I did a quick search and couldn't find anything specifically about this .. but if it's been over done .. admins feel free to lock this. Or if this has been already covered in a FAQ please tell me the link and lock the thread.

The March 14th donations news item on the home page got me thinking about a few things.

First of all ... donate some damn money you cheap bastard! So after this I will make a donation.

Secondly, I have seen several sites that rely on donations from their users. A lot of these sites set goals for donations. They say up front they need $xxx to get by monthly, $xxxx to get by for a year.

Personally I would like to know if donating $5 is like spitting on a fire. Or would $10 bring the fire department.

Speaking only for myself I would be more encouraged to donate more if I could see exactly the effect of my donation. If I saw that MA needs $50 to push it over for monthly costs .. I might donate $50. (No really!)

If people could see (even roughly) how much MA needs to survive they might be more inclined to donate. 100 people donating $1 each makes a big difference but I think a lot of people now think "What's a $1 going to help? That won't even buy a bottle of Coke."

I would definitely agree. Seeing a goal that MA needs to reach would most definitely encourage me to assist.

Well, it wouldn't have to be an omnipresent feature. I personally feel this wouldn't be a horrible idea, and the sad fact of the matter is that no matter how altruistic our motives and how much volunteer labor goes into the site, it will always cost money, and it's only getting bigger every day. I believe some form of monthly/yearly donation goal or guideline could be helpful, if of course it wasn't spammed all over the place. It needn't be seen as begging, but merely a way for the average user to feel a sense of accomplishment from his or her donation.

If, however, Morrigan and HellBlazer prefer to keep the financial information private, then that is of course their prerogative.

I suspect that is what they will do, but if it does happen, I won't be to offended.