[Coin-members] A thank you (and solicitation) for associate members

[Lou Hafer]

	COIN-OR: Open-Source Software by and for the OR Professional

The INFORMS 2005 Annual Meeting in San Francisco marks the start of the
COIN-OR Foundation's second year of operation.  Thanks to your volunteer
participation and support, the COIN-OR initiative has a firm organisational
footing, four new software projects have been added to the COIN-OR
repository, and we've seen ongoing improvement in the function and usability
of many of our established projects.

The support of Associate Members has made a big difference over the last
year.  Without it, COIN-OR would simply not have been able to grow into an
organisation capable of doing what we do --- delivering open-source software,
repository infrastructure, project discussion lists, and Internet presence to
the OR community.

Your support as an Associate Member provides much more than operating funds
--- it provides the best sort of evidence that there is demand for, and
support for, good open-source software by and for operations research
professionals.

You can see where this is heading, so we'll get to the point without further
ado. We hope that you feel that your Associate Membership in COIN-OR has been
a worthwhile investment.  Perhaps it's the joy of realising you won't have to
reinvent yet another wheel.  Perhaps it's that warm, fuzzy feeling you get
from supporting open-source software. Perhaps it's that warm, fuzzy feeling
you get when you see how `free' software improves your business' bottom
line.  Perhaps it's just the sheer pleasure of being able to look at the code
and say ``So that's how it's done!'' Whatever the reason, we hope that you'll
consider renewing your membership for 2006. Stop by the COIN-OR booth at
INFORMS San Francisco, or go to http://www.coin-or.org/how-to-help.html to
renew on-line.

Whatever your decision, thank you for supporting the COIN-OR Foundation.
We hope that COIN-OR software will be helpful to you in your future endeavors.