Donation Status Bar on Forum Homepage

[Robbie]

Fellow mappers,

If I may direct your attention to the forum home page, I have placed a Donation Goal indicator. There was no way to set it up for a specific time frame, so I've set it up for the current year.

We've reached a turning point in the guild here, and its going to require some more software changes and very possibly (almost assuredly) a host change. This is not going to be a free thing, and the site currently makes just enough money to sustain itself. But if we're going to push beyond and upgrade the site into a MUCH more organized and content-centric website we're going to have to turn to you, our user base to chip in. We're looking at renewing our vBulletin license as well as upgrading to the CMS suite. Also, the cost of changing hosts, and the overhead involved as well will need to come from somewhere.

I've set a goal for 300 dollars, and that is for the year according to the status bar. But as things stand now, the sooner we reach this goal, the better. When we reach this goal we'll be able to begin the transition. At a minimum, we need to reach the goal by July, since that is when our software license is up for renewal.

This goal is based on my initial budgeting calculations, and doesn't account for any overhead costs or additional costs that may pop up. If anything more comes up, I'll definitely keep you all posted on it, and adjust the goal accordingly.

I don't like asking for money, and I've always intended for this site to be a free resource for everyone here...but as it grows, the cost of operation grows, and I'd rather turn to those who can afford to contribute instead of requiring a payment for participation here. In the near future, there may end up being some more revenue oriented things added to the site, but for now, we continue to operate on your donations.

Also, the donation system has just been installed, and there's a possibility it may not be working correctly. I definitely want to hear from you if you have any trouble with the donation system, and I'm also looking to see if anyone would be willing to try the subscription system. PM me BEFORE you donate if you are interested.

If you have any questions or anything, please let me know.