Oh, I was thinking it was that time of year, but it seems that it has already started without my noticing it first. :surprised:

Anyway, I'll be contributing something later some time early next week when I'm into a fresh credit-card billing month after the 18th of this month.

As with each year it's good to remind ourselves that Nathan shouldn't have to pay for the hosting considering how much " Unpaid " work he puts into the site, and that we derive a lot of personal benefits because of it's existence, from new knowledge, to access to new makers and for makers who get a benefit in getting known by people most likely to be interested in purchasing their work or having custom work commissioned.

We also get a lot of input by scholars and writers of books who just happen to also be members of this site, and often get the privilege of seeing the work and work/design process of makers with in progress pics of some pieces.

Anyway, I'll pop in occasionally to remind people about donating, and others shouldn't be shy to also give their reasons why they like this site and want to help support it financially if they have the means to afford to do so: Even a $10 donation is helpful as well as upgrading one's membership.

Good post Jean. I read the features and reviews here years ago, but only joined the forums this year. I was happy to make a small membership upgrade then, and I was proud to help out a week ago with this drive. Considering the contacts, manufacturers, knowledge and of course one or two knives or swords found through the classifieds, the amount I gave is relatively token. Everyone should feel obligated, but more importantly, happy and proud to help keep this place going. I don't have any useful knowledge to give compared to what I read here on a daily basis, but I'm happy I can help in this way.

As promised last week I just sent in my donation to round out the donation total to date of posting this at $1000: I like round numbers . ;) :D

So, only another $200 to reach the halfway mark of $1200 to the donation goal of $2400 to cover the hosting cost for the coming year ;)

Keeping this invaluable resource of information and of friendly discussion is a good idea for everybody who visits, and even more for those who visit often. It's also valuable to the many custom makers and small production companies out there in a very specialized niche market.

I do notice in the current list of donors a few makers who have been kind enough to make a donation, and thanks.

( Disclaimer, note: I'm just a frequent poster and longtime member, but I'm not part of the " official team " of moderators, or Nathan, so I'm only giving a personal opinion that makers have a personal interest in helping keeping this site active and on-line ).

I'd like to thank Jean for his annual reminders. I wouldn't donate at all if it were not for his prompting. This is a valuable forum and needs to be supported.

Thanks, Jean, for posting this. My original plan was to pay for it out of pocket this year on my own, but then my entire job situation changed and, well, I'm scrambling to figure out what to do next. Any and all help is appreciated.

Well, another bumps as donations have slowed down and the Topic is off the " recent " post on the home page.

Just a little math again: There are close to 29,000 registered members, now I assume this is the total of all the people who have registered over the years and many may not be active or frequent readers or posters, but lets say that 1% of these are still really interested in the site and frequent it at least a few time a week or at least once a month ..... at the very least they still consider the site a source of information and entertainment.

That is 290 people or to round it out about 300 people who would really miss the site should it disappear.

HMMMMM: 300 people each giving $10 that is $3000 and more than the donation goal !

To be realistic each year the number of people donating has been between 75 to 100 I think ? So, on average people donating have been donating more than $10 dollars and if we factor in a dozen people who donated between $50 and $100 or more it means that a few have been carrying a lot of the weight of paying for the hosting fees .....

Well, this is probably normal human nature as usually only a few people in any group or organization really are active in giving time or money.

So basically if we can get a lot more people to contribute $10 or even $5 we should be able to reach the donation objective without it being financially painful for anyone. ( Note: I don't know if there is a minimal amount under which a paypal donation becomes inefficient but I know that $10 is O.K. , not sure about $5 but It might be the lowest donation that is practical ??? Maybe Nathan can clarify this point if I'm in error ? ).

A lot of people are also " Guest " who haven't registered for a " FREE Membership, but they can also send a donation even if they don't want to officially join and register for some reason ? I view and like many other sites but I can understand the reluctance to join avery interesting site one comes across.

By the way people who have registered for a free membership can also help the site by upgrading to a paying ,membership if they wish.

I have been a member since 2007 but have read more than I have posted.
I didn't have paypal before, but I do now.
That 10 USD won't hurt me.

I think I'm signed-up for an automatic "subscription" - when does that get charged?

I kicked in another $10 just because it's fund drive season.

Finally made my donation ... it's fun to see the whole list of those who have donated so far ... I alllllmost feel like playing a version of the current 'ice bucket challenge' and calling out a couple of people who aren't on that list ... but should be! :cool:

But I won't! :lol:

Perhaps, instead, we could start a list of our own reasons to donate, such as:

- I've learnt something here that I haven't seen anywhere else.
- I've made friends here whom I value.
- This site supports and encourages an interest that I gain a lot from.

Feel free to add your own reasons!

How about: donate to have a chance to win a free Tod's Stuff dagger?

Check out the details, here: http://www.myArmoury.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=30738

Wow Craig, that's really generous and a wonderful piece by Tod.Glad I am in the contest!

Oh, cool! I was in before but had to throw in another five bucks for that.

No matter, this place is far more than worth it even without prizes. :)

Well, as I write this we are at $1700 and past the midway point and I added another $40 to my donation total to get the donation total to a nice round number.

Now over the $2,400.00 goal! Huzzah!

Hurrah! :D

Yes very good that we exceeded the donation goal again this year, and as with all previous years, I mention that any extra still goes to the upkeep of the site or technical upgrades or prizes that Nathan makes available when there is extra cash.

Not a bad thing to have a little cushion against unexpected extra expenses that might occur during the year.

I think the record amount donated in previous years was close to $4,000 :?:


There is also still a really nice dagger to be won as a prize for each donation of $25, so those who gave $10 or $20 might be tempted to at least get their total donation up to $25, maybe. ;) :D :cool:


In any case at least the donation goal has been met and it must be a lot less worrying or stressful for Nathan to have the hosting costs fully covered and not have to pay it out of pocket.

Many thanks to all those who have made this fund drive a success and those who might still wish to contribute.

I think the fact that we hit the goal calls for...

Another contest!

I better think of something. :)