Sorry to have to bring some bad news to you all, but the pledge drive is, well, not doing so great. While some of you have stepped up and donated, in some cases generously, the total number of donors has been much smaller than usual, and unless we can turn this around, hopefully in the next few days, I’m going to have trouble keeping the blog running. It’s likely I’ll have to cut back on posts, possibly drastically, and/or seriously consider shutting the blog down. I’m really sorry to have to even raise this as a possibility, but unfortunately it’s a real one.
Which seems a pity, because if everyone who enjoys this blog on a regular basis were to donate even a small amount of money, as a lump sum or monthly, we could raise all the necessary money to keep the blog (and me) thriving in a matter of a couple of hours.
If you’re having a rough time, due to COVID or whatever other reason, and can’t afford to donate now, I certainly understand, and I hope things can turn around for you. But if you enjoy the blog and can afford to spare a few bucks (or more than a few bucks), you could help make all the difference.
Big thanks to all who have donated so far, and to those who donate monthly. But if you’re not one of these fabulous people, please consider becoming one.
Thanks again
David
Completely irrelevant, but I just realized I spelled my name wrong, and that mistake got repeated four times.
But I’ll take this opportunity to add thanks so much for the blog, and I hope the pledge drive goes well!
I have no job or income, but I am fortunate that I also don’t have to worry about bills and expenses either, so what little money I do have is mine to spend however I want.
Like others, I’m curious to know how much it takes to keep this blog running. A lot of other sites will have meters with donation goals showing at least a minimum of X amount of cash they’d like to earn to keep things afloat. Ultimately, I’ll still most likely chip in, but since there are so many other sites that need donations, it helps to know the general status. There’s a difference between “I run this site myself and pay for it out of my own pocket, so a few bucks would help” vs “We’ll have to shut down forever if we can’t make this latest round of donation goals”, which is what this post is sounding like.
David, I have sent a donation. I’m certainly not well off and it’s not very much, but I very much appreciate your work.
Sent a bit. Hope it helps!
Can you give us a rough idea of how much it costs per month? I do a monthly pledge, but I’m definitely willing to up it. I run a MeetUp group (and now have a zoom account for us to use until we meet in person again), and I wasn’t really asking for help from the members. However, the previous organizer pushed the issue and when I told the group the cost of the meetup + zoom they all chipped in.
You might be surprised at the response if you made your costs more transparent. I’m sure most of us are either thinking either way higher or way lower than reality.
Just a thought!
Hey there everyone, thanks again for the donations! Things are looking a lot brighter; I just posted an update.
I’ll try to provide some more info on the financial picture shortly, probably in the new thread.
Folks, if you’re really struggling right now, don’t feel obliged to donate! I don’t want to cause anyone here any financial distress.
Foro those wondering if they can wait a week or two, the answer is yes, absolutely.