[vcf-midatlantic] Ways the Federation COULD make money

[Evan Koblentz]

> I've been thinking about this quite a bit, if anyone has seen the website
> for the Computer History Museum in California, that place both makes me
> drool and kind of disgusted at the same time.

For the record, CHM is a good partner of VCF. :)


> We all know that an organization like that must have gotten quite a bit in
> corporate funding to help setup their displays.

Correct, and we're absolutely working toward that. We just can't go from 
virtual zero to big corporate grants in an instant. Step-by-step...


> We could also have other types of fund raisers, from soliciting local
> businesses, apply for various grants from the government, online auctions
> of surplus (which personally I despise the idea of doing, I'd rather keep
> the surplus as property of the federation, if we want something to do with
> something we have 10 or more of, maybe have classes on working on them,
> that way we have units for spares/parts/etc)

As I mentioned earlier, we're taking time to learn the IRS rules for 
de-accessioning. I am pretty sure we cannot just "sell" stuff in the 
normal fashion. Corey's doing the research.


> So, we don't have to "live" like we only have enough to rub 2 sticks
> together (or sit behind some big iron) to keep warm, that's why this
> internal only fundraiser for the stools confused the living hell out of
> me.

Again for the record, the big fundraiser was hardly just for places to 
sit down. :)  It was mostly for display furniture (all the non-big iron 
artifacts have to live somewhere, we can't keep using plastic folding 
tables and ugly Army surplus desks like in the current four museum 
rooms); for having more electrical power installed; converting the new 
room's single door into a double door; and so on.


> I've talked to Evan about a few "BIG" idea for the future to bring up
> to the board, dunno if he did or not

Of course.


> with a few good grants or corporate investments from some companies  that
> we may be able to reel in, we could make this a lot more fun, as well as
> a lot more popular.

We (the board) completely agree. We ask for your patience; these things 
take time. :)