Safe Speed Forums

Many of you will know that Safe Speed funding has always been a critical issue.

See: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/associates.html

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Introducing a new way to join the Safe Speed campaign - as an associate.

We have noticed that the bulk of our funds have always come from a smallish
band of loyal supporters paying reasonably substantial sums.

And we have noticed a very significant need for regular income. So much so that
operations have been significantly limited by lack of 'cash flow'.

And we have to avoid another crisis like the one that resulted in last year's
emergency appeal.

Taking all this information and having carefully considered all the issues
we're just launching the new 'Associates Scheme':

See http://www.safespeed.org.uk/associates.html

We ask - no we beg - that everyone with a love of driving; everyone who cares
about road safety; everyone who values their freedom; everyone who values
driver skill; and everyone who wants to be free to use the roads efficiently
and responsibly joins the scheme.

Associates can participate from just £10 per month. Put that in the context of
the costs associated with running a car and it's just chicken feed. We know
that the expense will put some off. But ask yourself these questions:

- Is any organisation doing more for the future of roads use than Safe Speed?
- Is any other organisation fighting nannying policies on a sound scientific
basis, every single day?
- Just how bleak is the future of motoring if Government policies go unopposed?
- Are you going to leave it to someone else?
- What have YOU done to fight back?

PLEASE Support Safe Speed. We need you, and you need us more than ever.
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Feel free to post the above message by email or on other forums.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Folks,

I'm going to be in trouble again with funding the Safe Speed campaign soon, and
I need your help.

Working with existing Safe Speed members, we devised the 'Associates Scheme'
which launched earlier in the week. But it's flopping badly with hardly any
uptake. This is in very sharp contrast with £500 per month in pledges in the
first 24 hours obtained from existing members.

Despite the crippling effect of inadequate finance the Safe Speed campaign has
been highly effects in highlighting the critical issues that underlie our
failed national road safety policy. No other organisation has done the
background work required to dig right down to the fundamental flaws. The ABD is
great within its own sphere, but is now heavily dependent on my work for
understanding the flaws and failures within policy.

The Safe Speed campaign needs about £30k per annum for basic operations. In
round numbers that's:

4000 telephone + Internet
8000 travel and motor
4000 Office costs (heat light rent equipment)
6000 my wages
2500 Professional services (accountancy, legal etc)
4500 Advertising and promotion
1000 Sundries

Since not all this funding has been available these past couple of years, the
budgets have been limited, with my wages, travel, and advertising and promotion
hit quite severely. This isn't good for the campaign. Right now it's very
important that I get on the road and see key people, but the travel budget
isn't there to enable me to do so.

I could divert all my energy to fund raising, but that wouldn't be good for the
campaign. As things stand, telephone and email alone are a full time job. I'm
also not in the least little bit skilled at fundraising.

Personally, I think the ideal solution is to find a couple of well heeled
patrons who could provide some significant financial support. But I've had no
luck finding such people. Can anyone help put me in touch?

So folks - advise me, please - what the hell am I supposed to do? Struggle on?
Give up? Wait for it to got pear shaped again and beg you good people to bail
me out again?

I have to add, of course, that we couldn't have got anywhere near this far without the valued and continuing support of a select and generous band of supporters. Thanks folks; thank you so much.

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

The telephone & internet charges stick out as being quite substantial. I'd look at t-mobile flext + web n walk for any mobile costs and some landline substitution. They do a flext 75 which gives you £380 a month benefit for £75 a month outlay. Nominal charges are 20 p a minute so that is just under 2000 cross network minutes a month. The web n walk is £7.50 a month for phone based or £20 a month for a laptop based mobile data. Both have 2 gig transfer limit.

Orange are doing unlimited landline minutes on their £35 pm racoon plan

Are you using mobile internet or land line internet mostly?

A landline unlimited day & evening calls package might help with cost control or even skype VOIP that would run over landline broadband and should keep some of your call charges down.

I use a lot of services:

2 phone lines
ISDN
Broadband
Web hosting
3G mobile internet
Mobile phone
I do have skype, but I'm not using it much.

I'd have to work it all out, but this is a communications based campaign. There aren't many savings to be had.

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety