Donations redux

[SteveColes]

The April donation drive is almost over and the results are not very good:no::cry_smile We should have collected 4 times as much as we have.

I know times are tough, but we still have to run and pay our bills. Please consider donating, if you haven't this qtr. In fact consider donating on a regular basis. we can make this easier for you.

If you send a email to donations@ncwoodworker.net and specifiy how much and how often ( I suggest once a quarter) The system will will send you an "invoice" every quarter and it will have link in it to so you can pay it.

But however, you want to do it, please donate if you can.

 

[Alan in Little Washington]

Steve,

In one of your earlier posts, did you put out a financial statement? If not that might be something folks would be interested it, I know I would.

A financial statement showing income by source, and current and forecast expenses.

How about one of those fund drive thermometers or a line graph showing how income is or is not tracking against expenses?

Just some thoughts.

 

[Glennbear]

In these economic times I have a tendency to balance all expenditures against actual or potential value received. With apologies to the Master Card people:

Donation to NCWW - A few dollars every quarter.

Savings on tools and materials found through this site - Hundreds of $$$.

Friendship, sanity, knowledge, and comradirie found here - Priceless :wsmile:

 

[JimmyC]

I have to agree with Glenn on the deals through this site on tools and wood :icon_thum. Friendship has been pretty good too !

All for a couple of bucks.

 

[SteveColes]

Steve,

In one of your earlier posts, did you put out a financial statement? If not that might be something folks would be interested it, I know I would.

A financial statement showing income by source, and current and forecast expenses.

How about one of those fund drive thermometers or a line graph showing how income is or is not tracking against expenses?

Just some thoughts.

I have avoided putting out a financial statement for several reasons. First and foremost, it will distort the reality to the uninitiated. We are required to do accrual accounting, yet the reality is that the only thing that is important is cash flow. Yet our cash flow statement is the most unrealistic. Currently, the largest single source of cash is a $500 month donation from a single person. But that will stop no later that June 1 and I doubt that anyone is going to replace it. That means starting on July 1, the begining of the fiscal year, the total sum of income will be without $6000/year. :swoon: Since we created the Corporation last July, I have been doing as much I can to make the corporation self sufficient. So that total cash in is greater than the current $8000+ a year we need.

What our cash in is based on currently is the total of:
Donations
Advertising
Raffles and other fundraisers
Web Hosting

If this corporation is to survive on the longer term. not only do we have to pay our ongoing bills, but we have to build a reserve. That reserve is my first financial priority.

Okay so our bottom line is this. we need $2000/Qtr in donations. for this funddrive for the 4th fiscal Qtr, we have raised $720:nah:not counting the extra $500 month.

As far as thermometers and such, I am very much against them.

When I first started this site, the rules were:
No donations accepted
No advertising
No obnoxious advertising

We have dropped most of those, but as much as possible, I want to keep to the spirit of those ideals as much as possible.

The advertising is pretty restrained. The donation drives are kept to 30 days every quarter and even then I don't think we are bombarding our users.

 

[SteveColes]

I have to agree with Glenn on the deals through this site on tools and wood :icon_thum. Friendship has been pretty good too !

All for a couple of bucks.

Actually for free:gar-La;. One of the things that I have always tried to maintain is the sense of peer pressure to donate. The idea is that we want people to donate freely and that donations are coming from their sense of what they can afford and what the Corp/Site means to them.
Some people have asked what their share is.

If we did that formally, then we would have dues and then the site would lose a lot of users

 

[Touchwood]

I have avoided putting out a financial statement for several reasons. First and foremost, it will distort the reality to the uninitiated. We are required to do accrual accounting, yet the reality is that the only thing that is important is cash flow. Yet our cash flow statement is the most unrealistic. Currently, the largest single source of cash is a $500 month donation from a single person. But that will stop no later that June 1 and I doubt that anyone is going to replace it. That means starting on July 1, the begining of the fiscal year, the total sum of income will be without $6000/year. :swoon: Since we created the Corporation last July, I have been doing as much I can to make the corporation self sufficient. So that total cash in is greater than the current $8000+ a year we need.

What our cash in is based on currently is the total of:
Donations
Advertising
Raffles and other fundraisers
Web Hosting

If this corporation is to survive on the longer term. not only do we have to pay our ongoing bills, but we have to build a reserve. That reserve is my first financial priority.

Okay so our bottom line is this. we need $2000/Qtr in donations. for this funddrive for the 4th fiscal Qtr, we have raised $720:nah:not counting the extra $500 month.

As far as thermometers and such, I am very much against them.

When I first started this site, the rules were:
No donations accepted
No advertising
No obnoxious advertising

We have dropped most of those, but as much as possible, I want to keep to the spirit of those ideals as much as possible.

The advertising is pretty restrained. The donation drives are kept to 30 days every quarter and even then I don't think we are bombarding our users.

Steve,

When I think about all the money I've saved on wood buys alone through contacts on this site (which I never would have made without you)..plus the great ideas, support and insights I've received from all the folks who've responded to my posts..the pittance I sent in (like the cost of a couple bottles of glue at Woodcraft) doesn't measure up to a tiny fraction of that.:icon_thum

When I think of all the things I spend money on that don't bring me anything close to the enjoyment I have with my membership...

Maybe that's the key !!! Folks that enjoy their membership should show their appreciation. There's no free lunch..certainly not these days.

Please forgive the lecture :gar-Bi

Don