Talk Budgies 2nd Annual Donation Drive

[Dave]

Talk Budgies is the largest forum for budgie owners on the Internet today. That size comes at a cost. Currently, we pay $720 per year to keep this site (as well as TC and TP) up and running. This doesn't include domain name costs, which are just under $30/year.

As we've experienced these past couple of weeks though, the phrase "up and running" doesn't necessarily mean the website will run at the speed it should. When we first upgraded our hosting package a little over a year ago, the plan I chose fit our needs rather well. However, due the huge price increase I was forced to hold a donation drive to help pay for the costs. (We went from $95/year to $720/year.)

Well, we're experiencing the same thing this year as well. We have outgrown our current hosting package again. But it's not space or bandwidth we're running out of; it's memory. We are allotted a certain amount of memory. If we exceed it, everything slows down. Think of it like your computer at home. You have a limited amount of memory. If you open too many programs at one time, the entire computer slows down. This is what's happening with us. We are using too much memory, and as a result our site slows down as we've all experienced recently.

To correct this, we must upgrade our account again. The cost per year for the upgraded package is $962. That might seem like a lot, but think about it like this: we went from paying $95/year to $720/year ($625 difference). Now we're going from $720/year to $962/year ($242 difference). The difference is much less. To make things even easier, we raised more than enough money last year, and we've had donations coming in throughout the rest of the year, so we only need to raise about $700. That's $50 less than last year's goal!

The donation information page (http://talkbudgies.com/donations.php) is still available to read if you want to know how your money is going to be spent. Of course I've updated the page to reflect this year's changes as opposed to last year's changes. If you have any questions on what's included on that page, let me know.

As I did last year, I will be putting up a donation progress bar in the next couple of days so everyone can track our progress. It will be displayed at the top of the page.

To donate, click the Donate link at the top of any page!

Thanks in advance for any and all donations received. Remember, every little bit helps!

Donation information page (http://talkbudgies.com/donations.php)

Donate now! (http://talkbudgies.com/misc.php?do=donate)

[helloyo53]

I will have to see if I can convince my mom to let me donate. It didn't work last year, but since buying something off the net a few weeks ago, perhaps this time will be different...

[Budgiekin]

I've just made my donation for this year Dave. :)

Come on everyone! Talk Budgies needs your help! We reached our goal last time so let's do it again... ;)

[JustJayde]

When do we need to donate by? Can I donate around the end of May?

[Ambisense]

I cannot donate until mid-May (after my move).

[clifff123]

On its way !

[Bethany]

I'll try to talk to my parents, I couldn't donate last year either.
I hope we can reach the goal though!

[Dave]

Well last year we reached the goal within a couple of weeks. Let's see if we can do that again. But there is no "deadline" for donating. We accept donations all year round. ;)

[Asily]

I get paid next Thursday, so I should be able to donate by than :)

[BeckiC]

I'll talk to my parents, but I doubt they'll agree. Hope we get there though!

[evsrin]

I just sent $5.:)

C'mon everyone, let's help out! I thought it would be a cool idea to give 1 cent for every post you have... but the minimun donation is $5 so that doesn't work for some of us newbies. :p

[helloyo53]

I just sent $5.:)

C'mon everyone, let's help out! I thought it would be a cool idea to give 1 cent for every post you have... but the minimun donation is $5 so that doesn't work for some of us newbies. :p

We could make it a dollar for every post, although some people would really have to pay up. :p

[evsrin]

We could make it a dollar for every post, although some people would really have to pay up. :p

That's why I thought 1 cent was a little more fair and realistic. :) I think it's fair for people to donate based on how much they use the site!

[AngelWings]

I'll ask my mom as well. She has issues with me involving money and the internet :rolleyes:

[Dave]

I like the 1 cent per post idea. Would never enforce it though, unless I wanted to kill the site. :P

But Brandon, since you mentioned $1 per post, your donation of around $5,400 is graciously accepted. :) (That's USD by the way. ;))

[louara]

I like the 1 cent per post idea. Would never enforce it though, unless I wanted to kill the site. :P

But Brandon, since you mentioned $1 per post, your donation of around $5,400 is graciously accepted. :) (That's USD by the way. ;))

The Canadian dollar is strong right now, the rate of exchange today is 1.01730. So 5400 USD converts to 5493.42 CAD-not too bad a deal Brandon. You should send that cheque in before the rates change again:p

btw my donation is on the way-just waiting for payday.

[JustJayde]

hahahahaha omg @ dollar per post and owing a few grand. Good stuff.

[Speedy]

*faint*
$ per post would floor me! :P
hehehe

[helloyo53]

Oh, I can donate that-as soon as I get my paycheque DAVE! :p

But in all seriousness, I will be asking my mom today if I can donate to here. We can use credit cards right? It doesn't have to just be PayPal?

[Dave]

Oh, I can donate that-as soon as I get my paycheque DAVE! :p

But in all seriousness, I will be asking my mom today if I can donate to here. We can use credit cards right? It doesn't have to just be PayPal?
Well you'd use your credit card through Paypal. The advantage of that is that I don't ever receive your credit card information so it's more secure for your parents. (Not that you can't trust me. :P) And you don't need a Paypal account to use Paypal.

I personally cannot process credit cards (but it would be cool), so don't send your CC information to me. :P

[Dave]

A big thanks to those who have donated so far. Non-staff donors have been added to our donor usergroup. :D

[MelF]

Paypal is the best. If a site doesn't accept it, I start looking elsewhere.

I just donated, but not much. You can send multiple donations right?

[skythrutrees]

I'm in. I just sent it. Thanks Dave for creating this place! It's awesome!

[Dave]

Paypal is the best. If a site doesn't accept it, I start looking elsewhere.

I just donated, but not much. You can send multiple donations right?
Yes, multiple donations are accepted. :) Thanks!
I'm in. I just sent it. Thanks Dave for creating this place! It's awesome!Thank YOU! :D

[evsrin]

Oh, I can donate that-as soon as I get my paycheque DAVE! :p

But in all seriousness, I will be asking my mom today if I can donate to here. We can use credit cards right? It doesn't have to just be PayPal?

Paypal is VERY safe and I've been using it for at least 5 years. You should help you parent's look into it, most of the time it's actually safer to use that then directly pay for something on a website.:D

[evsrin]

Awww Dave, I have golden wings! Is that because I donated? Yippy!!!

[evsrin]

PS- I don't think I'd donate to other boards... I'm just really partial to this one;)

[Dave]

Awww Dave, I have golden wings! Is that because I donated? Yippy!!!
Yes, you earned them! :)
PS- I don't think I'd donate to other boards... I'm just really partial to this one;)
Thank you! I appreciate that. :)

[JNR]

Just sent my donation :)

[Dave]

Thank you! :D

[JNR]

Glad to help :)

[Dave]

We're a quarter of the way there. Good job everyone! Let's keep it going. :D

[clifff123]

Ah I didn't get my gold wings??

[Dave]

You don't like your pink (red) wings Cliff? :P

[teasha]

I couldn't donate as much as I wanted, but it's something. After all I use this site alot. :)

[Cassidy]

im hopefully sending one in soon!

[michiyoLove]

Can't help at all, we're pretty tight on money, plus I only got $.58 to my name :p

[Budgerigarluv]

I'll try and donate! But I don't have much, I spend all but a few dollars on my new bird cage. :)

[Cassidy]

im trying to donate but my computer is spazzing (i will for sure donate though :) )

[Cassidy]

i just donated :D under Charlene :)

[Dave]

Thanks, I got it. Will add you now. :)

[Cassidy]

yay i love my golden wings!

[kevncaz]

hi , weve sent some in on paypal , will try and send some more later on in if we can
we dont post much but find tb a fantastic site

xx kev n caz xx

[Dave]

Thanks for your donation kevncaz! :D

[Budgerigarluv]

I'll try to send some, Dave! :)
Ask mum soon.

[clifff123]

I'm gonna hold my breath until I get GOLD WINGS. Cliff breaths in real hard!:speechless-smiley-0:1zhelp:

[helloyo53]

I'm gonna hold my breath until I get GOLD WINGS. Cliff breaths in real hard!:speechless-smiley-0:1zhelp:

Cliff, you'll turn into a Smurf!

[AngelWings]

LOL Bran, i think turning into a Smurf is the least of his problems. Come on Cliff, Breath! ;)

[aka.pody]

Will I be able to choose which wings I want? I like my MOTM wings but I also dig the gold wings. :cool:

[Dave]

Will I be able to choose which wings I want? I like my MOTM wings but I also dig the gold wings. :cool:
Let me know which ones you want and I'll make the adjustment.

[aka.pody]

Thank you Dave. ;) I sent in my donation but I still can't decide what wings I want. So I guess I'll go for the Solid Gold. Thanks.

[AngelWings]

but.. but... arlene! it's the special motm wings you're switching out of :eek:

[Dave]

Thank you Dave. ;) I sent in my donation but I still can't decide what wings I want. So I guess I'll go for the Solid Gold. Thanks.
They're solid gold now. If you want them changed back, just let me know.

Thanks for the donation! :D

[aka.pody]

Will I be able to choose which wings I want? I like my MOTM wings but I also dig the gold wings. :cool:

Let me know which ones you want and I'll make the adjustment.

They're solid gold now. If you want them changed back, just let me know.

Thanks for the donation! :D

You're welcome and it was my pleasure to finally be able to contribute. I'll bet you never dreamed when you started this site that it would be as popular as it is. Do you have any idea how many friendships have formed through TB?

Oh and btw, may I have my MOTM wings back? :o

[AngelWings]

LOL i knew you'd want the motm wings back :p I miss mine as well. . .

[aka.pody]

LOL i knew you'd want the motm wings back :p I miss mine as well. . .

You made me realize how special they are to me. ;)

[Dave]

You're welcome and it was my pleasure to finally be able to contribute. I'll bet you never dreamed when you started this site that it would be as popular as it is. Do you have any idea how many friendships have formed through TB?

Oh and btw, may I have my MOTM wings back? :o
Exactly. Had I known we'd get as popular as we are, I would've started saving earlier for these large expenses. :P As you said though, the plus side is that many friendships have been created because of TB.

[aka.pody]

Dave, may I have my MOTM wings back. Sorry to be a bother. :o
They are both special but if I can only have one I'd like the MOTM wings.
Thanks bunches. :)

[Dave]

Dave, may I have my MOTM wings back. Sorry to be a bother. :o
They are both special but if I can only have one I'd like the MOTM wings.
Thanks bunches. :)
Sorry, I was in class when I was posting earlier. :P

Your MOTM wings are back. You might have to wait a few minutes for it to update again.

[Cassidy]

maybe if people are torn (like aka pody) one wing can be the firey and one gold??

[aka.pody]

Sorry, I was in class when I was posting earlier. :P

Your MOTM wings are back. You might have to wait a few minutes for it to update again.

Thank you Dave. You're a doll. ;)

maybe if people are torn (like aka pody) one wing can be the firey and one gold??

Sort of like a half-sider budgie, right Cassidy?

[Birdmanca]

I like to look at all these photos of peoples birds. After a hectic day, this site relaxes me and I enjoy it.

[Cassidy]

yeppp :) what do you think Dave?

[Dave]

yeppp :) what do you think Dave?
About what?

[Cassidy]

about if they cant decide on the wings they could have one gold and one motm (like aka pody)

[Dave]

I think it would look strange. :P

[Cassidy]

lol!! it was just a thought

[A Flock Of Budgies]

I can't until at least the end of May, because I have a nice $800 bill to pay for my hospital stay. :mad: :mad: :mad:

[Budgerigarluv]

sorry, cant afford it, gonna get some rope perches soon.

[mike_art03a]

Dave, out of curiousity, which host do you use? (Yes, I'm back!) I run a small server farm myself and I probably could help you offload some of the excess load from here in terms of file storage or even generic hosting.

[Rebeccaveggie]

Dave, I wish I could help but my parents don't trust the internet, (or me), with money. Sorry. I wish you the best of luck in reaching your goal. This site has become my home away from home. :P

[Dave]

That's alright. :)

We've received some more donations, and we're close to being halfway there! :D Thanks to everyone who has donated thus far.

[BUUZBEE]

Donated :)

[Dave]

Thank you for your generous donation Anna! It's appreciated. :thumbsup:

[Dave]

Almost halfway there! Good job everyone. :D

[Budgerigarluv]

I'm sorry, Dave, but I can't donate. :(
Congratulations on getting this far, though! :)

[Dave]

It's alright. :) We're doing well and I think we'll achieve our goal as we did last year.

[legry]

First I'll have to ask my mum if I can put some money in my paypal account then there's the wait for the money to actually get there.

[Dave]

We're just under a month until renewal. Let's see if we can do it! :D

[louara]

Wow! We are halfway there:) Let's keep on going!

[Robin23]

Hi Dave, I'd really like to donate but I don't use Paypal. Any way you can set it up so we can use Amazon Payments as well?

[Dave]

Hi Dave, I'd really like to donate but I don't use Paypal. Any way you can set it up so we can use Amazon Payments as well?
You could, but there's no way for me to pay our host with Amazon Payments. Unless there's a way to transfer funds that I don't know about?

[tweetme]

I just donated. Thanks for maintaining this site. I know I'm not very active on here, but I do enjoy it when I'm here and I wish the site much success and I hope it's around for many years to come.

[Dave]

I just donated. Thanks for maintaining this site. I know I'm not very active on here, but I do enjoy it when I'm here and I wish the site much success and I hope it's around for many years to come.
Thank you. :) Received and confirmed.

[Robin23]

You could, but there's no way for me to pay our host with Amazon Payments. Unless there's a way to transfer funds that I don't know about?

Hrm. I wish I knew more about it. Is there any other way for me to donate, besides Paypal?

[Dave]

Paypal is really the only way. Unless there's a way to transfer funds to Paypal, it has be done through Paypal.

[legry]

Donated =)

[Dave]

Thank you. :)

[Budgerigarluv]

Looks like your doing well, Dave! :thumbsup:

[Dave]

Looks like your doing well, Dave! :thumbsup:
Yes, donations have seemed to pick up again the past couple days. Let's keep it going everyone. :thumbsup:

[MelF]

Sent my second donation.

[Dave]

Sent my second donation.
Thank you, again! :D We're almost two-thirds of the way there everyone!

[Dave]

We're getting closer. We might just make it! :)

[MelF]

Hey Dave, when does the goal have to be in?

[Dave]

Toward the end of the month. If we don't raise enough, I'll front the money to get us paid up. Don't worry. ;) It would nice to meet the goal though obviously.