X-Message-Number: 22998 From: Date: Wed, 3 Dec 2003 00:05:43 EST Subject: Funding Cryonics never has enough funding. Last year INC was looking for a few tens of thousands more for Yuri Pichugin and this is typical of the small amounts needed and our inability to raise even those. I'd like to discuss ways to fix this. This underfunding is astounding. In the U.S. alone are hundreds of billionaires (243 per Forbes)and almost seven million millionaires. All are mortal, and should be interested in cryonics. And their generosity is legend. They give huge sums to every cause, good bad or loony. Every cause *except* cryonics. The budgets for research projects tend to be $50-100,000. One contribution could provide that. Of all those millionaires we need to interest just one. Yet we haven't. What can we do about that? I would suggest three things. First, we should consider the rich people we know, and mention cryonics to each of them. Without being pushy we can say cryonics offers the only chance of physical immortality or long life -- a thing that should appeal to their self-interest. We can say that we ourselves are signed up or plan to, which should persuade them to take it seriously. And we can explain that today we can revive frozen tissues but not yet organs or large animals -- but that we are tantalizingly close to that, and for only a few tens of thousands we might get there, thus saving us, and them, and their loved ones. That presentation ought to work, at least occasionally, and we need it to work just once. I live in a nice neighborhood and am friends with one rich person, a lady who manages her family trust, sits on museum boards and gives substantially. I mentioned this to her and she wasn't interested. She's lived long enough and the cause is not art. Such negative reactions will predominate, I'm sure. But again, we need only one positive response. Second, we should decide which organizations have lots of rich people and try to speak at their meetings. I think organizations such as the Rotary Club are always looking for interesting speakers, and millionaires are common among businessmen. Country clubs and exclusive men's clubs where cognac is served in the library would be ideal if they invite speakers. Third, we should consider buying a couple of hours of the time of a professional fund-raiser, to tell us how these things are really done. I guess most of us are technical types like myself, not " people people", and we all hate selling. But our cause is life itself. How could we possibly fail to sell that? What do you think? Alan Mole Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=22998