Asking for your support

[justpeachy]

You may have noticed that the site has a Wikipedia-style voluntary "ask" at the top of the page. Trailkeepers of Oregon - who operates this forum - is trying out this fundraising method for a short period of time. Why are we doing this?

* This site sees a huge amount traffic. Currently our site is being hosted on server space donated by a volunteer, and we are thinking ahead to the future when we may need to move the site to paid server space.
* The forum software is several updates behind and either needs to be updated or replaced.
* TKO hired their first staff member this year (an Executive Director!) and we hope to hire more staff in the future in order to expand our operations and fulfill our mission.

This is the first time we've tried this, so your feedback is welcome. Thanks to all the people who make this site great!

[adamschneider]

Go ahead and update the software to a newer version of phpBB if you must, but I'd recommend sticking with phpBB. I was a member of a once-thriving online forum that completely fizzled after they switched to vBulletin!

[Splintercat]

Thanks, Adam - that's helpful feedback. We've had a lot of requests for more social media-like features, but so far are finding that the available forum platforms are pretty limited in that way. On the plus side, Google and Facebook won't be monitoring our conversations here for the purpose of selling to the highest bidder...

Tom

[Waffle Stomper]

I was going to donate, did we lose the paypal option? Or am I missing it.

[justpeachy]

I was going to donate, did we lose the paypal option? Or am I missing it.

At this time, we are no longer going to accept donations through PayPal. Donating through our Click & Pledge form is the only option from this point forward. The Donate Now link on the left side of the website is where anyone can donate at any time, even when this top-of-the-page campaign is over.

That said, would you prefer that PayPal be available in future iterations of how we offer pay options for donations?

[kepPNW]

At this time, we are no longer going to accept donations through PayPal.

You know that's how it sounds to someone who wanted/had to use that method, right?

Pretty sure that's the only way I've ever made donations in the past.

If it's an issue with fees, I'll just relay what an accountant of mine used to say when I'd whine about jumping up a tax bracket...

• "Keeping X% of $Z beats all hell out of (X+Y)% of $0."

[Splintercat]

We'll take that as a "yes", Karl... I'm of like mind, as I do a lot of my non-profit monthly giving via PayPal, so we're definitely trying to find the best way to do this for everyone. On the other hand, I'm learning that using PayPal is yet another reminder that I'm an old fart... apparently, the kids roll their eyes at a system that dates to Web 1.0. At least I don't have a stack of AOL CDs sitting next to my computer...

Tom

[adamschneider]

On the other hand, I'm learning that using PayPal is yet another reminder that I'm an old fart... apparently, the kids roll their eyes

Meh. Do the kids know that PayPal owns Venmo? Besides, I'll be damned if I have to explicitly "opt out" of having my personal payments show up in someone's effing News Feed.

[kepPNW]

We'll take that as a "yes", Karl... I'm of like mind, as I do a lot of my non-profit monthly giving via PayPal, so we're definitely trying to find the best way to do this for everyone.

I've learned to be very flexible with things like that, and can roll either way. Sometimes I prefer one over the other, but I'm not hamstrung like some people I know who have no choice. (Particularly those [generally much younger <ahem>] with only a debit card that are [amazingly] wise enough to know to never use that online.)

Plus, as I recall, PayPal was the only form of electronic payment you used to accept for calendars? So you may well have existing past/potential donors who set that up expressly to give to TKO. Anything's possible.

On the other hand, I'm learning that using PayPal is yet another reminder that I'm an old fart... apparently, the kids roll their eyes at a system that dates to Web 1.0.

Heh, good ol' utilitarian functionality is so highly under-rated by youth.

[RobFromRedland]

That said, would you prefer that PayPal be available in future iterations of how we offer pay options for donations?

I can't speak for others, but I would prefer that. I have enough trouble with fraudulent charges as it is. I try and limit who has access to my credit card info. Paypal has its warts, but at least it limits who has access.