2019 PoA site operations fundraiser - help keep PoA running (and free!)

Discussion in 'Site Feedback and Support' started by jason, Jan 15, 2019.

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  1. jason

    jason Administrator Management Council Member PoA Supporter

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    In April of 2017, we had a stated goal of collecting around two years worth of operating expenses to run this site. And we almost made it two years off of the last round of fundraising. That said, we're going to open up a fundraising period again and we humbly ask you to consider donating to help fund the operation of Pilots of America.

    Some background: PoA is a nonprofit organization. Not a 501(c)3, but rather a state registered nonprofit. Nobody on the MC takes money for their work on this site. And I receive no compensation for my work on the infrastructure.

    It costs us around $100/mo for the AWS resources necessary to keep the site running and backed up.

    We would like to raise about two years worth of operating expenses. In addition, we need to raise enough to fund the renewal of the core software and some expenses related to registering the nonprofit organization with various government agencies (no political opinion stated and no political responses necessary :) ).

    If you'd like to sport a fancy PoA Supporter badge like mine, we would very much appreciate a donation. Since we don't always ask for donations on an annual basis, I've changed around a couple of the levels to allow for more extended PoA Supporter status at higher donation tiers.

    We expect to have some big news about our legal status as an organization in the coming months. Nothing will change regarding our nonprofit status, we just expect that status to be enhanced. Our end goal is to make PoA a great resource for pilots (and aviation in general) for generations to come.

    Thanks!

    Jason (on behalf of the PoA Management Council)

    Click here to find the upgrades page... https://www.pilotsofamerica.com/community/account/upgrades
     
    jason, Jan 15, 2019
    #1
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  2. jason

    jason Administrator Management Council Member PoA Supporter

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    If you'd like to donate more than $100, please let me know and I can add a custom donation tier. :yes:

    (Or you could just donate to one or more levels multiple times)
     
    jason, Jan 15, 2019
    #2
  3. eman1200

    eman1200 Touchdown! Greaser! PoA Supporter

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    I donated but u can keep ur banner. someone should be able to give $1 or $20.
     
    eman1200, Jan 15, 2019
    #3
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  4. jason

    jason Administrator Management Council Member PoA Supporter

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    Thank you for you donation!

    PayPal takes the first $.30. While we're thankful for anything, the fees involved in processing that certainly lessen the impact of the donation. If somebody would like to donate less than $20 they can PM me. I'll send the email address for the PoA PayPal account and they can just send money directly to it.
     
    jason, Jan 15, 2019
    #4
  5. frfly172

    frfly172 Touchdown! Greaser! PoA Supporter

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    How long Will site be up for donations? As I’m in Australia,and would feel more comfortable ,donating on my return ,to the states
     
    frfly172, Jan 15, 2019
    #5
  6. jason

    jason Administrator Management Council Member PoA Supporter

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    Probably for at least a week. Maybe two? Donations are processed by PayPal if that makes it any easier. No credit cards are entered (or touch our site).
     
    jason, Jan 15, 2019
    #6
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  7. Lance F

    Lance F Pattern Altitude PoA Supporter

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    I don’t need a banner, but if I give a hundred bucks can I sponsor August? It’s my birthday month.
     
    Lance F, Jan 15, 2019
    #7
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  8. timwinters

    timwinters Ejection Handle Pulled PoA Supporter

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    A smart NFP would have done this in December...not January!

    :cool:

    But I gave anyway...
     
    timwinters, Jan 15, 2019
    #8
  9. Tom-D

    Tom-D Taxi to Parking PoA Supporter

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    Proper E-Mail address please.
     
    Tom-D, Jan 15, 2019
    #9
  10. SkyDog58

    SkyDog58 Ejection Handle Pulled PoA Supporter

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    Old dog w/o new tricks
    Worthwhile cause. I'm going to have to see if my PayPal account still works. I haven't used it in several years and I know that the cards associated with it are no longer valid.
     
    SkyDog58, Jan 15, 2019
    #10
  11. Velocity173

    Velocity173 Final Approach PoA Supporter

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    The banner should have colors that reflect the amount donated. Like a status symbol. Separates the cheapskates from the high rollers.
     
    Velocity173, Jan 15, 2019
    #11
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  12. Ryanb

    Ryanb Final Approach PoA Supporter

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    Agree.
     
    Ryanb, Jan 15, 2019
    #12
  13. Ravioli

    Ravioli Final Approach PoA Supporter

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    Or a sticky showing the donors from high to low.

    The mods give with their time... probably worth more than any of us give in cash.

    I won't be giving as much this funding round as I did the last round. Would that I could.
     
    Ravioli, Jan 15, 2019
    #13
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  14. Ryanb

    Ryanb Final Approach PoA Supporter

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    I’ll give what I can. I enjoy the board, so I’m happy to help contribute.
     
    Ryanb, Jan 15, 2019
    #14
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  15. tspear

    tspear Pattern Altitude PoA Supporter

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    I did not have PayPal dagnabit. Now to find out if my wife still has hers.

    Sent from my SM-J737T using Tapatalk
     
    tspear, Jan 15, 2019
    #15
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  16. simtech

    simtech Pattern Altitude PoA Supporter

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    Ive never contributed before and since I spend alot of time on here I figured id give my part back.
     
    simtech, Jan 15, 2019
    #16
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  17. MIFlyer

    MIFlyer Line Up and Wait PoA Supporter

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    this site has saved me way more than it cost, let alone my enjoyment
     
    MIFlyer, Jan 15, 2019
    #17
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  18. eman1200

    eman1200 Touchdown! Greaser! PoA Supporter

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    oh I only gave $20 but that's because a buck three eighty wasn't an option.
     
    eman1200, Jan 15, 2019
    #18
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  19. Let'sgoflying!

    Let'sgoflying! Touchdown! Greaser! PoA Supporter

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    I'll give x unless you can guarantee 2 more years of pointless heated banter between the mechanics, then I'll give 2x.
     
    Let'sgoflying!, Jan 15, 2019
    #19
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  20. timwinters

    timwinters Ejection Handle Pulled PoA Supporter

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    I gave 50¢ for every day I was banned in 2018 for making random benign jokes. I figured it was the least I could do.

    :cool:
     
    timwinters, Jan 16, 2019
    #20
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  21. SkyDog58

    SkyDog58 Ejection Handle Pulled PoA Supporter

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    Old dog w/o new tricks
    Heck, I might even pay for a banner that actually says “Cheapskate”.
     
    SkyDog58, Jan 16, 2019
    #21
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  22. SkyDog58

    SkyDog58 Ejection Handle Pulled PoA Supporter

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    Old dog w/o new tricks
    Or between the ATP and the freshly minted PP.
     
    SkyDog58, Jan 16, 2019
    #22
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  23. timwinters

    timwinters Ejection Handle Pulled PoA Supporter

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    Dumbest ****** idea evah!

    Banners are stoopid. Gradated banners would be more idiotic yet.

    This ain't kinnygarden.

    But if it was, here are some ideas for you all.

    CC87C91C-0A93-4297-A89D-CC606DC73C1F.png

    ...

    F34FB3A6-15CD-4131-9C0C-567D67FFF66C.jpeg

    ...

    A81237A4-3474-4854-A150-3C08DD0FD776.jpeg
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2019
    timwinters, Jan 16, 2019
    #23
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  24. Cluemeister

    Cluemeister Pre-takeoff checklist PoA Supporter

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    Choose "pay with a credit card" instead of logging into PayPal.
     
    Cluemeister, Jan 16, 2019
    #24
  25. jason

    jason Administrator Management Council Member PoA Supporter

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    What do you mean, Tom?
     
    jason, Jan 16, 2019
    #25
  26. jason

    jason Administrator Management Council Member PoA Supporter

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    Calm down, Tim. Nobody asked for a banner. It's a cheap (free) and fun way for us to thank those that have supported the site.

    Thank you for giving!
     
    jason, Jan 16, 2019
    #26
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  27. tspear

    tspear Pattern Altitude PoA Supporter

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    Done.
     
    tspear, Jan 16, 2019
    #27
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  28. timwinters

    timwinters Ejection Handle Pulled PoA Supporter

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    I was just being my typical smart*assed* self. I'm perfectly calm!

    The current banners are okay but they give some here a reason to look down on others (something pilots excel at). It's happened before, albeit rarely, a statement is made that someone doesn't get to have an opinion because they have no banner.

    And gradated banners for the purpose of separating "the high rollers from the cheapskates" would provide just another tool for the arrogant here to look down their royal noses at others.

    Just sayin'

    LOL at my new banner! :cool:

    (BTW...I should be the leading contender here for the kindness award that I posted above!)

    If even a moderate percentage of the regulars here gave $20, you guys would have ample funds to keep it running for a while. Come on folks!
     
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2019
    timwinters, Jan 16, 2019
    #28
  29. CC268

    CC268 Final Approach I ♥ Banners

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    Hahahaha love Tims banner that’s great
     
    CC268, Jan 16, 2019
    #29
  30. Bill Jennings

    Bill Jennings Touchdown! Greaser! PoA Supporter

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    He does look good in red.
     
    Bill Jennings, Jan 16, 2019
    #30
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  31. Mtns2Skies

    Mtns2Skies Super Moderator Management Council Member PoA Supporter

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    Tim - we have no intention of implementing a graduated system of banners. Except for the fact that it riles you up, there is no benefit to it. Okay, well riling you up is a BIG benefit.

    We hope that members donate out of the goodness of their hearts and because they genuinely appreciate the board for its content, and not to have superiority because of a small, overlooked banner. I'm also certain everyone donating could not care less about the banner, but it's our small (small),way to say thanks for donating.
     
    Mtns2Skies, Jan 16, 2019
    #31
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  32. CC268

    CC268 Final Approach I ♥ Banners

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    I might donate just to get the banner so I can look down upon the peasants :p

    Just kidding.
     
    CC268, Jan 16, 2019
    #32
  33. mkosmo

    mkosmo Pattern Altitude PoA Supporter

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    Holy cow. What, is it just EC2+RDS running the site? Not the most cost effective way to use AWS ;-)
     
    mkosmo, Jan 16, 2019
    #33
  34. jason

    jason Administrator Management Council Member PoA Supporter

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    $21/mo for a reserved instance t2.medium
    $25(ish)/mo for the related block storage (AMIs, instance and EBS snapshots, EBS for backups, etc.)
    $30(ish)/mo for bandwidth
    $3-5/mo for Route53
    +Cloudwatch
    +Config
    +SES
    +GuardDuty
    +<a smattering of other things>

    It all adds up. That's the beauty of the AWS business model. :D

    I'm not even using RDS (yet). Been thinking of trying out serverless Aurora for elasticity. We use very few resources off hours.

    It could obviously be done differently. I could be utilizing spot instances, etc. Hell, I'd love to weave in Cloudfront. To date, I've prioritized *extreme* simplicity over saving a few bucks here and there. The more complicated we get the shallower the pool of people that could step in if I get hit by the proverbial bus.

    If you have ideas, I'm all ears. Shoot me a PM.
     
    jason, Jan 16, 2019
    #34
  35. jason

    jason Administrator Management Council Member PoA Supporter

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    I think we can agree that, if that is happening, the banners are not the issue.
    :D
     
    jason, Jan 16, 2019
    #35
  36. mkosmo

    mkosmo Pattern Altitude PoA Supporter

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    Not so bad, then. Have you actually seen any value in GuardDuty? We've been fighting among ourselves about the value (or lack thereof) of trying to shim a traditional IPS in to the AWS network model, and GuardDuty would seem to provide some of that function, even though we can't use our own intelligence sources. Then again, being limited to what effectively looks like reputation-based lists (IP/domain) seems a bit low in the value-add department for the price.

    [semi-coherent ramble]
    My only thought for costs savings would be to investigate some of the purpose-built VPS hosts. AWS/Azure/etc just don't make financial sense when all you're doing is VPS/IaaS colocation. They absolutely shine when you're taking advantage of the P/SaaS options in conjunction with or replacing IaaS, though! The big disadvantage to the purpose VPS hosts is that it wouldn't be one-stop shopping anymore, leading to more complicated administration and maintenance of supporting and supported resources, fostering additional risk to the service, of course. Since I'm still a few pots of coffee away from fully functional this morning, I could probably convince myself back and forth on this one a few more times.
    [/semi-coherent ramble]

    P.S. I have no gripes with how you're doing it, more curious than anything. The site's never down when I bother to check in, and the community clearly feels the same since you can collect a couple of years worth of funding in a couple of months!
     
    mkosmo, Jan 16, 2019
    #36
  37. Tom-D

    Tom-D Taxi to Parking PoA Supporter

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    PayPal requires an e-mail address, which one do I send the cash too?
     
    Tom-D, Jan 16, 2019
    #37
  38. X3 Skier

    X3 Skier En-Route PoA Supporter

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    Glad to support. I need a HUGE banner for my plane.

    Cheers
     
    X3 Skier, Jan 16, 2019
    #38
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  39. Mtns2Skies

    Mtns2Skies Super Moderator Management Council Member PoA Supporter

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    h8r8w6bokfp11.jpg
     
    Mtns2Skies, Jan 16, 2019
    #39
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  40. Tom-D

    Tom-D Taxi to Parking PoA Supporter

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    OK. Dumbass figured it out.
    you're welcome.
    50 bucks figures out to be .00168073 cents per post. :)
     
    Tom-D, Jan 16, 2019
    #40
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