WOW! Already ten responses, most of them positive, and three of them definitely not.

FUND-RAISING 101: from my good wife Anne, who does this for a living...(Fundraising Counsel for non-profits) Success comes from asking: The Right person At the Right time In the Right way For the Right gift

And in this situation: The Right person is one who hasn't yet considered joining or making a contribution The Right time is now, while (s)he is excited by the new possibilities The Right way is straightforward, friendly, non-threatening, and encourages participation. The Right gift, which for this kind of solicitation might vary from $10 to a full membership.

The idea is to identify those folks and reach out to them. And I can't for the life of me think of how this could demean, threaten, or alienate anyone. And the Ham Spirit will not be trampled upon,spindled, folded, or mutilated.

And one of the things that I have learned by osmosis is that It's OK to ask for the money (gift), especially if your case is well made.

We will need 10 to 20 widely spaced listeners to record all the calls heard over 3 days, one or two passes per day, during V/U operation of the satellite. Weekends can be very crowded but yield lots of calls. Those lists of calls are forwarded to Martha, and she has agreed to run them against membership and identify those we should reach out to.

Maybe we should have custom "AMSAT Outreach" QSLs made up as post cards for this effort. Maybe a contribution of $15 gets a complimentary copy of the Journal.

I can't help thinking of the dozen or so newbies I have heard calling on '51 who never heard an answer. What a great way to let them know they are on the right track.

Maybe this convinces some more of you that I am on the right track......?

Mike, W1BFN