Punaweb Fundraising - Donations sought

[AlohaSteven]

Count us in, too, Rob, for tangible support of Punaweb.

Punaweb's keyword-searchable database of local information and perspective is invaluable and the ability to ask questions and discuss issues with others via Punaweb is both a boon and a pleasure.

The suggestion for setting up a Punaweb PayPal account is a good one, IMHO, for several reasons. Folks near and far alike can easily make one-time donations (and probably earn some airline miles via their credit card, too, if they have their system set up that way). Moreover, if you set up a Punaweb PayPal account with the feature to do so, then those who wish to and are in a situation to be able to become "subscription supporters" of Punaweb could do so via an automatic monthly PayPal billing. A recurring automatic deduction with one-time sign-up (and which can be canceled in a moment at any time a person wishes to do so, for any reason) makes monthly donation to the cause very easy.

Awhile back when the server at www.tribe.net bogged down (due, I think, to the increasing numbers of people using that free forum) the technowonk there invited both voluntary one-time donations and voluntary monthly subscriptions to fund upgrading the whole system, hardware and all. Monthly subscribers get a little orange star on their icon to show they are Special (and I think are supposed to get some other perk of some type, too), but I'd rather the monthly subscribers not even be identified with a little star (or, at least, have the option of being anonymous donors). $5 is the amount which voluntary tribe.net subscribers automatically donate each month via PayPal. $5 a month for a year is a lot easier for some folks to fit in their budget than sending $60 at one time. Subscribers using tribe.net value the service enough to forgo drinking one latte a month in support of the service, sending in the donation via PayPal rather than slurping down that one cup of fancy coffee. Of course, there are many more people on Tribe than on Punaweb, so a larger monthly donation supporting the Punaweb service may be appropriate in order for this resource to be able to continue. (BTW, another nice aspect of the monthly PayPal donation option on tribe.net is one may give a "gift subscription" to a friend, such as for a birthday present).

To avoid possible future tax complications, Rob, it may make sense for you to ponder the potential advantages of establishing a 501©3 nonprofit organization for Punaweb's support and operation. It would be great if Punaweb generated enough income to actually genuinely tangibly benefit you (as via being paid a salary for your work with Punaweb or by taking a profit after expenses) instead of just offsetting costs ...but without nonprofit organization status I wonder if donations to Punaweb might not just bump up your tax liability without actually substantially financially benefiting you. Something to consider, as you probably already have.

Thanks for all you do with Punaweb!


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"Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence."

Pres. John Adams, Scholar and Statesman


"There's a scientific reason to be concerned and there's a scientific reason to push for action. But there's no scientific reason to despair."

NASA climate analyst Gavin Schmidt

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