Funding ideas wanted!!

As you may or may not know, the Temple of the Jedi Order is one of the biggest information and discussion resources on Jediism available on the internet. As such, it costs a fair amount to run. The site itself costs around $50 a month and while we gratefully accept donations from members, most of the time the majority of this cost is borne by Br.John alone.

We do not charge for our services, our training, or our advice. Training Knights/Masters and Clergy members give their time and effort for free. Any membership items sold cover the costs with only a minimal donation on top. As you can imagine, this leaves us with barely any revenue stream.

If you feel that you can afford even a few dollars to help out, then that is much appreciated. But please don't feel that this is compulsory - we will never force anyone into paying for their membership, either directly or through guilt-inspiring words.

What we do ask is for your ideas - if you think of any ways in which we can support the financial burden of the site, then please post them below or get in touch. You are all the lifeblood of this Order and any guidance you receive from the Force on this issue is welcome.

Just to remind you, we are a registered non-profit organisation. This means that any money we make is used for the upkeep of the site and to cover our operational costs. No-one (directors, clergy, members, etc) receives any money for the work that they do.

MTFBWY

Maybe you can get some kind of help from the Joseph Campbell Foundation?

Funding always has and probably will remain an issue.

If we 'sell' things/stuff - we run into issues relating to tax.

It would be nice (and you can all take this as a hint if you like) if all members donated a little something - look at it this way, you probably pay minimum £5 (or whatever in whatever currency) a month for your net access - let alone for tv subscriptions (cable, sat etc) as well as various telephone bills - howabout just £1 or dollar (etc) donation a month to totjo?

Anyone who uses this site regularly knows in their heart that its value for money - I know everyone has bills at home, kids to feed etc etc etc, and Im certainly not expecting our younger members to cough up either - but how much is (for example) a weeks worth of newspapers, a magazine, candy bars, beer - just think about it.

My point is this - and its been said time n again by others as well as myself in the past that if every active member donated just $1/£1 a month - this site wouldnt have any cash issues. He will hate me for saying this, but BrJohn has funded this sites server fees out of his own pocket on numerous occasions to keep the site available for all, so too have a few other members (we know who we are ) - hopwever, if everyone gave a little, youd be not only keeping a valued site running, but helping in its continued growth.

I know there are many projects in mind for totjo - but sadly, many will remain dreams simply due to lack of funds.

TOTJO is a non profit organisation so any 'spare cash' goes right back into development of the site (bigger, faster servers, more resources etc etc) - people talk about a physical temple - well it aint gonna grow outta the dirt like a weed - if you want it, you pay for it - and before a physical temple can happen, the web based temple has a lot of growing to (as in global recognition etc)

This isnt a rant, its written with a somewhat heavy heart because I for one know how much this place means to me as well as others and without proper support, one day it will vanish. Instead of being a taker, how about giving once in a while.

Are you or are you not Jedi - Think about it.

MTFBWY - A

I'll start donating. I can certainly afford some money every month. I'm not in a great position currently but I should have money around the end of September, early October.

But I have a funding idea. You should look into creating an Amazon Affiliate link. I regularly buy items from Amazon and I would have no problem clicking an affiliate link before purchasing.

Another idea I have (I'm not sure how plausible this might be), I would love to be able to purchase a necklace or something with the TOTJO symbol. Actually, we don't have anything like that, do we?

Ganner, there is a link in the left column to the TOTJO store... I forget waht all is there, but I plan on ordering a coffee cup soon.....

Strangely enough, I was considering looking into a TOTJO pendant a few months ago. I'll make enquiries and see what comes up!

MTFBWY

How about a Pot raffle? we trade raffle tickets for donations, and in a month or two, draw a winner. The winner receives a cash prize for their donation. One donation = One entry. Pot = whatever% of the donation pool.

My mom's Air Force unit did this to raise funds for their annual banquet. It worked out pretty well. Even with the dept treasurer watching them like a hawk, they said nothing about it because of how they carried it out.

How about putting some of the mugs and t-shirts on ebay? Start small and see how it goes. I dare say ebay gets one or two more hits a day than us!

1- store- online, with GREAT design , t-shirt, mugs or whatever (including this items also on ebay)
2- adds from adsense at the bottom of the modules (left and right) there are some addons for joomla, that work great
3- what about the adds on top?
4- footer adds
5- a pdf book ( the one Mark was pushing) or any other, can be sold.
6- monthly/year or life subscription, to a TOTJO service (must be to have a one on one training) or any other content that TOTJO can provide.

sometimes, you do more money, asking small amount from lot of people, than big amount from not too much people

if help is needed to improve, or handle any of this, let me know

I have some concerns about charging a monthly subscription. Many of our members are young, without their own income. I believe we would lose many members if we did this and it really would a shame.