This is my take on the article …
I don't like that the Capital Campaign/Charter Membership letter keeps being called a "solicitation letter".
And, I don't find this an "unusual campaign" ~ I told Heather that many big business corporations grow to their size using different ways to raise capital to finance their expansion or (as Olivia is doing) stay afloat during times of brief financial need.
When she said to me that she thought only charity or not-for-profit organizations did things like this ~ I said Melissa Etheridge and Golf Clubhouses for example ~ have memberships that you have to pay for and they are all for profit!
I remarked that there was nothing "suspicious about the company's financial stability" and that Judy was very open as to what was going on monetarily with Olivia and that this was needed to just get by for the rest of 2009 ~ which I see Judy was quoted as saying.
I also said that we as a lesbian/women's community are what & where we are today because of Judy and Olivia. That Olivia ~ like a rare endangered species if let go ~ would never be able to be replaced! But, that I felt Olivia was strong and would for sure be around for many years to come!
I spoke with her for about an hour ~ as I'm sure others did. Yet, only a little was included in the article. More print was given to Amyjo and OliviaTravel36060 ~ but not us "gung-ho Olivia supporters" I guess I just don't understand the balance!
And, as for the other Gay/Lesbian travel companies ~ many of them have big bucks behind them (Rosie, Sweet) and don't need extra funding. So, why not just say it that way. And just because Yuan and Kaminsky don't see cash flow issues with the cruise lines and resorts ~ doesn't mean it's not happening ~ they're all running "recession" sales like crazy!
I am glad to see that Heather did talk to Michelle Burkart the business consultant to see that "many private companies large and small raise capital in a variety of ways, including exclusives like Olivia's charter membership." "That's how they raise their revenue" and "That exclusivity sometimes drives people to a business. People like to belong to certain things. It makes them feel special."
Kathy, I liked everything she quoted you as saying ~ all very well said!
Jana (who is 55 … architect too!) said it was up to her (Catherine) if she wanted to be included in this article and not me.
But, I did like the very end of the article …
"Many Olivia customers are responding positively, Dlugacz wrote in the March e-mail. "Today, alone, dozens of memberships arrived in the mail," she noted.
"Our Olivia family knows that we will always give back to the community, and so they are willing to help us out now," wrote Dlugacz, pointing out that Olivia has donated "millions of dollars in trips to nonprofit organizations over the years."
Some customers agreed.
"They are not just a for-profit company they are a for-lesbians company," Bartley said."
Olivia a "for-lesbian" company! I love that you said that Kathy! Way to go girl!!!