combined with an increase in yearly dues. Money should NOT be taken from the Suspension Fund; the Endowment Fund should not have its principal reduced. In this circumstance, although I don't believe such actions can be depended on (unlike the 2 I gave above), calls for donations from members, and careful study of how to get more income from the Endowment Fund, should be pursued. (I regretted the way the Advisory Committee for Investing broke up, though I remain skeptical of some of its members --- it really should be possible to get more income from the Endow- ment fund, SAFELY). Finally, another issue should be strongly pursued (but again, its ability to help the bottom line is unsure): raise the fees for last-minute signups. One point I noted in Steve Bridge's report when he came to Alcor North for the last meeting was that Alcor lost $10,000 on a last- minute signup in Boston. That wasn't the only reason for losing money, but it did account for a large slice of it. But I believe the only secure method for fixing the problem is for a raise in yearly dues and a fall in salaries. This may mean that some people now working at Alcor South will no longer feel able to do so. I would suggest that Alcor look more towards volunteers to help replace them; I remember vividly, for instance, how Arel used to deal with Suspension Paperwork and that it has now been brought all inhouse. No one every explained to me, as a member, just why that needed to be done. I'm sure that volunteers, even those residing away from Riverside, can help out more than they do now. And given that the number of people who actually do any work for Alcor is much smaller than the total suspension membership, it MIGHT (another point I don't think we should rely on) make sense even to repay these volunteers with a decrease in their yearly dues. Best and long life (even if it costs), Thomas Donaldson Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1798