Subject: Re: National Audubon junk call.
Date: Apr 21 10:00:51 1995
From: Don Baccus - donb at Rational.COM


You may be interested in knowing that Portland Audubon (2nd
largest chapter in the country), in responding to Nat Aud's
current planning process, stressed DO NOT SOLICIT OUR
MEMBERS BY PHONE.

We get a lot of complaints. Our situation is a bit unusual, in
that we offer a "Friends of PAS" (FOPAS) alternative to the
national membership. If you join in this manner, you're not
a NAS member but still get our newsletter, 10% bookstore
discount etc. We also promise not to sell our mailing list,
though on rare occasions we do let other organization mail
through us (takes a board decision).

If you join FOPAS, we get more money, you get less bullshit.
We do direct mail fundraising 3-4 times a year, but that's
it other than perhaps phone calls asking one to volunteer
for special events (if one's volunteered in the past, typically)

Problem is, many people also join NAS to get Audubon magazine.
They then imagine that the phone solicitation comes from
us, or the mass of junk mail from other organizations
requesting your money. So, they blame us and we have to
patiently explain that we have no control over National.

The director of the Western Region of NAS has stated he agrees
with us and has apparently communicated this to NAS, but
no action has been taken.

Rather than throwing in the towel, you might want to pursuade
Seattle Audubon and other local chapters to give the same
feedback to NAS. Or suggest they start a "friends" membership
program :)


-Don Baccus-