Website finances and our options

[snodsy]

I don't know much about payment systems, so sorry if this is not possible, but; Client pays Cartographers Guild, Guild pay designer??? is this too much work.

What if there were a TOP BAR item up there with HOME, WHATS NEW, FORUM, BLOGS ,GALLERY and COMMISSIONS.

Under the commission tab all projects are run through this guild, (header information notes that 10% commission is taken for upkeep, coordination, etc)

People can bid on a project and then all work is run through the this website, from initial client outline and/or sketch through concept, client approval, etc, maybe even for all to see ( a simple check box for public vs private)

Not sure if this is feasible but throwing it out there.

[J.Edward]

Client pays Cartographers Guild, Guild pay designer??? is this too much work.

I think this might not really go over. Just being honest.
There are tax implications and other administering issues just to name a few things.

edit - I thought I should add - my assumption of what Robbie might be looking for is something that generates maximum revenue with minimal involvement, as his personal time is already spoken for.

Regarding work that would be submitted for a book - I would assume some sort of voting process or something.
Though you would likely want the works to be included to not be shown on the site. Thereby adding to the exclusivity and reason to buy the book, apart from the obvious reason of just wanting to support the guild.
Obviously I'd be interested in any further input or discussion on a book.

Another option, start a Guild entity on Red Bubble or other POD site to produce official guild shirts.
I'd be willing to help there as well. It might not be huge revenue but collectively it might add up to something useful.
There's a lot we could offer in that space. Exclusive offers for a short time promotion to garner more immediate purchase interest.

[Chick]

I don't know much about payment systems, so sorry if this is not possible, but; Client pays Cartographers Guild, Guild pay designer??? is this too much work.

What if there were a TOP BAR item up there with HOME, WHATS NEW, FORUM, BLOGS ,GALLERY and COMMISSIONS.

Under the commission tab all projects are run through this guild, (header information notes that 10% commission is taken for upkeep, coordination, etc)

People can bid on a project and then all work is run through the this website, from initial client outline and/or sketch through concept, client approval, etc, maybe even for all to see ( a simple check box for public vs private)

Not sure if this is feasible but throwing it out there.

Since there is no real way to enforce that, given that most commissions are arranged via private emails, it might lead to all kinds of problems.

I'm more inclined to suggest something that shows the donations that each member makes. Most of us know who are getting the biggest and most commissions, so there would a little peer reputation factor encouraging those making the most money via this site to contribute to it.

And if you think posting the actually donation amount is not appropriate, then at least reset the "Gracious Donor" on profiles more often.

[ChickPea]

Have you ever looked at Patreon? I think a really simple, easily-administered method of fund raising would be monthly contributions. I don't mean a paid subscription, where certain areas of the site aren't available to people who don't pay. Payments would be entirely voluntary. You already have the whole Paypal donation thing in place. Why not encourage people to set up recurring payments of just a few dollars every month. Contributors could have a fancy title to let everyone know they are a supporter of the site. There's little work involved because everything's more or less in place already. Some people might baulk at paying $50 at once, but won't bat an eyelid at $3 a month. I would also reset the 'Gracious Donor' title annually. Is it really relevant to someone who dropped $10 five years ago?

I know you said you don't like to ask for money, but honestly, I think you should set your scruples aside. Most people are reasonable and understand the tangible costs in running a site, especially when it's one guy paying for it out of his own pocket. If a site gives value, I think many would be willing to drop a few dollars. Frankly, I'd make a thing of it and have an annual fund-raiser. I know of several sites that do this and I don't think anyone begrudges them. Maybe some of the site's artists might be willing to donate a pic for the highest donation, or to auction off ebay-style.

On the commission thing, I'm not sure how easily that would be to administer, beyond relying on the honesty of the parties involved. Maybe you could make a small charge to the person posting the request, sort of like how classified ads work. Or maybe create a portfolio-style section of the site, where artists pay a fee to be included? People looking for maps could be pointed to that area? Not sure if that's practical or not.

[J.Edward]

Those are some really good ideas ChickPea.
The Patreon angle could be good for many people.
I hate recurring payments so I would still do my one off payment but I think you have a good idea there.
Also, the whole idea of charging the commissioner a fee sounds good. Not sure how complex it would be.
It would turn away some of the less serious requests.
I also like the portfolio section idea. I would would do that. All working artists must seek exposure and often must pay for that exposure so that would not be unreasonable.
It's sort of like paying for advertising.

Very good ideas ChickPea.

[ChickPea]

Thanks, J.

I feel that recurring payments are just another option to offer, though I understand why some people don't like them. But since the setup is there already, why not offer it? Even if only ten people took up the option of $3 a month, that's about a third of the site's annual costs right there ... with zero extra work involved. Sure some of those folks would donate anyway, but it might slip their mind, or something else might come along ... you know how it is!

[waldronate]

To abuse the contributor tag a little, how about the tag gets an expiration date and costs some $ per month to maintain? That way, folks could do a lump sum or a monthly scheme. If you'd like a prestige factor, an optional tag color level (green, blue, white, yellow) might selectable for the selected monthly amount (5, 10, 20, 50).

What would that get you? Certainly nothing tangible, so the tax situation might be simpler. If you really want one, possibly a special forum for subscribers and the subscribers can elect to offer value-added elements just to that forum (or group of fora).

[CharlesRobinson]

How much is the bill each month?

[Robbie]

Lots of good ideas here folks. I'm on my phone so it's hard to reply to all of them. But I'll get around to it tomorrow hopefully.

I don't want to list the actual bill because the cost will go up if I upgrade the server, which needs to be done but can't because of the shrinking income. Overall it sounds like you guys want the site to be here and are willing to help out, it's just been an out of site out of mind kinda thing as far as donations are concerned. If I'm not promoting the need for support them the support gets forgotten. I really like the ideas of prestige levels of donors and I need to be more proactive about resetting the donor tag. That's probably going to happen tomorrow.

I think our PayPal plugin for the site supports a monthly donation subscription but I'll have to double check that. If it doesn't I'll look into the vbulletin built in subscription system and see what that buys us. I would like to raise money to upgrade to vbulletin 5 and get on the newer dedicated servers our host is now offering.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

[Bogie]

I have to admit that I am guilty of making a donation a while ago but then forgetting to do it again.
That situation has been corrected. We are a very supportive community, we just need our butts kicked once in a while.

I like the idea of a map book for sale on Drive-Thru, and would be more than willing to donate a custom map.
While my only experience on Drive Thru is as a buyer not a seller, I think the book would draw more attention if it had a theme.
The maps would already be many different styles/different cartographers sales may be better if they were all one theme, like "A DIRTY DOZEN DUNGEON MAPS" or
"THE CARTOGRAPHER'S GUILD'S FAVORITE CITY MAPS"