HNSA membership discussion

[Lance Dean]

So, we have been invited to join the HNSA as Associate members.  As soon as I receive the paperwork we'll be headed that way.  Your donations are going to this membership.  Jeff Nilsson, Executive Director of the HNSA has been in correspondence with me on joining.

I was asked to put together a short article about SUBMARINEMUSEUMS.ORG for the HNSA newsletter "The Anchor Watch".  This is what I've put together so far.  See what you think.


Formed on February 26, 2008, our mission statement is "to unite all submarine museum authors, curators, docents, enthusiasts, historians, librarians, visitors, and volunteers through positive promotion and cooperative education in order to perpetuate the American submarine museums of our forefathers".  We promote all submarine museum boats in the United States on our website and attempt to make it easier for prospective visitors to locate a submarine museum boat near them.  We also have a forum on our website that encourages people who are associated with or who are interested in the different museum boats to interact with each other.  We discuss needs, events, history, restoration, maintenance, and anything else we can think of.  The ultimate goal is to boost the number of visitors to the submarine museums, increase public awareness of the submarine museums, and to bring about interaction and friendship among the numerous volunteers and enthusiasts of these extraordinary historic undersea vessels.

[Viejo]

Lance great work. I also hope one of the ultimate outgrowths of this group on your pages is that as more and more people are educated and become enthused about our Museum Boats, they also will be motivated to support in a greater monetary fashion the upkeep and preservation of our Museum Boats. It is possible to find and benefit from those who have the money to do so.  The Cavalla has been very fortunate with it's large donors and recently more people have decided to help out with donations and grants to some of the museum boats.
In fact the obtaining of grants and how to do this for a boat, say as the Drum that is associated and run by a group of which it is just a small part, would be a good service that this forum could bring about. There are people in the submarine community that have experience in obtaining grants and could perhaps share with all the best way to go about getting them. I am not even sure of what is allowed on the museum boats about asking the visitors for donations. I am sure it is done, but don't know if it differs and what is and isn't allowed. I do know from working with USSVCF and other non-profit groups that you receive in direct proportion to which you ask.
I think that the effect of your pages are limited only by the imagination of those that support them. Keep up the great work. You are already becoming an important aspect of the support that exists for the Museum Boats of this country.
Viejo

[Paul Farace]

Good work!

Fact is, I gotta believe that some of the HNSA "directors" will sweat a bit under the collar to think that their docents and underlings with be communicating with their counterparts at other ships...   The revolution starts now... the revolution will be TELEVISED!

Fight the powers that be!

Yo!

In any case it can provide a wonderful forum (it already has) and should elevate the level of professionalism at all participating parks.

Paul
 

[Lance Dean]

Thanks for the kind words of support.  It couldn't mean more coming from Bill Lee and Paul Farace!   

[Lance Dean]

Just an update guys.  We (SUBMARINEMUSEUMS.ORG) is all set to join the HNSA.  I'm just awaiting a response on a question or two.  We'll be listed under their Associate Members section.  Thank you for your donation, we will be paid up until October 1, 2008.

[Mark Sarsfield]

Glad to help.  It helps all of us in the long run.  We'll show up on the HNSA doorsteps like a wet, hungry, stray dog.

[Lance Dean]

Our membership application along with a check to cover us until October 1, 2008 has been mailed.  I don't know how long the approval process takes nor how long before we'll show up in the online directory.  I also submitted the article as shown above to the editor of The Anchor Watch for approval.

[Lance Dean]

Fire the diesels!  Our check has been cashed, I'd think we'll show up on the Associate listing soon.

http://www.hnsa.org/associates.htm

[Lance Dean]

It's official, we're Associate Members to the HNSA!

http://www.hnsa.org/associates.htm

Thank you for your donations.  We're paid up (prorated) until October 2008, at which time a $100 renewal fee will be charged.  I hope that with HNSA this website and forum will continue to grow!

[Mark Sarsfield]

With our current member list, each of us will only have to put in a few dollars to keep the yearly membership going.

[Lance Dean]

This is a huge THANK YOU post.  SUBMARINEMUSEUMS.ORG is now on the annual cycle of membership dues.  Thanks to the support of those of you who have donated, we are fully paid HNSA Associate Members until this time next year.

It's amazing to me how the donations came right when they were needed (but unknown they were needed).  Thank you so much!

[Mark Sarsfield]

Glad to be of service. 

[JTheotonio]

Good news