The Sermon the Pastor Hates to Give


As we wind down 2009, it’s time to talk about that uncouth topic: money.

Portland Transport is run on the cheap, so our needs are minor, but they’re not zero. Equally important the IRS wants to see that we have a diversity of supporters to let us keep our 501(c)(3) status.

So if you’re feeling appreciative for the conversation here, generous in the holiday season, or just want a year-end tax deduction, please hit the “cash contribution” link in the upper right and share whatever feels appropriate. Even $5 goes a long way.

Thanks!


9 responses to “The Sermon the Pastor Hates to Give”

  1. Chris, your point is well taken. Just a couple of suggestions.

    1) Inlcude a link in the post or in a reply comment as my guess is that a lot of us don’t view the site through RSS feeds.

    2) The link is the upper left hand corner.

    3) Be transparent, set a goal and ask for more than $5. How much does it cost to run this? How much are you looking to raise? Do you really only want me to give $5? You get what you ask for in fundraising. Some will give more, but when in doubt they’ll give what you told them to give, $5.

    4) It is not an uncouth topic, it is a way for us to feel more involved in creating and maintaining an incredible forum for local transit geeks.

    Okay, I’ll step down from my soapbox.

  2. I just made my gift. Who’s with me?

    EngineerScotty?
    Ron Swaren?
    Al M.?
    JK?
    Jason Barbour?
    John E?
    RA Fontes?
    WS?
    Nick theOldUrbanist?
    Anandakos?
    Cameron Johnson?
    Dave H.?
    Vancouver Resident?
    Lenny Anderson?
    Jeff F.?

    What would we do without this place? We may not agree but we all benefit from its existence.

  3. The website is hosted by dreamhost, with what appears to be no unique IP option, and probably not Dreamhost PS. Assuming he got the domain through Dreamhost in 2005, which expires in 2010, and also bought that much hosting ahead of time, he may have done their five year deal they had back then, for about $5/mo. Worst case scenario, he’s paying month-to-month at $10.95/mo. And maybe $10/year for a domain if he didn’t manage to squeak it in for free.

  4. As a non-profit we actually get free hosting from Dreamhost.

    Our costs are around domain names (we have several), hosting for the bike show podcast, a Flickr account and fees the state levies on non-profit. All told it’s between $150 and $200 depending on the year. The Google ads defray some of that.

    Some of our transit tool projects could involve buying some hardware in the future, which would put us in a different ballpark. We have a few dollars saved away toward that.

  5. OK. I’ll put in since you guys have always been so freaking nice to me all these years!

    My blog costs my time,
    Google actually solicited me for ads on my you tube site, I told em to shove it.

  6. I wish I could this year, but I’ve been unemployed actually for a bit (anyone need an IT guy?) so I’m trying to at least click any ads that interest me. It’s one of the few sites my ad blocker is always off for.

  7. I just gave $25, but I have to say I’m torqued at your use of PayPal. Those jerks demand “a working telephone number”.

    NO BANK requires a telephone number to process a payment. They’re selling them.

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