Donations To EMTBravo

[efdcapt115 1,511]

It seems like every day another new feature is being introduced on this site. Personally, I think the site is greatly improved. The favorite feature I like is when someone makes a new post the site will update to reflect it. It has to have taken a lot of effort on the part of the administration to make these improvements.

I've noticed the fundraising goal has been fairly stagnant as of late. If a majority of the "active" posters on the site would just step up and help the site reach it's very reasonable goal of a few thousand dollars, it would be a good thing. It would be doing the right thing imho. After all, we all participate here, get good information, share our thoughts and opinions, and for me being retired, it's a way to stay connected to the fire service.

Tis the season, and I encourage my fellow emtbravo members to help the site meet it's fundraising goal.

[efdcapt115 1,511]

bump

[x635 4,066]

Thanks for feedback....it is much appreciated, and I really like hearing positive feedback especially...it's what make all the time and work on this site worthwhile for me.

I really depend on members donations, especially as of late. I am working on trying to get some new advertisers, but that requires a lot of my time and effort that I just don't have enough of since the upgrade so that source of funding is not a reliable one for me but an important one too. This site costs several thousand dollars a year to run, and often times I make up deficits with my own money. I am always chasing funding, because if I ever have a surplus for a month, it is reinvested back into the site. Also, with the recent upgrade, I've taken time off from work to be able to work on the site.

Any amount donated is greatly appreciated, and I truly appreciate all the members who regularly donate to this site. It really,really helps.

[FFLieu 70]

Forgive me for being cynical (after all, it is a trait that I picked up at work), but before I make a donation or contemplate making one, is there transparency in the donation process? I understand that this site is a pretty monumental undertaking and I appreciate the admins' efforts, but I just want to make sure that any donation that I were to make would go to the appropriate place and would be used for that specific purpose.

[x635 4,066]

I apologize for all who donated since the sytem was upgraded, and didn't get a thank you post. I manually added in all the thank you posts, SO PLEASED note that all the donation thank you topics you see aren't a flood of donations, just a trickle!

Forgive me for being cynical (after all, it is a trait that I picked up at work), but before I make a donation or contemplate making one, is there transparency in the donation process? I understand that this site is a pretty monumental undertaking and I appreciate the admins' efforts, but I just want to make sure that any donation that I were to make would go to the appropriate place and would be used for that specific purpose.

I really don't know how to make the donations more transparent, other then trust.

The dedicated server and associated tech infastructure costs over $280 a month. The forum license and domain name registrations are a couple hundred a year. Some of the modifications and components on this forum either were purchased or I contracted out to be customized for this forum. Also there are various other expenses, such as dedicated telephone line that I have for members who need phone support for help with the site, and independent site security evaluations. Also, my computer is mainly dedicated, spec'd and set up to run this site and when I travel, I always have a laptop with me in case something goes on with the site. There are also software costs, like Adobe Dreameaver. And when I have to dig into my personal/joint bank account with my wife in order to make up deficits, I have to pay that money back. When I was upgrading the site, I took time off from work to work on it. I have receipts for all these transactions.

For 2010, I am working on reducing overhead expenes. I just have so much to do administratively with this site that I am always behind on things. Literally, this site is a full time job for me without the paycheck.

IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION: I forgot to add an important detail above. ALL member donations go towards monthly server costs and keeping the website online and free. All other costs are paid for by advertiser revenue and myself

Edited December 17, 2009 by x635
ADD IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION

[SRS131EMTFF 471]

Just an idea but maybe if you posted the cost per month of each feature you just discussed then made a way so you could donate specifically to one thing, say operating costs. I was just thinking maybe someone likes the site and wants to donate but does not want to provide for an expensive update, but wanted to maintain the site, they could specify the manner in which their donation gets used.

Example: member X sees that $250 is needed to run the site for the year, so they donate $25 just to the operation of the site and once all of the operating costs are recouped, then that person could have their donations be specified for other things such as upgrades or the phone line.

[x635 4,066]

Just an idea but maybe if you posted the cost per month of each feature you just discussed then made a way so you could donate specifically to one thing, say operating costs.

I forgot to add an important detail above, and will edit it. ALL member donations go towards server costs and keeping the website online and free. All other costs are paid for by advertiser revenue and myself