Crowdfunding the Osgrid.

Since a couple of weeks i have been assisting the Osgrid Administrator team. I was already organizing the Friday party’s since D&J went “off”, and with a lot of Developers and old time OSG icons like Nebadon shifting focus elsewhere, OSG really needed “extra hands”.  This as the current admins were truly loaded with their tasks, and like you and me, also have a “real life” to address.

So with a fresh team (Dan / Sarah / Jim / Albertlr  / Foxx) of admins we now try to improve those area’s that need some love and attention. The first thing on my "personal" agenda was “knowledge”.

When you ever installed your first simulator, you probably found it a real PITA , to get up to date and relevant into on how to achieve a working setup.  There are hunderds of guides, mostly very outdated, and often with contradicting info in them. So we setup a 7 week class, and documented all there is to learn on getting connected to Osgrid in the OSG wikipages. All of the info posted there, is double checked & verified by OSG administration.  The classes and writing of them took me around 36 hours, and i know of at least 8 residents that have been able to get their regions up and running without needing much further assistance other than the above documentation. I will make an effort to keep the info in the wiki up to speed and relevant. 

What we could really use help with is a team of people able and willing to translate this into their native language. If you’re interested in such (unpaid and fully voluntary) job, please feel free to contact me via FoxxBode at Osgrid.org

Now last meetings there has been a lot of talk about funding for Osgrid. As you might or might not know the whole grid solitary runs on donations. Many people contribute a monthly small amount, but the majority of our residents apparently does not, as OSG has little reserves. ( Read it this way : If donations would stop completely as of today, the grid would be down & gone within 3 months). 

Now Osgrid wants to remain “free of charge”. (I strongly believe in that formula too). However, we need to find ways to raise more funding, as currently we cannot expand nor survive a disaster like the one that happened last year. Now many people came up with all kinds of idea’s for funding, and so did I.

Red Dragon's  goal is to raise  $ 10.000 US$ with a personal crowd funding project. And yes, this is not a peanuts amount, but i like to think big and set high goals. Mind that with an active userbase of several thousands of people, this should really not be impossible. So, how do i plan to go about ?

A Group will be created in OSGrid. For example RDD (Red Dragon Donators). Or something. I will try to make a more catchy / sexy name, but mind I do this on a “Personal note”. As in, this whole idea, has nothing to do with Osgrid management, or my involvement as admin or whatever.
I’m just a user like you, that lives in this grid. My contributions to it, be it in time, know-how, music, or money, are voluntarily. All of it. So I did not ask nor get permission for this "project", and my goal for this is solitary focused on raising extra funds for improving / facilitating  the community & infrastructure in this grid.

So, if  you want to be part of this Group, you will have to donate  $100,- to Osgrid, and send me the paypal transaction ID. No RL names, no emails, just the paypal ID number of your transaction. The only thing i will do with it, is have the OSG secretary validate that this transaction ID was worth  $ 100,-. The name of the avatar dropping me the transaction ID, will be added to the Group. I will not see / receive/ get any of the payment details or info. I will only receive a yes or no answer to this question :  Did this transaction number raise the OSgrid funds with 100 $ or not  ?

  

There is room for 100 people max.  in this Group (And  If we would make it too 100 people, It's raised funds can keep the grid online for a whole extra year / buy hardware / advertise and make the grid more “known / or even “rent a dev” to get the unfixxable fixxed. etc. etc. )

Now i see you think $ 100,- WTF Foxx ? You think i grow money trees in my backyard ?

It’s not about the $ 100,-.  In fact, OSG is way more happy when you donate it 5$ every month. If  only 5 to 10% of the userbase would do this, this grid could run forever.  But i can’t start begging 110.000 individual users for a buck, so figured my above idea could be a "fast way" to bump-push funding. All crowdfund ideas i know of have some form of limitations, cost money, or require a huge organisation. The way i tried to set this up is 100% relevant for the grid, and the grid only.  There is nothing or nobody between you as donator, and the grid itself. And i appreciate   $100,- is a lot of money in, and especially in 1 time, but when i think back of my SL times, in which i shifted over € 300 Euro’s a month to LindenLabs & co, a 1 time $ 100,- donation to the place you live now, and being in this is feasible IMO. 

So $ 100,- it is.  We have 4 members already, so 96 to go. Mind that i will only add people that made a one time minimum $ 100, - donation. If you already donate 10$  every month, this is great ! Thank you. But you will no be in this Group. I want it to be “special”, and try to reach the target of 100 people, which would equal  $ 10.000,- in donations. Also i hope to reach the "i never donated in past 5 year people". You regular donators are already the core & heart of this grid, and no group would justify the gratefullness all of us should have because of your actions. 

Mind there is no personal gain whatshowever, no money being  transferred to my person or accounts.
You sponsor the grid, and all its users directly.  Your donation is also made to Osgrid directly, so it’s Tax deductable if your a US resident.  Even if you don't like me, you can still donate, the 100's of friends you have here will appreciate it, i'm sure. 

Now i see you think sooooo, what is the benefit of being in this Group ?

Well, for now, there is none yet. I still need to figure of an additional incentive to get you to pull the wallet.   And since you already can enjoy free parties, free land, free courses, free prims, & free techsupport, it’s likely going to be difficult to convince you of the need for donations, since you  already get all the stuff for free. I still need to further think about this. In any case there will be held an exclusive  VIP event for these members, for the rest no promises as yet.  

Don’t like the idea ?  More than your willing to spend in 1 go?  This is all fine, nobody is obliged to take part in this idea.  If you’re just willing to consider a donation of any kind, I will be already happy. As your donation, even if it is only a one time 5 $ as you simply cannot spend more, also keeps MY regions up and running. 

In an ideal World, above Group should not even need existence,  but it’s the best brainfart I could come up with on a personal title to help contribute & support the place we like to spend so much time in.
NB if you donate 100 $, but don't want your name listed in this group, don't send me the transaction ID. Just know we are thankful, and i'm quite sure i can state this on behalf of a great community of people.