P.O. Box for PAL donations goes live!

[Sergeant]

I have dubbed this program G.O.R.E. (you figure it out, it's not that cryptic).

So, here's how it works:

• A donation is received through the postal box.
• A donation is made via paypal by myself in the amount received. Any instructions that came with the payment will be included. For total donation amounts of $100 or less, the donation will be sent through paypal the day it is received. For donations totalling $101 or more, I will deposit it before sending it through paypal.
• A follow on e-mail is sent to Elly and the person donating. Notifying site admin of the donation, who it is for and any other pertinent information needed to complete the donation.
• The user's name, forum name, e-mail address, donation amount and date received will be tracked on a custom written program (thanks to Zodiac's husband for this!) to keep a clean record of what was received, when and by who as well as the effective dates of the donation.
• With the above logged information, we will be able to send an e-mail to the user on the last month (about 2.5 weeks out) of their donation to allow time for the donation to be renewed, if desired, so their status remains unchanged.
• This postal box will be used for no other purpose than receiving donations for this site and any other associate sites run by our dear admins.
• Your personal information sent with donation will not be distributed, sold or given to ANYONE with the exception of passing necessary info to the admins so the donation can be completed. It will be used for no other purpose than this donation program.
• Donations must be in US funds. Acceptable forms are cash (please send in a security envelop or secure packaging), personal checks or money orders. All non-cash donations (checks & money orders) MUST be made out to me so I can deposit them to my account, otherwise the donation will have to be returned.

Here is the spanking new address to use:

Sergeant Joshua Tripp
Attn: PAL Donation
P.O. Box 25162
Scott AFB, IL 62225

When you send a donation, please include:

• Real Name
• Forum Name
• E-mail address
• Instructions for disbursement (i.e. a $20 total donation, spread it out $2/month for 10 months)

Also, the mailbox costs $24 for six months. It's very cheap. I've already received word from two people who want to split the cost with me. So as of right now, it's costing each of us only $16 per YEAR. If any of you want to chip in a buck or two to that, it will be appreciated. If you do and the post box has been paid up for the year, I will deposit that amount in my paypal account. If in the future the box gets shutdown because I move or some similar situation, I will keep a log of what money has been collected and from whom it came. At that time, I will contact the people concerned and ask you what you'd like to do with it, whether it be a refund to you, a PAL donation on your behalf (if enough) or a single, flat donation to the site.

I realize some will have issued with sending someone money in the mail. I realize you have to make payments in my name and I realize it is an issue of trust and trustworthiness. I wish there was some way to reassure you all. I hold this site and it's admins in the highest regards. I will treat your donation and personal information with the utmost of care, privacy and integrity. You will be included in any correspondence to the site admin referring to your donation.

Zodiac is going to be the first to make her donation in this method and several of you have expressed interest in doing the same. I encourage you all to give it a shot. Once you see how well it works, word will spread, more will donate and we may be able to keep this site off the chopping block. We all love this site, especially the forums. This is an easy way we can help safeguard it's future.

It doesn't cost much for your support. A minimum of $1 per month is all that's required for PAL status. If you make a donation that amounts to less than that, your donation will still be valid but you will not have PAL status. That is a site directive, not mine. So please, most all of us can afford $1 per month. For a measly $12 (minimum remember) bucks you can secure PAL status for a whole YEAR and help support this site and the phenomenal people who run it and shoulder much of the financial burden.

You have my word, on the reputation I've made for myself here as an upstanding guy that your money is in good, safe hands with me. There are many people here who would vouch the same of me. My ONLY interest in this is to help this site stay afloat and prosper as long as it can. Nor I or anyone else helping me will make ANY money off this. All money will go to either Elly and crew or to pay for the mailbox, depending on your own instructions. With that, I open the floor for discussion and let the donations begin!

EDIT: Also, appreciate if an admin can sticky this somewhere and get the word to the other forums. I'm sure there are lots of people out there who would like to get in on this and donate.

[axeil]

Hey sarge, thanks for doing this again. Got the envelope addressed and I just need to get stamps and then It'll be there. Thanks again!

[Killfrenzy]

Well, It'll be a lil bit of a hassle getting my Canadian $$$ transfered into US funds, but I'll do what i can

mods i say sticky this thread so we can all easily see the address to send to in these dark times

[Empired]

This really is a great idea... thanks, Zodiac and Sarge. This'll make it so much easier to donate. My donation will be in the mail tomorrow.

[Sergeant]

I've PM'd Gaile and Freet requesting they sticky this thread, we'll wait that one out. For now, it's enough that it's on the front page and we'll do our best to keep it visible for all to see.

[DurfBarian]

Boy this thread is Uber-cool! If only there were some Method of keeping it in the Public eye . . .

Good work, guys.

[Sergeant]

Boy this thread is Uber-cool! If only there were some Method of keeping it in the Public eye . . .

Good work, guys.

Durf, your blatant subtlty is completely unacceptable.

[dodomac]

I have a question. Say a well-to-do gentleman was to allocate an outlandish sum of money to donate to this site (for example's sake, 1,000,000). If the donation was more than enough to last the site for a good while, would Elly pocket the extra money? Do the moderators get a salary? How is this handled?

**Note: I am not a well-to-do gentleman [ not yet ]

[Dj_Otaku]

Can we like get this sticky plskthx.

Dj_Otaku

[Anyee]

I have a question. Say a well-to-do gentleman was to allocate an outlandish sum of money to donate to this site (for example's sake, 1,000,000). If the donation was more than enough to last the site for a good while, would Elly pocket the extra money? Do the moderators get a salary? How is this handled?

**Note: I am not a well-to-do gentleman [ not yet ]

Elly would most likely keep it in the D2 Paypal account, which also serves as a bank account. She would not access the money herself unless given permission to do so. I have found the admins to be above reproach when it comes to monetary matters. Please trust me when I say the slow turnaround in Palness is not due to laziness, but due to other factors beyond everyone's control.