These suggestions sound very good to me. One thing I worried about, before my initial response to this thread, was whether or not I should admit that I had made a donation. I worried that by announcing my contribution, I would seem to be asking for acknowledgment from Buck - whereas I want nothing of the sort.Originally posted by HighLordDave
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 organization, but let's assume that will not happen.
I work in advancement services at a 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.
Then I realized that it might be better to let people know that contributions are, in fact being made. It might be good to have a system that recognizes contributors and contributions, similar to the way that public organizations do. This way, others can see that a majority of people contribute low amounts, and that they should not feel badly that they can’t give a million dollars every month. Ten bucks in a year is good too.
The problem I have always had with NPR or PBS pledge drives is that they always seem to happen right when the mortgage and child care payments are due. Because they only happen twice a year, I never seem to have the money to make the donation that I want to. This time, Buck’s message came out just when I was feeling a little wealthy, and it was easy to make a donation. A Recognition System would serve as a constant reminder to me and to others, and I would be free to make periodic donations whenever finances were good.
On a slightly more humorous note, I would like to nominate HighLordDave to host GameBanshee’s first ‘Spamathon’! I suspect he can do as good a job as Jerry Lewis, and I understand the French already have several fan clubs devoted to Dave. I imagine there will be plenty of SYMers willing to participate as ‘Dave’s Kids’ all vying for the coveted position of Gamebanshee’s Poster Boy/Girl.
Hmmmm. I could see having a GameBanshee coffee mug here on my desk….
