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Southern Conference Educational Fund (SCEF)
=============================================GENERAL OFFICES
3210 WEST BROADWAY, LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY 40211 • Area Code 502 778-3348

December 31, 1968
[written in blue ink: ans 1/2/69

Julian Bond
162 Euhree, SW
Atlanta, GA 30314

Dear Julian:

I am writing to ask if you would be willing to perform a great service for SCEF.

Would you be willing to sign a fund-appeal letter, which we could use in reaching new lists of people?

We fully realize that this is no small thing to ask a person to do. We realize too that you must have many calls on you for the use of your name in this way. So we are asking you only after very serious thought as to whether we have a right to ask you to "use" your prestige in this way for SCEF.

We decided to make the request of you only because we are very sincerely convinced of the crucial and unique importance of the work SCEF is doing. We believe it is an objective judgment to say that SCEF is attempting to reach -- and is reaching -- people no other similar group is reaching, and that this work is vital to the future of the South and the country.

As you know, SCEF depends entirely on the contributions of individuals. We get no foundation money -- and of course no government money. This is a hard way to raise money, as you well know, but we are convinced it is worth it -- because it is the only way to be free. But it means that our survival literally depends on expanding the number of people on our mailing lists to whom we can regularly appeal for funds. this we must do by mailings to other lists.

Last year Pete Seeger signed a letter for us of the type we are asking you to do now. We did test mailings with it to about six lists (organizations and publications), and then larger mailings to the lists that showed the best return which were SANE and SNCC. In this manner we added thousands of contributors to our own mailing lists.

That is the kind of thing we want to do again this year -- this time, with a letter from you, if you are willing.

marginal information

OFFICERS

President
Fred L. Shuttlesworth

Vice-Presidents
Bishop Charles F. Golden
Jack Peebles
Modjeska M. Simkins

Secretary
Clarice Campbell

Treasurer
Dorcas Ruthenburg

Assistant Secretary
Rosalyn Laventhal

Staff
Robert Analavage
Ella J. Baker
Anne Braden
Carl Braden
Theresa Bridges
Mary Britting
Suzanne Crowell
James A. Dombrowski
Barbara Flynn
Nessa Goatley
Carol Hanisch
Michael Higson
Nancy Hodes
George McAlister
Alan McSurely
Margaret McSurley
Wm. Howard Melish
Jack Minnis
Joseph Mulloy
Karen Mulloy
Miriam Nicholas
Sandra Rosenblum
Mary Louise Texler
Dorothy Zellner
Robert Zellner