Can we consider this to raise funds ?

[Charlie]

Mike, I am president of a small organization, and like anybody who has ever served on a committee, I sometimes feel 'gutted' by the thankless people you are trying to serve for free. It’s always the same people who put their hand up to help, and it’s the ones that complain the most, who keep theirs in their pocket.

Money aside, at the end of the day, its a matter of whether you maintain the interest and motivation to continue. By reading the messages posted, many people have reflected my own appreciation of this site, however where there is life there is hope, and as such, if you still have the interest and motivation, I am not willing to write it off yet.

Lately I've mainly posted on Hotties site, however I constantly visit and read the posts, and many times I refer to the links. Like many others, it’s a central place for me.


I would like to offer the following suggestion to raise funds....

1. Set up a secure payment section for people to volunteer funds with their credit card.

2. Set up a list of financial contributors for all to see.

3. Email those on the list once a year to top up.

4. Keep a barometer, which shows how much is needed vrs how much has been raised.


This may be extra work to set up, but should be relatively hassle free after that.

Perhaps a couple of services which take up too much time could be eliminanted.

I have a Hotmail, Ozemail and Bigpond internet address and I don't need another one.

I would be happy to be the first $20.00 contributor to 'nicks site survival barometer'.

Who else would be willing to pay? (Its amounts to less than 40 CENTS a week.)

[Mike]

STOP

I'm not canning your idea Charlie, I really appreciate it and the motivation behind it. I just don't have the words to respond at the moment (used them all up earlier) and don't want anybody to react in the meantime. I'll respond tomorrow ... and I promise to keep it down to 1 paragraph.

[Spidergirl]

I dont think this site is shutting coz of money!
...but yeah i'd pay.

???

[Mike]

Care to let the rest of us in on your theory Spidergirl?

[magpie24]

Dont post much but do alot of reading I will donate to an exellent cause.

[Mike]

Charlie it's a great idea, but I can't accept it. Your key phrase was "if you still have the interest and motivation". You've hit the nail on the head, that's really what Nick and I have to decide.

Regardless of that, because we have decided to run the bulletin board until the software expiry date, we have a little breathing space. Things started feeling very claustrophobic for a while. We made the decision and decided the easiest way to implement it would be to act decisively and quickly. Neither of us realised how difficult that would be.

So we've decided to defer any definite decision until the beginning of January (the software expires on the 15th). That leaves us time to do a make-over on the site if we're in a position to continue at that time.

The money is still an issue for me (not for Nick - that's one of the advantages of being 16) and an issue that must be resolved if we're not to find ourselves in this situation all over again. Donations are a great idea, but would remove our freedom. One of things that keeps us sane is the fact that we owe nobody anything and can (theoretically) walk away if we need to. Once I accepted funds raised in that way I would then feel a moral obligation to commit to the site. We are committed, but it's a commitment by choice, which is quite different.

That's where Magpie Mail came in. It was fee for service, leaving the site unencumbered. I have now posted notices on Newcastle United bulletin boards promoting Magpie Mail and have started emailing the other magpie teams and supporter groups around the world.

If anyone has any bright ideas, I'd like to hear them.

I know I promised 1 paragraph, but I've already broken that promise so I may as well go on. It's been a very teary week in this house. Even my partner (who's not Nick's mother and hates football) has been in tears as she's read your posts and emails of support. It's been very, very hard.

I also received other email this week. Two separate emails asking if we were interested in selling the site and the rights (including the name). I suddenly realised what letting go means. If we were to do that we would then see the site that has grown because of you, the community, pass into other hands, presumably for the purpose of making profit. I couldn't entertain that for a second and replied appropriately - I don't even know how much they were prepared to pay. Even if we didn't sell, but gave it away, we must completely relinquish control and watch whoever took over do their own thing - can't do it.

That means that if we don't go on, neither does the site. That may seem selfish, but it's the only way we can do it.

Anyway - a reprieve. Without any promises for the moment, but a reprieve.

[Spidergirl]

No

???