WOW!!! Dokuga supporters are the BEST IN THE WORLD!

We have now raised enough to pay our hosting SEVEN MONTHS IN ADVANCE, which I did today. Here are the latest figures:

$1442.96 - balance forward
+ 835.00 - gross donations
- 3.28 - fees
$2274.68 - total donations cleared in PayPal account
-1,638.00 - 7 months hosting at $234/month, our current level
$ 636.68 - current PayPal balance
+ 148.32 - donations pending clearance
$ 785.00 - total funds left after paying hosting company

Is this AWESOME, or WHAT???

The list of Ongoing Supporters has been updated with the most recent donor names. If you don't see your name there, PLEASE LET ME KNOW! I do not want to overlook ANYONE! Check out "AND THE SUPPORT CONTINUES" on the Supporters page: http://www.dokuga.com/supporters

Yes, I am again abusing the capital letters, and the punctuation, but I am extremely excited about how beautifully this community has come together to fund our 'fan fiction addiction,' as I've heard it called.

Our hosting is now paid to August 15, 2011. The remaining funds will be used to ensure that our chat program is paid when it comes due, as well as setting some aside for possible programmer costs, if needed.

As far as the hosting is concerned, again, I have still been researching our options. I still have yet to find a way to move to a different hosting company, even if we were to find hosting at a similar or lower cost. There are more possibilities that I will be looking into but, for now, we will be staying with LiquidWeb, at our current hosting level. Obviously, we've had very little downtime, and very few server-caused issues, if any. Overall, LiquidWeb has done well for us and I am comfortable staying with them as long as we can.

As always, if anyone has any questions about the figures, the hosting, or anything pertaining to the maintenance of the site, please don't hesitate to contact me!!

~~Wiccan~~

Its great!! Site will be ok till August. So, if we start talking about donation at the end of June, we most probably will have enough to cover another 7 months plus some extra which can be helpful in maintaining the site. IF I understand correctly, donations are still ongoing and will be open all the time?

Absolutely!!

Never let it be said that we turned down assistance in any way, shape, or form! Yes, we will continue to accept donations with the UTMOST gratitude!

Again, as always, DOKUGA ROCKS!!!!!

~~Wiccan~~

Question:

I don't know if this has been addressed before, but might it be a good idea to put a Paypal donation button on the homepage? It would make things easier for people who don't visit the forums to know that the site is in need of help.

Maybe we can even get someone to do arts for it...like, give a lil preview for the art, then if you want the full thing, donate as little as a dollar or something? Maybe a wallpaper? I dunno...

Just an idea...

I think we should stay with LiquidWeb as long as we can because they have been so trouble-free for us. With our site-mechanic away, we need to keep things as stable as possible cuz nobody knows the code on Dokuga like Miss K does. She's the one who enabled Dokuga and the Spark Archive to co-exist in peace - proof of her awesomesauce status!

Something that occurred to me while reading your fundraising update is: we should have a contingency fund too. I live in a condo complex that is extremely well-run financially. They have always maintained a contingency fund because you just don't know what might come up - and it enabled us to have new roads built throughout the complex without a special assessment! Just something more to think about because you have so much free time, Wiccan.

Yay! I'm very excited to hear that we are safe until at least August. I'm positive that by the time August actually does come around, we'll have the funds we need to still keep it running! I love that we are such a close community, willing to chip in and help the site during troubles like these. I'm proud to be a Dokugan! May the support keep coming and may the site keep on running!!

& sakuramaru;

To answer your question, I believe contribution plans are still being arranged as well as a paypal button on the main page, but don't quote me on it since I can't be positive. I only know that I've read those good suggestions before. But in the meantime, someone did set up a Dokuga account on Etsy to sell handmade items in an effort to support the site. When I checked earlier today, there was a bookmark and a pair of earrings for sale, both of them Dokuga inspired of course.

Here's the link so you can take a look:

www.etsy.com/shop/dokuga

Rowdys girl wrote:
Something that occurred to me while reading your fundraising update is: we should have a contingency fund too. I live in a condo complex that is extremely well-run financially. They have always maintained a contingency fund because you just don't know what might come up - and it enabled us to have new roads built throughout the complex without a special assessment! Just something more to think about because you have so much free time, Wiccan.

Contingencies are exactly what our current fund balance is being held for. That's why I only paid the hosting 7 months ahead... so that we'd have something in reserve for any emergencies. If it's not needed for that, in the intervening months, then it makes the perfect jumpstart to further fundraising efforts in July. My goal is to ALWAYS have a nice pad in reserve for those little "glitches" that like to pop up out of nowhere!

As always, my dear Rowdy, great minds think alike, eh? *snerk* Like my poor brain can even keep up with your AWESOMENESS? Hah! I think not!!

~~me~~

Sakuramaru wrote:
Question:

I don't know if this has been addressed before, but might it be a good idea to put a Paypal donation button on the homepage? It would make things easier for people who don't visit the forums to know that the site is in need of help.

Maybe we can even get someone to do arts for it...like, give a lil preview for the art, then if you want the full thing, donate as little as a dollar or something? Maybe a wallpaper? I dunno...

Just an idea...

Eventually, when we know more about the site coding and how to stick stuff all over the home page, the plan is to have a donation button there. Right now, however, PayPal will deduct fees from every donation if I use their buttons. Oh, sure, they are "nominal," but at the moment, every penny counts for us, so the fewer fees are deducted, the more of the donation actually goes to the site. When we get to a comfort zone, we will look at calling this a "charity fundraiser" or something similar on PayPal.

As for the arts... people are already donating arts, stories, and other things for those who have given so generously. Priestess Skye is in charge of coordinating those things. If anyone who hasn't already contacted her has any arts or stories they'd like to donate, give Skye a holler!

Hope this helps answer your questions!

~~Wiccan~~

Aurora Antheia Raine wrote:
...someone did set up a Dokuga account on Etsy to sell handmade items in an effort to support the site. When I checked earlier today, there was a bookmark and a pair of earrings for sale, both of them Dokuga inspired of course.

Here's the link so you can take a look:

www.etsy.com/shop/dokuga

Thanks for plugging the Etsy site!!! Our 'crafty' Dokugians are hard at work making neat stuff to support the site, so let's support them when we can, 'k?

As always, DOKUGA ROCKS!!

~~Wiccan~~

I'm not on the list!

I feel so neglected and un-loved!!!!







I'm really not on the list though!

Mistress Sianna wrote:
I'm not on the list!

I feel so neglected and un-loved!!!!







I'm really not on the list though!

YOU ARE NOW!!!!!!!

I'm so sorry, sweetheart... forgive me???

~~Wiccan~~

WiccanMethuselah wrote:
YOU ARE NOW!!!!!!!

I'm so sorry, sweetheart... forgive me???

~~Wiccan~~

lol!! You know I do! *huggles*

Ah, speaking of supporting the site... how do I get one of those totally awesome supporter banners I've seen on some people's profiles? =)

Aurora Antheia Raine wrote:
Ah, speaking of supporting the site... how do I get one of those totally awesome supporter banners I've seen on some people's profiles? =)

Our banner maker has been severely tasked lately with so many supporter banners and awards coming up, so please be patient. It will arrive in your profile as soon as it's ready!

~~Wiccan~~

No rush at all, Wiccan. I was just curious as to how I would go about getting one. lol. I wasn't sure if it was something just available for the people who donated within the first 24 hours or what. ( Can you tell it's my first time donating to the site? xD )

Aurora Antheia Raine wrote:
No rush at all, Wiccan. I was just curious as to how I would go about getting one. lol. I wasn't sure if it was something just available for the people who donated within the first 24 hours or what. ( Can you tell it's my first time donating to the site? xD )

LOL! I know how that feels! It was my first time donating to anything.. ever(That I can think of). I didn't even know we got banners for donating, I thought it was a request kinda thing... lol!

=#=War=#=

As always, my dear Rowdy, great minds think alike, eh? *snerk* Like my poor brain can even keep up with your AWESOMENESS? Hah! I think not!!

~~me~~[/quote]

My dearest Wiccan, I sincerely hope that your brain is working far better than mine! The radiation has taken a toll on the poor cells: I forget what I'm talking about in the middle of a sentence; somebody put my fingers on backwards when I type; I can sit for hours just staring (I think I am actually asleep with my eyes open)... I am so glad that r0o has custody of my brain.

Rowdys girl wrote:
My dearest Wiccan, I sincerely hope that your brain is working far better than mine! The radiation has taken a toll on the poor cells: I forget what I'm talking about in the middle of a sentence; somebody put my fingers on backwards when I type; I can sit for hours just staring (I think I am actually asleep with my eyes open)... I am so glad that r0o has custody of my brain.

Awww, poor Rowdy!! Wait... *I* have those same symptoms, but I'm not undergoing radiation! Whoa... freaky. Mine is most likely just senility setting in.

I wish r0o had custody of MY brain! Iz jealous!!!

~~me~~

But Rowdy! Did you forget?! I claimed custody of your left frontal lobe sometime ago.. ( sniffles) I even kept in a jar and named in Hermie.

XD

LadySafire

Squee! Keep up the great fantastical work everyone. Dokuga luffs juu!

What a fantastic, wonderful, amazing , GENEROUS community we have here! This place is truly special!