Paypal would be an excellent idea. I'm in for a donation, too.
Paypal would be an excellent idea. I'm in for a donation, too.
How about trying a combination of the suggestions on this thread?
I'm all for a PayPal donation link on the site, but I also think that we might possibly be able to do something along the lines of what one of my other favorite sites does---they offer a "free" board in which you can read and post on certain parts of the forum (here, for example, that could be Cinn. Reds Talk, perhaps).
Then they offer a "plus" membership (only $12.00 or so per person per year) which entitles you to read/post on other parts of the forum (here that could be Non-Baseball Chatter, Minor League/Dayton etc. Forum, and all others you would care to brainstorm and create) plus a free email account at the site, private messaging, chat, and some other perks for "plus" members. They also have a Paypal donation link on the site as well. The "plus" membership fees help fund their site, though they sell merchandise and banner ads as well.
I'm not sure what their traffic count is, but I would think it would be equal to or probably even greater than our board here---I DO know that they have over 19,000 members and I think they get between 2,000 and 4,000 hits per day.
Anyway, please check it out at coacht.com (it's a Tennessee high school sports message board and one of my favorite sites, and just possibly you might come away with some ideas that will help us here). I think you probably could even email the man who created that site and still works very hard to keep it going. He is a high school coach in Lawrenceburg (I believe), TN and his name is Jim Thomson. You can email him at coacht@coacht.com and I'm almost sure he would share his experience at keeping his site going. You guys probably share many things in common!
Several people seem to have offered good ideas here on this thread, and I just wanted to mention the above combination that seems to work for one of my favorite message boards/forums. I hope you'll take the time to at least visit that site and that it will help you somehow in your decision of what direction to take with Redszone. Whatever works best for you guys (boss, gik, ...) just let us know. I would be more than willing to fund a month's hosting fee, pay a monthly or annual membership cost, or make a donation, whatever it takes to keep this site going.
Stay in touch...
---'Roser
I agree with Geo about making it donation only. I would really hate to know that someone who wanted to read here couldn't afford a set fee.
Personally, I don't care who does or does not donate. I would also feel bad if someone felt embarrassed if they couldn't afford as big a donation as some of the older posters. If there's one thing I'm sure of from being here from the start, it's the fact that there is a core of people who will always come up with the bucks to keep this site going, even if it means selling FCB's kids into endentured servitude. :evilgrin:
Above all else, Boss, GIK, and the admins who run this place should NEVER have to worry about money or the tax implications that a paid membership would entail, IMO. And they should never have to feel the least bit embarrassed or hesitant to simply lay out our options, and leave it to us to make it happen.
We're coming up on spring training, and I would be thrilled if we can solve the server problems and also make the chat room more reliable. We'll come up with the cash, no doubt about it.
We'll go down in history as the first society that wouldn't save itself because it wasn't cost effective ~ Kurt Vonnegut
The problem is very basic....we need to devise a means to raise the money on a consistent basis to pay for a server who can support this HUGE site.
We don't need to complicate the issue by talking about taking on advertising, or for that matter, making this a pay site.
We have a membership role of just under 1200 for crying out loud!
I think their VPS8000 plan is ideal for us, with a disk space of 8000 MB, data transfer of 50 GB, and 512 MB's of memory.
The cost is $159/month, with a $99 setup fee.
Are we saying that with a membership role of just under 1200, that we can't collectivley come up with that $159/month?
Even if 1000 members said they couldn't afford anything monetarily, whether it's due to their economic situation or schooling...if the other 200 committed to pay just $1.00/month you'd have more than enough to cover the monthly/yearly cost. THAT'S PEANUTS!
Look what guys like woy and ORG alone just offered to do. And we got people saying they'll throw in $20, $50, etc. That should show you mods the generous spirit that most have on this forum, and how much the majority love and value this forum (and the work you guys do).
As far as I'm concerned...raising the money is not a problem, and you mods should not be worried or getting the "guilts" over having to ask for it. I thank you for being concerned about it...but it's not a problem. Look at the service you provide us, and all the work you do, and energy you expend. Why shouldn't it cost us something?
Quit worrying about the money.
Go with the server that you think will best serve us, and this vast and growing membership. I like the above plan mentioned. I think it best suits our growing needs.
Do like PBS does. Set a month where you have a yearly pledge drive. Let the members know what monetary goal must be reached in order to cover the costs for the following year.
If the membership knew you needed for example $2000 for the year to cover that cost... I believe you would easily get that amount through voluntary donations WHEN THEY KNOW WHAT THE GOAL IS.
And during the month of that "drive"... make a "sticky" or possibly some sort of monitor on the forum (like people do with United Way) to show the progress.
And any "leftovers" would be kept in an account towards next year.
Some would look at that $2000 figure and say "That's alot of money!"But it's mere pittance when you look at what we can do collectively as a team.
(insert Knute Rockne speech here)
Oh yeah...and I echo rfs's thoughts...
we gotta get this fixed before the season. ESPECIALLY the chat room!
Many of us are chatroom addicts during the season, and we'd never survive without it! :evilgrin:
Good responses, everyone.
I will work on some more ideas and then hopefully we can get something presented ASAP.
A paypal link at the top of the board (with the $ figure that is in it) along with possible banner advertising at top sounds like the best route to me. Hey, you could even make your own banner ad and advertise whatever you'd like (within reason).
Here's just an example of possible monetary breakdowns:
http://www.myfordfocus.com/sponsorship.htm
Yes Yes YesOriginally posted by GIK
Geo, et. al.
If we decide to start taking donations I will let you all know ASAP.
I did like the idea of maybe putting a PayPal link on the message board...what do you all think?
Set up a paypal link and watch...the only thing that I would also suggest is to put up a note (ie a treasure chest) so people can know how much has been put in...I think it would help with motivation. Also, it cost's $1.75 to receive $$$ thru paypal, so make sure everyone is aware of that. Either that, or set up a business account with paypal...I think they take less out for that...just ideas.
Here's an idea, GIK et al ... why don't we consider "banner ads" for members. In other words, someone might have created a banner ad to torment Raisor on his 30th birthday
Microsoft just announced that they are going to pay a dividend for the first time ever.
Bill Gates' dividend check was estimated to be about $99 million.
Anyone have Bill's cell number? Maybe he'd kick in a few $$...
15, you have any idea how increased revenues - be they from donations or advertising or sponsorship - would affect us tax wise? Would Boss and GIK have to form a non-profit organization? Or could we just fly in under the radar? I think that questions like these - as well as other financial ramifications - need to be addressed before there is a plan agreed upon.
Originally Posted by Raisor
Just my two cents, having talked briefly with Boss-Hog about this in the past... the Paypal link is a very good idea. The college sports site I used to work with had to do this because the site expenses were on the order of $4,000 per year. Amazingly enough, the initial donations kept things covered to the point where the site owner was able to pre-pay several months in advance.
The drawback is, of course, that every six months or so he had to post a "cash call" to remind people that the next round of bills was coming up. Like Boss-Hog and GIK, that's something that grated on him. I like the idea of keeping a running total of donated/needed up there, that's something we didn't do.
I also approve of the idea of giving props to the people who donate, perhaps as either a separate page or by designating various levels that would appear next to the username.
I would be gladly willing to donate some money to keep the site going. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that the site is a fun thing to have, especially when the season is going. And especially for out-of-towners, who get updates of what is on the radio, etc. from Guernsey and co.
Even though I am a poor college student I think I could definitely chip in like $30 a year.
Chip -
I PMed GIK about that very issue. If the site starts doing anything other than donations (ie banner ads, subscriptions, sponsorships, etc), there are certainly some issues that would need to be addressed ahead of time. I don't really have the answers to those questions (ie, should the site incorporate? if so, then how? Would an LLC work? what about non-profit status, etc?)
My guess (and this is just a guess) is that as long as the site stays funded by donations only, we probably don't have to sweat things too much.
The main thing is that those issues need to be addressed before any big changes are made in paying the bills for the site. The last thing any of us wants is for someone to run afoul of the law...or even worse.. the IRS...
I'm not fond of that idea. Just my feeling, but I'm afraid that could lead to bad feelings between those who can donate and those who can't or chose not to, or between those who donate at different levels.Originally posted by IslandRed
I also approve of the idea of giving props to the people who donate, perhaps as either a separate page or by designating various levels that would appear next to the username.
We don't know each other very well outside of this board. We don't know who can and who cannot afford to donate. We don't know how much each of us can afford. But it's human nature to make judgements and try to compete with each other. And some may feel guilty if they aren't able to donate more.
I don't think I would want a label beside my name based on my level of contribution. Just my opinion.
15fan, does the amount of the donations we are requiring make a difference for tax purposes?
Also, for those who know, are the fees for PayPal based on the number of deposits, or the number of withdrawals, or a percentage of the total? Just curious.
My thoughts exactly. I'll kick in, as Ihave in the past- I fel it is just. However, I think granting a status to certain people may cause problems.. besides, is it important for everyone to know you gave more than they did? Not to me.Originally posted by SandyD
I'm not fond of that idea. Just my feeling, but I'm afraid that could lead to bad feelings between those who can donate and those who can't or chose not to, or between those who donate at different levels.
We don't know each other very well outside of this board. We don't know who can and who cannot afford to donate. We don't know how much each of us can afford. But it's human nature to make judgements and try to compete with each other. And some may feel guilty if they aren't able to donate more.
I don't think I would want a label beside my name based on my level of contribution. Just my opinion.
Is anyone willing to donate items for a raffle or auction?
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