On May 18th, the Original Prop Blog reported on a campaign to collect funds from the public to bid on and attempt to win at auction the famous “subway dress” worn by Marilyn Monroe, offered for sale next month by Profiles in History as part of their Debbie Reynolds auction (see ‘Save The Dress’ Campaign to Crowdsource Funds from Public for Marilyn Monroe ‘Seven Year Itch’ Dress Auction; “Refund of Contributions… Impractical”).
Original Prop Blog raised questions about this endeavor, most notably that at the time of the announcements, inQuicity had stated that refunds of contributions would not be returned to their makers, for a variety of reasons. The following day, I was contacted by inQuicity Co-Founder and CEO Darlene Newman, we had a dialogue about her efforts, and I privately posed some additional questions to her about the Save the Dress campaign:
1) What monetary contributions, if any, are the companies behind SAVE-THE-DRESS going to make toward the attempted purchase of the dress, in addition to the public contributions?
2) If successful, who would technically “own” the dress?
3) Would the proposed tour of the dress be for profit or not for profit?
4) Would there be any revenue stream from the eventual proposed public display of the dress?
I invited Ms. Newman to publicly respond to my questions (raised in the original article and those additional questions above), which she has done today via a “Reader Comment” to the original article. They have since made some notable changes to their policy, so I thought it would be appropriate to highlight that message here in a new article, as well as quote the new policy changes from their updated website.
Below is the message from Ms. Newman published on the Original Prop Blog earlier today:
Author : dnewman
May 27, 2011 at 4:01 am
Comment:
SAVE-THE-DRESS has implemented new updates to our website, include FAQs to answer many of the questions we’ve received, a new member to the Board of Advisors, the Curator of the William Travilla Estate (designer of the dress), as well as a new REFUND POLICY that will apply in the event that SAVE-THE-DRESS is not successful in it’s effort to acquire the ‘Seven Year Itch’ dress. This policy can be found in the section titled ‘FAQ’ at www.SaveTheDress.org.
Please be assured that in the event SAVE-THE-DRESS is not successful in its effort to acquire the dress, refund requests for contributions of $10 or more that are submitted as described will be honored in full. The process by which one would request a refund is simple and requires just a moment or two to complete.
We appreciate all the support of our many supporters.
Sincerely,
SAVE-THE-DRESS
Below is the new, extensively revised Frequently Asked Questions, republished in its entirety, from the www.savethedress.org website:
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
A little bit about SAVE-THE-DRESS…
Who we are?
The SAVE-THE-DRESS Project is an organized effort by a coalition of respected individuals and organizations working together to rescue Marilyn Monroe’s legendary white dress from ‘The Seven Year Itch.’
The project is being underwritten, in large part, by New York City-based entertainment technology firm inQuicity, which is financing many costs related to organizing the SAVE-THE-DRESS effort, as well as providing volunteers to fill key functions in rescuing Marilyn’s dress.
SAVE-THE-DRESS is a public benefit project. All individuals involved in the project are volunteers who are donating their time, free-of-charge, to the cause. NOBODY is being paid for their time or effort in attempting to keep this historic dress public property. NO COMPANY will profit from rescuing the dress. There are NO INVESTORS.
Those involved with SAVE-THE-DRESS are participating because of their own individual passion for the cause and their belief that this dress should belongs to all — and should be placed on permanent public display, where it is accessible to all.
Why are we doing this?
Marilyn Monroe overcame incredible challenges in her childhood and throughout her life, to became the most recognized and iconic actress of all time. Her story is one that has inspired hundreds of millions of people — and continues to do so, nearly fifty years after her death.
Despite many characterizations of her, Marilyn Monroe was an extremely intelligent person who realized extraordinary achievements. In addition to being an accomplished actor, she was a successful entrepreneur who established her own production company, Marilyn Monroe Productions. In addition, she went toe-to-toe with studio bosses, insisting on approving directors of any production she appeared in and maintaining the right to work on projects from competing studios.
As the last tangible link to America’s most famous actress, this legendary dress faces an uncertain future. SAVE-THE-DRESS is committed to ensuring that this dress remains public property and is placed on permanent display in New York City, where it can be seen by all.
Who will own the dress?
SAVE-THE-DRESS believes that Marilyn Monroe’s dress from ‘The Seven Year Itch’ belongs to all. If successful in its effort to acquire the dress, title of the garment will be held by an existing, registered and respected not-for-profit entity, such as a museum, or by a dedicated, single-purpose not-for-profit entity that will be created solely to preserve, protect, care and display the dress.
The dress will NOT be owned by an individual, become part of a private collection, or be hidden away from public view.
Decisions about the dress (or the use of funds if SAVE-THE-DRESS doesn’t succeed in acquiring the dress.)
If successful in acquiring the dress, the SAVE-THE-DRESS Advisory Board, comprised of a broad range of recognized, respected, credible individuals with relevant spheres of experience, will collectively vote on decisions about the future of the dress. Any and all votes held will be part of an open, transparent process devoted to providing the best care for the dress and making choices that are in the best interest of the dress and in ensuring public access to the dress.
Should SAVE-THE-DRESS not be successful in acquiring the dress, all contributions that remain after processing any refund requests will be donated to one or more recognized, registered, respected charities whose mission is consistent with Marilyn Monroe’s causes and philosophy.
Is SAVE-THE-DRESS a registered non-profit organization?
No, SAVE-THE-DRESS is a collaborative project involving the volunteer efforts of a number of people dedicated to preserving this iconic dress and finding a permanent home for it, where it can be displayed and will remain accessible to the public.
Because of the legal requirements by multiple layers of government to form a not-for-profit entity, as well as the length of time and costs involved, it was not possible to create a charitable entity in time for the auction.
If successful in it’s mission, however, the dress will ultimately be placed in the care of a registered not-for-profit entity.
What non-profit will the money go to and why?
Should SAVE-THE-DRESS not be successful in acquiring the dress, all contributions remaining after processing any refund requests will be donated to one or more recognized, registered, respected charities whose mission is consistent with Marilyn Monroe’s causes and philosophy. Decisions about what charities will receive such funds shall be made by the SAVE-THE-DRESS Advisory Board.
What museum will likely get the final resting place?
There is no answer to this question at this time. SAVE-THE-DRESS is identifying and making contact with a broad range of charitable organizations, museums and not-for-profit entities which may be suitable to provide care and custody for the dress.
Can people get a refund if SAVE-THE-DRSS isn’t successful in acquiring the dress?
YES, if SAVE-THE-DRESS is NOT successful in acquiring the dress — refund requests will be honored for any contribution of $10 or more, where the request is made and received by SAVE-THE-DRESS on or before July 18, 2010.
Should SAVE-THE-DRESS not be successful in acquiring the dress, and you have contributed $10 or more in a single transaction and you wish to receive a refund, you must do the following to received your refund:
Send an e-mail from the address by which you made your contribution to PayPal, addressed to [email protected].
State in your e-mail that you are requesting a refund, and type your name, the date of your contribution, the amount of your contribution and the e-mail address used to complete your PayPal transaction.
State in your e-mail that you are requesting a refund, and type your name, the date of your contribution, the amount of your contribution and the e-mail address used to complete your PayPal transaction
You may not request refunds for another person and your request must be received on or before on July 18, 2011. Refund requests received after July18, 2011 cannot be honored.
For contributions under $10, refund requests cannot be honored. As any refund processed would require payment of a fee to complete and would have to be manually entered, the costs and staffing needed to process refunds for small contributions made would be extremely expensive and time consuming.
It was determined, in the event that SAVE-THE-DRESS is not successful in acquiring the dress, that all contributions remaining after processing qualified refund requests would be donated to one or more registered charities, whose mission is consistent with the causes and philosophy of Marilyn Monroe.
Why should I contribute?
SAVE-THE-DRESS offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make history and preserve the legacy and legend of America’s most famous actress, Marilyn Monroe. No other effort of this nature has ever been organized, and no other occasion to preserve such an iconic piece of Hollywood history has ever presented itself.
By contributing to SAVE-THE-DRESS, not only will you make history, but you will ensure that this incredible, tangible link to Marilyn Monroe is forever protected and preserved, where it can be forever accessible to the public and the many legions of Marilyn fans around the globe.
And making history through SAVE-THE-DRESS is simple and inexpensive. Anyone interested in aiding the cause can contribute as little as $1. By crowdsourcing this effort, anyone can make a difference, regardless of the size of their wallet or bank account.
What happens without SAVE-THE-DRESS?
Without SAVE-THE-DRESS, it is a virtual certainty that this dress will become part of a private collection, where it may never be seen again. Even worse, there are no restrictions placed on those who might seek to profit from the dress. It could be denigrated and demeaned as part of unseemly sideshow attraction or cut-up and sold in pieces to memorabilia dealers.
SAVE-THE-DRESS is the ONLY organization dedicated to protecting and preserving the dress, ensuring that it remains public property and will be accessible to all for generations to come.
How do I know you’re legit?
SAVE-THE-DRESS is comprised of recognized, respected individuals who have long-standing, expert experience in their respective professional spheres. All of the organization’s activities are open to the public and broadly published in the media. In addition, the project has the backing of organizations with close ties to Marilyn Monroe, who would never allow her image, life or legacy to be damaged or exploited.
SAVE-THE-DRESS welcomes inquiries about its mission, plan, operations, membership, finances and activities, and will continue to post detailed updates on its website, via Twitter and through it’s news& alerts feature.
How can I contact SAVE-THE-DRESS?
You may contact SAVE-THE-DRESS through any of the following channels:
Website: Visit our contact us page, click here
Twitter:@save_the_dress
Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/savethedress
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 917 434 3057
There are now three people names on their Board of Advisors, per the “About Us” page on their website:
ABOUT US
The SAVE-THE-DRESS Project is an organized effort by a coalition of respected individuals and organizations working together to rescue Marilyn Monroe’s legendary white dress from ‘The Seven Year Itch.’
The project is being underwritten in large part by New York City-based entertainment technology firm inQuicity, which is financing many costs related to organizing the SAVE-THE-DRESS effort, as well as providing volunteers to fill key functions in rescuing Marilyn’s dress.
SAVE-THE-DRESS is a public benefit project. All individuals involved in the project are volunteers who are donating their time free-of-charge to the cause. NOBODY is being for their time or effort in attempting to keep this historic dress public property. NO COMPANY will profit from rescuing the dress. There are NO INVESTORS.
Those involved with SAVE-THE-DRESS are participating because of their own individual passion for the cause and their belief that this dress should belongs to all — and should be placed on permanent public display, where it is accessible to all.
BOARD OF ADVISORS
Darlene Newman; Director of SAVE-THE-DRESS
Scott Trent; Campaign Driver of SAVE-THE-DRESS
Andrew Hansford; Curator of the Travilla Estate (William Travilla, designer of the famous white dress)
I would like to thank Ms. Newman for taking the time to get in touch with me to address some of the questions I raised about the endeavor.
Jason DeBord