Posted by Harold [harold] on November 07, 1999 at 18:56:31 {zExURjw8QA61p6sL3HUsdt40fI85yM}:
To all you folks Down Under,
Just got back from working out of town for a week and I've noticed that the 'donation' arrangement has generated some discussion. I'd like to say that the whole discussion, in my opinion, is moot. The the only sale that counts, as far as the WBTS is concerned, is the purchase of literature FROM the Society by the DUBS at the local level. Once Joe Dub goes to the magazine counter and slaps some clams down and walks away with his brief case a-bulgin' with BRAND NEW LITERATURE, the Society could care less about whether he charges or asks for a donation. Only when the tax-exempt status is threatened will the Society make a change in policy regarding how literature is placed. If it were suddenly illegal to even ask for a donation, the magazine counter would still be expected to continue at it's current pace...You know the routine: Sales, sales, sales!!! But it's not the sales to the public that the WTS is interested in. For the last century, without let-up, the Society has been cultivating a crop of book buyers. This crop has gotten quite large - approaching 6 million, some claim. The main purpose of this crop is to buy Society literature. This crop is instructed to recruit more book buyers who in turn are instructed to do the same, ect. This crop is known as the Rank & File....
From a business standpoint, the WBTS must be the envy of many a CEO.
Just my thoughts,
Harold,