The fundraiser update in Site Updates (Josh)

Hey everyone!

Mochi and I were traveling last week on a much needed vacation along the Oregon coast, and before I go any further I have to share this picture of him enjoying beach life:

I can’t get over it. THAT TONGUE.

Ok, let’s chat.

I’m happy to report that I’ve found a super talented DevOps contractor to work on the site! We’ve spent the past few weeks hammering out the details, and we’ve landed on a quote that accomplishes everything we need to have fixed.

The amount we need to raise to fix the server issues and set up a solid foundation is $1500.

That sounds like a lot of money, I know, but the going rate for specialized work like this can run anywhere from $60/hr to $140/hr and several of the quotes I got back were considerably higher. With Prosebox being such a customized setup and there being so many possible unknowns, a specialized (read: expensive) skillset is needed. We want this work to be done right the first time, and we want it to last.

I’ve recently gotten Google Analytics up and running again, and now have some reliable numbers on site traffic. We have just over 6000 active users. If 10% of those users donated $2.50, we’d get there instantly. Put another way, I’m trying to raise $0.25 for every user so I can hire someone to get things to where they need to be.

So, how’s this all going down?
Starting next week, there will be a (tasteful, I promise) Wikipedia-style banner across the site explaining what’s going on and linking to a fundraiser page that explains the situation. I’m including a close button that hides this banner and keeps it hidden. After you close it, it’ll be gone until the next day.

Ew, why run a banner?
Now that analytics are back in place, I’ve been keeping an eye on the amount of traffic that comes to these posts. Compared to the rest of the site, it’s a pretty small fraction. I want to link to an informative page to make sure everyone knows what’s going on and anyone that wants to contribute can do so.

How long will you run the fundraiser?
I’ll be running it for two weeks starting on Monday.

What happens if we don’t hit the goal?
We’ll talk about it. I intend to be 100% transparent about the financials of the fundraiser. Honestly though, with the number of users we have and how much everyone cares about the site, I’m feeling optimistic. Even $1 adds up.

What will show up on my bank statement if I donate?
I know privacy is important, so my initial thinking is that it will be “PAYPAL*PB”. It can be PAYPAL*Anything though, so if you have any suggestions I’m all ears.

Anything else?
Anyone who donates to the fundraiser will get an optional “badge” of some kind that will display on their profile page. More to come on this as I figure out the details.
Edit: Just kidding! Turns out nobody wants this!

Please feel free to chime in with your thoughts! This is my first time doing something like this, and I’m eager to get it right.

<3,
-J

Last updated June 02, 2018