Gary Lewis Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 WE ARE MOVING, IF WE CAN FUND IT! Guys - we have a winner on our hunt for a new forum platform to use - InVision. It provides all of the features we've been wanting/needing, and then some. You can see a test implementation of it here, thanks to Chris: InVision Test Forum. However, there's a cost of $1800 to take our 7 years of history with us, and we really need to do that. So I'm asking y'all how we can fund this one-time expense. (There will be an ongoing expense of less than $100/mo which we will work out later.) I am not wanting you to commit on this thread to support it with X$. Instead I'm asking how we can set up a fund, like GoFundMe or somesuch, in order to raise the money. What is the best approach? Who has done it? Once we are within reach of that goal I can sign a contract with InVision and they'll write the code and migrate our history over. That will probably take a few attempts, but once they get it right we'll need to take a backup, lock the Nabble forum, and then have them migrate us. It is supposed to come over with everything but your password, so you'll just have to reset your p/w on the first login. (I know it won't be that clean, but we can hope.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gsmblue Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 Fantastic news. I have never set up a "go fund me", but that does seem to be a good idea. I would be happy to pay an annual subscription in support of this community too. Maybe we can have nice little additions to our profiles for "sponsors of the forum", like medals showing the sponsorship level or some such? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 Fantastic news. I have never set up a "go fund me", but that does seem to be a good idea. I would be happy to pay an annual subscription in support of this community too. Maybe we can have nice little additions to our profiles for "sponsors of the forum", like medals showing the sponsorship level or some such? Without getting into analysis paralysis, I think GoFundMe is a good way to go. I'd say set up one fundraiser for the migration, and then each year, set up a 2024 Site Costs fund, next year a 2025 Site Costs fund, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
essmaker Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 Without getting into analysis paralysis, I think GoFundMe is a good way to go. I'd say set up one fundraiser for the migration, and then each year, set up a 2024 Site Costs fund, next year a 2025 Site Costs fund, etc... Gofundme would be the easiest path. However...while it would require more work...I would be happy to pay double or triple or whatever the cost would be for a hat. If we could find a decent source that would imprint your logo on one, that would be a cool way to raise funds for this onetime expense and even after. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 9 Author Share Posted May 9 Gofundme would be the easiest path. However...while it would require more work...I would be happy to pay double or triple or whatever the cost would be for a hat. If we could find a decent source that would imprint your logo on one, that would be a cool way to raise funds for this onetime expense and even after. Just a thought. I've not done a GoFundMe but will check into it, both for the migration and the annual costs. But, as I think about it, we need to figure out how to gauge how much we can raise - before we raise it. In other words, lets say that we only raise $500 for the migration vs the $1800 cost. I don't want people to have put their money into an account and then find out we can't get there. So is there a way to way to discretely get an idea from each of you how much you'd be willing to do for the migration? Would that be best done via email to me? Not a commitment at all, but a "here's what I think I would like to donate". Thoughts? Better ways? I'm all eyes. But if you want to email me do so at janeyandgary@gmail.com. Again, I'm not looking for a commitment but a guestimate. And I'm not ready for the money. We just need to know how much we can raise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 I've not done a GoFundMe but will check into it, both for the migration and the annual costs. But, as I think about it, we need to figure out how to gauge how much we can raise - before we raise it. In other words, lets say that we only raise $500 for the migration vs the $1800 cost. I don't want people to have put their money into an account and then find out we can't get there. So is there a way to way to discretely get an idea from each of you how much you'd be willing to do for the migration? Would that be best done via email to me? Not a commitment at all, but a "here's what I think I would like to donate". Thoughts? Better ways? I'm all eyes. But if you want to email me do so at janeyandgary@gmail.com. Again, I'm not looking for a commitment but a guestimate. And I'm not ready for the money. We just need to know how much we can raise. For polling, I think a Google Forms may be a way to go? I know they can be made anonymous. I thought if you didn't reach your goal in GoFundMe, you could give the money back easily, but I think I'm wrong after looking at their site. Maybe Kickstarter is another way to go there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 9 Author Share Posted May 9 For polling, I think a Google Forms may be a way to go? I know they can be made anonymous. I thought if you didn't reach your goal in GoFundMe, you could give the money back easily, but I think I'm wrong after looking at their site. Maybe Kickstarter is another way to go there. Chris - I'll check out Google Forms. Thanks. And Kickstarter says "Kickstarter’s all-or-nothing funding model ensures that if you reach or surpass your goal, you’ll receive your funds, minus our 5% fee." So they'd take $90 out of the $1800, which isn't bad. It sounds like that may be a good way to go, but I'll keep looking a bit. Gsmblue - I forgot to respond on the badge thing. InVision has the ability to do that, but what I don't want to do is to put any pressure on people. We have some very dedicated people who are struggling to fix their own trucks so may not have any money to contribute. But their daily contribution of time and knowledge is a major contributor to the success of this forum so I don't want to miss that. But the InVision forum has all kinds of badges that can be applied, so perhaps we can come up with a combination that rewards those that give money as well as those that give time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted May 9 Author Share Posted May 9 Chris - I'll check out Google Forms. Thanks. And Kickstarter says "Kickstarter’s all-or-nothing funding model ensures that if you reach or surpass your goal, you’ll receive your funds, minus our 5% fee." So they'd take $90 out of the $1800, which isn't bad. It sounds like that may be a good way to go, but I'll keep looking a bit. Gsmblue - I forgot to respond on the badge thing. InVision has the ability to do that, but what I don't want to do is to put any pressure on people. We have some very dedicated people who are struggling to fix their own trucks so may not have any money to contribute. But their daily contribution of time and knowledge is a major contributor to the success of this forum so I don't want to miss that. But the InVision forum has all kinds of badges that can be applied, so perhaps we can come up with a combination that rewards those that give money as well as those that give time. Reading up on Kickstarter I see that you can start a project as an individual or an entity, either business or non-profit. I'm thinking I may need to set up a non-profit so we can have clear accountability of the funds, meaning that we don't mix them with our personal funds. Fortunately our son is a tax lawyer so I'll consult with him about how to set a non-profit up and see what it'll cost and how long it'll take. But I wonder if we could do the Kickstarter for the migration as an individual and then form the non-profit for the long term with the monthly fees. Does anyone have any ideas? Experience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ckuske Posted May 9 Share Posted May 9 Reading up on Kickstarter I see that you can start a project as an individual or an entity, either business or non-profit. I'm thinking I may need to set up a non-profit so we can have clear accountability of the funds, meaning that we don't mix them with our personal funds. Fortunately our son is a tax lawyer so I'll consult with him about how to set a non-profit up and see what it'll cost and how long it'll take. But I wonder if we could do the Kickstarter for the migration as an individual and then form the non-profit for the long term with the monthly fees. Does anyone have any ideas? Experience? Hi Gary, That's a good idea, and an even better connection to have! I don't have any direct personal experience, but my brother-in-law has a 501©(3) for his high school basketball team. It didn't seem too difficult to set up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigBrother-84 Posted May 10 Share Posted May 10 But the InVision forum has all kinds of badges that can be applied, so perhaps we can come up with a combination that rewards those that give money as well as those that give time. I think that emphasize and highlight the contribution for the time given by some members to help others and generously share their knowledge is a nice idea. But, personally, I suggest that money contribution should stay discreet, big donators don’t need to be under the spotlight. Nobody has to feel “cheap” for a small donation. Any dime will be welcome, big or small. This is not a popularity contest… Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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