They Phone by Night
They Phone by Night The desperate character whose fierce mug-shots adorn the T-shirt ad on the back cover of this issue is named Kevin Donleavy. His friends call him Peach. He is not a fugitive...
...They Phone by Night The desperate character whose fierce mug-shots adorn the T-shirt ad on the back cover of this issue is named Kevin Donleavy...
...recent letter from Frances Nelson / \ scriber to The Progressive...
...The Community Outreach Program has been used successfully so far to raise funds for such organizations as the Illinois Citizens' Party, the Union for Radical Political Economics, and the Honeywell Project...
...I used it in my forty years of teaching history and English...
...Burack, whose name now appears on our masthead under the imposing title of Development Coordinator, set up the telephone program when he came to The Progressive a few years ago...
...For each new subscriber enrolled, the organization receives a cash commission—and when they make their calls, the Nighthawks also spread the word about upcoming meetings or actions...
...Some of the Nighthawks are college students...
...Between calls, I've deduced, Nighthawks munch on their dinner, which tends to be a cold slice of pizza...
...Even Peach Donleavy...
...It was an experiment, and we weren't at all sure it would pan out...
...The Nighthawks' latest operation is called The Progressive's Community Outreach Program, and it may be of special interest to you if you work with an organization concerned about the kinds of issues this magazine addresses—peace, environmental protection, civil liberties, economic justice...
...Perhaps you've talked to aNighthawk...
...Next, the Nighthawks tried calling people whose names appeared on selected and appropriate lists, inviting them to subscribe to The Progressive...
...Several evenings a week, at about the time when members of our editorial and business staff are leaving after a day's work, the Nighthawks arrive as a second shift to use their desks, and especially their telephones...
...At first, the Nighthawks directed their calls only to readers who had, inexplicably, failed to respond to half a dozen renewal notices sent by mail...
...They're thoughtful and polite people...
...Others hold down various daytime jobs...
...How can I do that effectively, while still respecting people's privacy?' " But to our surprise and his delight, the program was a success from the beginning...
...They spend the next few hours calling subscribers—or people we hope will become subscribers...
...All have, says Jonathan Burack, "an interest in The Progressive and a good feeling for the magazine...
...Hardly anyone took offense at being called, and most reactions were affirmative and even cordial...
...All of these ventures proved to be cost-effective and immediately worthwhile...
...I know because I've sometimes found the traces on my desk the morning after...
...Suggestions...
...Other Nighthawks are portrayed in a more amiable pose on this page...
...I've campaigned to get The Progressive on records, but the Library of Congress says it can't add any titles just now...
...Burack had his own reservations...
...A fairly typical response went something like this: " I never buy anything over the phone, but I'll take this subscription because I like the way you handled it...
...I miss it terribly, since I am now legally blind' and must do all my reading on records and cassettes from the Library of Congress...
...If you get a call from a Nighthawk who sounds as if his or her mouth is full—it probably is...
...Some readers have invited Nighthawks to drop in for a visit if they're ever in that part of the country...
...We've now renewed thousands of subscriptions that way...
...And then they enlisted to help out in our crucial fund-raising efforts...
...We offer them a free sample copy of The Progressive and an introductory subscription...
...He's one of The Progressive's Nighthawks...
...So feel free, if a Nighthawk calls, to speak your mind...
...I asked myself," he recalls, " 'Do I really want to get on the telephone and bug people I've never met...
...Gentle, too...
...Before consigning them forever to the limbo of lost subscribers, we decided to try once more by phone...
...The comments aren't always kind, but they are invariably helpful...
...He is not a fugitive from justice, nor does he earn his living modeling for the fliers found on Post Office bulletin boards...
...My taxes and yours pay for the forty-six magazines now recorded regularly, but they include nothing more progressive than Newsweek...
...Here's how it works: An organization authorizes us to call its members...
...The costs of providing such a service are far beyond our means, and our own inquiries to the Library of Congress have been unavailing...
...What can we We get requests each month for The Progressive on discs or tape for the visually handicapped...
...If you'd like to know more about how to participate, write or call Jon Burack or Terry Testolin at The Progressive, 409 East Main Street, Madison, WI53703, (608) 257-4626...
...I've also found notes relaying readers' comments about The Progressive, delivered to Nighthawks in the course of those calls...
Vol. 47 • May 1983 • No. 5
