[UCIMC-Tech] IMC membership - paypal follow-up

Sun Jun 29 12:03:47 CDT 2008

It has recently come to my attention that when people become members of the
IMC via the membership page on the IMC site, other than the generic paypal
receipt, they are not receiving any follow up acknowledgment.

Does anyone know if paypal allows us to customize our response?  Is there
any simple way that new memberships and renewals via paypal can trigger an
automated email?

It seems like we're really missing an opportunity to greet new members,
extend an invitation to get involved with our projects and plant the seed
that we hope they will renew their membership annually (which as far as I
can tell is up to each member to keep track of currently).  As you can see
below, a new member from books to prisoners was distraught after her
experience of joining the IMC using paypal.

While the business of sending reminders for membership renewals is a
different can of worms, it seems like a simple follow up message for new &
renewing members would be a relatively simple matter.  If anyone knows how
to set this up, I would be happy to write / propose some copy for such a
message.

Thanks,

Jay Schubert
(217) 721-7419

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ann h. <annhett at yahoo.com>
Date: Sun, Jun 29, 2008 at 10:25 AM
Subject: Re: Fwd: [Btp-jail-libraries] Fwd: Friday afternoon at the Main
Jail
To: Jay Schubert <jay.schubert at gmail.com>

i became a member in may but never received any sort of confirmation,other
than from paypal.  Should I have received something?

thanks,
ann

--- On *Sun, 6/29/08, Jay Schubert <jay.schubert at gmail.com>* wrote:

From: Jay Schubert <jay.schubert at gmail.com>
Subject: Fwd: [Btp-jail-libraries] Fwd: Friday afternoon at the Main Jail
To: "BTP Libraries" <btp-jail-libraries at lists.chambana.net>
Date: Sunday, June 29, 2008, 11:18 AM

re: IMC keys.

I agree that it would be nice if more of our volunteers had access to the
IMC building and would like to take this opportunity to appeal to jail
librarians who do not have keys to the building to consider becoming a
member of the Independent Media Center.

If you have been volunteering with books to prisoners for a while now and
enjoy doing it, please consider becoming a member and supporting the parent
organization that makes it possible for books to prisoners to operate the
way we do.  The IMC relies on membership dues to help pay for the mortgage
on our building, utilities and other costs not covered by the rent we
collect.

Membership costs as little as $25 a year.  Once you are a member you are
entitled to a building key in exchange for a nominal deposit.

- Books to Prisoners needs more volunteers with keys to the building
- The IMC would not exist without the financial support of its members
- Have you ever thought that it would be convenient to have a key / 24 hour
access to the building?
- Have you been volunteering with BTP and like what you see?
*
Please consider joining the IMC*

Here is a link to more information about becoming a member:
http://www.ucimc.org/info/membership

Thanks,
Jay

On Sun, Jun 8, 2008 at 10:47 PM, Barbara kessel <barkes at gmail.com> wrote:

>
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Barbara kessel <barkes at gmail.com>
> Date: Jun 8, 2008 11:39 PM
> Subject: Fwd: Friday afternoon at the Main Jail
> To: Josh Seiter <jseiter2 at uiuc.edu>, Kristin Palmer <palmerk3 at gmail.com>
> Cc: Jail library <btp-jail-libraries at books2prisoners.org>
>
> Tracy Dace and I met with 65 prisoners. The air conditioning had gone out
> in the men's cells.The library was OK.
> Neither Kristin nor Josh have a key to the Books to Prisoners room and
> access to the jail box.  I am going to go and meet one of them around  5:45.
> If it is Josh with a car, he can take the box and we can figure out later
> how and when to get it back. If it is Kristin on her bicycle, then I can
> give her the books and magazines in a bag that she can carry.
>
> I have a proposal to the keystaff that we purchase 2 or 3 keys for our
> Monday nighters so that the jail inmates don't have to always be "sad" as
> Frances Jacobson reports when there is no jail box with their long-awaited
> orders. The Friday afternoon people all know we will be there on Monday
> night and they are eager.
>
> Here were the Friday orders:
> 1-2. Deborah Kissel and Adrien White want word search books. These have to
> be bought at the grocery store.
> Deborah is still hpoing for one of two Dave Pelzer books - Help Yourself
> and The Privilege of Youth.
>
> 3. Valerie Gordon wants the little booklets Daily Bread.
>
> 4. Marcus Williams wants True to the Game 2, which is checked out to a
> woman prisoner named Chantrel (or something similar) Brown, who promises to
> bring it back rather than give it to her cell mate. This idea is tough sell,
> but if the books comes in from Ms. Brown, please put it in the box until Mr.
> Williams comes in.
> Jay had an idea about checking out special books such as Goines.  I want to
> hear it. (again).
>
> 5. Charles Brown wants, has wanted, is wanting, will want Nikki Turner or
> Dutch 2. The latter is by Teri Woods, the author of True to the Game.
>
> 6. Cody Decker wants anything by Zane except for Breaking the Cycle. I put
> something by Zane in the box with his name on it.
>
> 7. William Kelly wants a Koran. We were completely out of them, and he
> wanted several to be there for others. I put three in the box and told Naeem
> Sheikh about this as  people from the Mosque occasionally visit the jail and
> bring such things. Johnnie Ray
>  Priester asked before for something on Hadith. Said he already had his own
> Koran. On Friday he was in Seg and they would not let him come. I had the
> slim book, Understanding Islam and  gave it to the guard for him.  They will
> usually do that for prisoners. The Mosque has also been informed about this
> request as we will not have that.
>
> 8. One request for the small Alcoholics Anonymous blue backed book. Jay
> tells me that we don't supply them, but that the jail does.
>
> 9. Vernon Jones has been reading our poetry collection most aggressively
> but has not found anything he likes yet. He wants some poetry that is
> "realistic." Another guy wanted love poetry that rhymed and I was able to
> help him with a lot of searching. I am working on something for Vernon
> through networking and inquiry. Hoping to have something by Monday night.
> Our poetry collection has not been hitting the spot for some time. Does
> anyone out there have a good idea for something that African-American men
> would like?
>
> Barbara Kessel
>
> _______________________________________________
> Btp-jail-libraries mailing list
> Btp-jail-libraries at lists.chambana.net
> http://lists.chambana.net/cgi-bin/listinfo/btp-jail-libraries
>
>

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