OLIVIA Lesbian Travel Company is Asking for Donations?
Olivia customers received a letter in mid-March announcing the launch of the company’s capital campaign, which offers a variety of charter membership donation levels ranging from a low of $500 to a high of $10,000. The capital campaign comes amid the worldwide economic downturn and on the heels of a lawsuit by former company executives that settled out of court last November.
The Bay Area Reporter obtained a copy of the letter from a longtime Olivia traveler. The woman declined to be identified or interviewed for this article.
The letter, which was signed by Judy Dlugacz, owner and co-founder, outlined ways in which members could “take action” by becoming a “charter member,” planning an Olivia vacation, throwing a house party for Olivia, or donating directly to the company. – WHAT?!
Since when did Olivia become a non-profit?? Olivia’s unusual campaign sparked suspicion about the company’s financial stability. I am pretty sure Olivia is the only LGBT vacation company that is currently offering charter memberships. Atlantis Events Inc., which bought rival RSVP Vacations in 2007 and operates both companies, doesn’t have a charter membership program, according to Oscar Yuan, vice president of sales and marketing. R Family Vacations also doesn’t have such a program, according to Gregg Kaminsky, who co-founded the company with Kelli O’Donnell, the partner of lesbian entertainer Rosie O’Donnell.
Kaminsky said that R Family Vacations does offer some benefits, such as cocktail receptions, jackets, and other gifts to loyal customers of the six-year-old company, but people “don’t have to buy a special membership.”
Dluugacz says they are having “cash flow issues” with the resorts and cruises they work with. And she says that everyone in the business is in the same boat. Hmmmm, Atlantis, RSVP, and R Family Vacations aren’t experiencing cash flow issues with the cruise lines and resorts they work with, according to Yuan and Kaminsky……
You know I am having some “cash flow issues” as well!
If anyone wants to make a donation or have a benefit party, please let me know!
READ THE FULL OLIVIA ARTICLE at Bay Area Reporter.