Have you read the announcement?

Minerva · Post by **Minerva** » Thu May 16, 2002 5:17 pm

If not, read this now!

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Thu May 16, 2002 5:33 pm

Donations via amazon.com are easy and quick!

Minerva · Post by **Minerva** » Thu May 16, 2002 5:38 pm

Originally posted by Gwalchmai
Donations via amazon.com are easy and quick!

Yup. I didn't realise Amazon.com and Amazon UK share my account, though. I tried to create a new one in Amazon, and it told me there's already an account with the same email address...

der Moench · Post by **der Moench** » Thu May 16, 2002 7:32 pm

Buck, my Amazon donation is speeding your way. I only wish I could afford to make my donation by buying a new Alienware computer!

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Thu May 16, 2002 8:11 pm

Originally posted by Minerva
Yup. I didn't realise Amazon.com and Amazon UK share my account, though. I tried to create a new one in Amazon, and it told me there's already an account with the same email address...

See? It's even easier than you imagined!

Obsidian · Post by **Obsidian** » Thu May 16, 2002 8:50 pm

Is there any way to mail it in? Damn lack of CC

Beldin · Post by **Beldin** » Fri May 17, 2002 2:05 am

@the MODS

How about making a sticky of this ?

Titled "GB needs YOU -> " ??

No worries,

Beldin

Rob-hin · Post by **Rob-hin** » Fri May 17, 2002 2:15 am

If there are to many stickies, people tend to not reading them.
Just my opinion.

Stilgar · Post by **Stilgar** » Fri May 17, 2002 2:19 am

That´s true, and the thread name invites for reading it.

Stilgar · Post by **Stilgar** » Fri May 17, 2002 6:27 am

But is it possible to pay without a credit card ( i don;t mind supporting a little)

But if I pay, can i get an @gamebanshee e-mail adres?

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Fri May 17, 2002 6:33 am

Originally posted by Stilgar
But if I pay, can i get an @gamebanshee e-mail adres?

In theory then you would be paying for a specific service and Buck would be answerable for it's consistency of uptime.

This is something that has been discussed before...I am not sure exactly where but i think it might be in GB discussion, i shall have a look for you

<edit> discovered a topic which goes over quite a lot of the reasons, there have been others but this one is quite good

http://www.gamebanshee.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=61

Ode to a Grasshopper · Fri May 17, 2002 7:01 am

I'd always wondered why there wasn't an @Gamebanshee email. I've also got two questions.
To what address would people be able to send donations (cheques, etc) via snail-mail? I don't have a credit card (or any money) and my parents won't send their credit details over the net but I'm looking for work and would like to know where to send donations when I can eventually afford to.

And why is Buck registered as a guest in the thread you posted a link to?

Yshania · Post by **Yshania** » Fri May 17, 2002 7:02 am

For those without credit cards who are willing to help, if you contact Buck he will probably give you the Gamebanshee snail mail address, it is a PO Box number. I was originally having problems with Amazon (a while back, but it is ok now) where the .com address registration (in the GB link) would not accept my UK post code.

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Fri May 17, 2002 7:06 am

Originally posted by Ode to a Grasshopper
And why is Buck registered as a guest in the thread you posted a link to?

Does it matter?

The reason is because Buck is now No 1 user and the admin, where he was no 2 before....i think

I have an @gamebanshee account as part of my modding

Ode to a Grasshopper · Fri May 17, 2002 7:11 am

Originally posted by Mr Sleep

Does it matter?

I have an @gamebanshee account as part of my modding

I have an insatiable curiosity.

I knew there had to be a good reason for becoming a mod!

HighLordDave · Post by **HighLordDave** » Fri May 17, 2002 7:12 am

More fundraising ideas

Someone on the thread linked above by Mr Sleep mentioned PBS's fundraising techniques and I wanted to put in some suggestions for raising money. Two advantages that PBS has are its government subsidies and the fact that any donations that you make to them are tax-deductible. I am not sure if Buck can secure 501c(3) tax status as a non-profit organisation, but let's assume that will not happen.

I work in advancement services at an university, and am familiar with some techniques in fundraising. The first thing Buck might consider is establishing giving societies and membership categories based on giving, both on an annual and a lifetime basis. For instance, if someone gives $25 (US) or its equivalent, their title changes from Exalted Member, to GameBanshee Partner. If that person makes a gift of $50, they become a GameBanshee Sponsor, and so on. Then on a semi-annual or annual basis, post a special recognition section at GameBanshee for everyone who has made donations in general giving categories ($0-25, $26-50, $51-100, $100-250, $250+,etc.)

One other thing that PBS does during its pledge drives is to offer premiums for certain giving levels. Maybe GameBanshee could give out stuff for giving a certain amount of money. For instance, if someone gives $50, they would get a GameBanshee coffee mug. If they gift $100, they might get a GameBanshee shirt.

Other ideas for fundraising include raffles, trivia contests, and pledges.

I am loathe to see GameBanshee go to subscription-based content, but even this latest appeal is a band aid for fundamental underlying financial instability at GameBanshee and not a solution. Unless people get into the regular habit of supporting GameBanshee (as they would their other favourite organisations: PBS, their churches, the FOP, etc.) to the point where Buck is breaking even, he's going to have to make appeals like this on a regular basis.

Stilgar · Post by **Stilgar** » Fri May 17, 2002 7:40 am

Re: More fundraising ideas

Then on a semi-annual or annual basis, post a special recognition section at GameBanshee for everyone who has made donations in general giving categories ($0-25, $26-50, $51-100, $100-250, $250+,etc.)

Wow, wait a second, I'm a student, I realy like this forum, but I can't afford giving $100,- to this site, I can eat 2 weeks from that money!!!!

Ater my rent, i have euro450,- to spend, but I also have to pay bill.....
I wont mind making a $5,- dollor donation, or maybe something more, but that's it.
I'm sorry......

Gruntboy · Post by **Gruntboy** » Fri May 17, 2002 8:01 am

Don't worry about it Stilgar, no-ones asking you to fork out $100.

The problem will be if everyone thinks "someone else will pay". I'm not willing to let that happen. If half the visitors gave even $5 I'm sure that would help Buck immensely.

What's $5 - a PC mag that you'll use a couple of times? A packed of cigs or a pitcher of beer? (don't tell Eerhardt and Beldin I said that!!).

HighLordDave · Post by **HighLordDave** » Fri May 17, 2002 8:15 am

@Stilgar:
Those numbers were just my example, because those are the numbers I am used to dealing with (actually, our giving societies here start at $1-99), not because I expect people at GameBanshee to give at those levels.

I am not sure how much Buck's expenses (bandwidth, hosting, etc.) are, but he has said that they amount to "several hundred dollars per month" which works out to be several thousand dollars per year. Let's say that 50% of that is raised through advertisements and other revenue sources. How does he come up with the other 50%?

Stilgar is a student, and many of the other members here are minors without income. However, some of us are gainfully employed or otherwise financially independent. I am not wealthy, but I can afford to make a payment to GameBanshee that is more than Stilgar can. What if all of the adult members with 1000 or so posts got together and gave even $5 per month (that's less than the cost of two Big Mac extra value meals per month)? There are 58 members right now with more than 1000 posts. Some are minors (Aegis) and some are no longer active (Darkpoet), but if we included some of the folks who are close to 1000 posts, I would say that we could count 50 or so people in this category of regular users and frequent posters. At $5 per month ($60 per year), that would work out to $250 per month, or $3,000 per year, which I'm sure would be more than enough to at least help out considerably.

One way I mentioned was pledges. People like pledges because they allow an organisation to anticipate how much revenue they'll be receiving (even though many pledges are often unfulfilled). Let's say that GameBanshee has a pledge drive asking people for either a certain amount of money on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. One way to make sure that payments on these pledges are received is to have pledgers send in a signed statement to GameBanshee's PO Box with a note saying something like:

"I hereby authorise GameBanshee to charge my credit card (type, #XXXXXXXXXX, Expiration Date XX/XX) in the amount of $XX.00 to help cover their operating costs on the first day of each month for the next XX months. GameBanshee will stop charging my credit card upon the expiration of this term or upon my written notice to cancel my pledge payments."

Vivien · Post by **Vivien** » Fri May 17, 2002 8:48 am

I used paypal because I assumed the Amazon thing was a book store

*hugs*

I wish I could give more...but budget is tight right now.

Viv