Donations towards cost of maintaining the Owner's ORG 2026

[VladTepes]

Hello all,

Traditionally members have been generous in donating toward the cost of running the ORG.

I last posted a formal request in 2024, and we have had people donate then and since which is great to see. Unfortunately the coffers have been empty a little while. Costs to host the forum and domain name, and spam blocking service, while not huge are increasing.

The recent receipt of a few donations 'out of the blue' prompted me to come back here and see that people have been asking for how to donate. I'm ever so grateful for this, you've no idea how much it helps.

So... We invite all members to make a contribution but it is entirely optional.

This place continues to go from strength to strength and we have a fantastic community of engaged people here.




Background

I'd like you members to understand how much (or how little, depending on your point of view) it is costing me financially to run this place.

I do this for three reasons:

1. It's YOUR forum. I'm an open book, so to speak. Nothing to hide from members.
2. This is a non-profit exercise. ALL money will go back into the running of the forum; and
3. It's possible some people think the running costs are higher than they actually are.

So here 'tis:

• Domain Name Registration for gsx1400owners.org AUD$19.95 per annum.
• (I also have a few other domains registered redirected to that address, approx AUD$45 per annum)
• Web Hosting AUD$14.95 per month.
• Paid SMF mods and add-ons: SMF Gallery Pro  AUD $86 per annum
• Anti-Spam: Cleantalk $35 per annum. (prevented 643 spam attempts in the last week!)

= Total Annual Costs (ongoing) AUD $365 or approx GBP £185

The non-financial work involved in keeping the forum running (from myself and the various admins/moderators) is

• Incremental updates of forum software to improve security and bug fixes.
• Troubleshooting and addressing any forum outages.
• Checking and moderating new members
• Removal of any spam comments or spammers which sneak through the electronic net.

and probably other things which don't spring to mind at the moment.

The financial recompense to the 'owner' (me, technically speaking), admins, and moderators is NIL, and that's the way it will stay. Mind you they have been doing a good job so I'm thinking of doubling that 

I know I also speak on behalf of all our admins and moderators when I say that we do this voluntarily because we love this place and want to see it thrive.

You members are our motivation, and the GSX1400 our muse.


FAQ

Q: How do I go about donating?
A: All will be revealed in the fullness of time (soon, and below) 

Q: Is donating compulsory?
A: Hell no. That's crazy talk.

Q: If I donate what extra benefits will I get?
A: None. Nil. Nada. Zilch. Zero.

Q: No really, if I donate I must get something?
A: Oh alright then - you'll get the words "Forum Donor 2026" underneath your name next to your posts.

Q: And?
A: A warm & fuzzy feeling inside.

Q: I see (because I read ahead) that your preferred donation method is via paypal. Why is that?
A: For practical reasons.
  1. The account is in Australia so direct deposit from the UK (for example) would be prohibitively expensive.
  2. It allows all the donations to be easily tracked & verified.
  3. It facilitates currency exchange

Q: I don't have a paypal account. What can I do?
A: It's pretty easy to set one up, but if you really don't have or want one, perhaps a friend might be able to use theirs on your behalf. Alternatively you can pay using a credit card via paypal (I don't think you need an account for a one-off transaction by credit card).

Q: No but seriously I don't want to use paypal or I hate paypal - there must be some other way?
A. Yes if you PM me I can advise BSB and account number for donations from within Australia.  For overseas donations outside of paypal you need to use the SWIFT system (ask your bank how to go about it because it varies depending on country etc. I think there are fees applicable from the senders bank but I've no idea what they might be).  PM if you need the bank details or SWIFT code.  But again, paypal really is easier for me. 
 
Q: I want to donate but I can only really afford a few dollars. Is that OK?
A: Of course! It all adds up and as noted the costs aren't massive so even a small amount DOES make a worthwhile contribution. Nobody will know the amount of your donation anyway so none of that matters.

Q: I love this place, but I genuinely can't afford to donate anything, sorry.
A: That's absolutely fine. There is no expectation to donate, and you won't miss out on anything if you don't.

Q: This place sucks. Give you my money? Hell no! What are you going to do about it?

A: Actually - Nothing. That's fine too.

Q: Are donations only now or can I do it any time?
A: No hurry. Any day/month/year that suits you is fine, of course. We'll be here.

Q: Is it tax deductible?
A. Ah, no. Don't be silly. 

Q: So what's the process?
A: OK then, here you are...


How to Donate

via PayPal PREFERRED OPTION

Log into your PayPal account, or go to the PayPal home page.
Select send money - select 'To family and friends'
Send to: admin@gsx1400owners.org
Please state your forum username (and real name if you wish) in the reference/ text option.
Then PM to me (VladTepes) to confirm. I'll keep an eye out for it, and when the money is received, I'll add the custom title 'Forum Donor 2026' to your profile.


via Direct Deposit

PM me and I can provide relevant BSB and account number (and SWIFT code for overseas members).
Overseas members (outside Australia) using SWIFT would have to discuss the process and any fees etc with their bank.
Then PM to me (VladTepes) to confirm. I'll keep an eye out for it, and when the money is received, I'll add the custom title 'Forum Donor 2026' to your profile.

Thank you.


Please free to comment / ask any questions you like, below.

I don't plan on keeping a running tally of $ donated updated on here, too much like hard work.
But in the interests of transparency if you have any questions regarding forum finances send me a PM and I'll let you know.


- VladTepes




To ALL our members: 

[Barbastro K6]

Please URGENT let me know when Trump or Putin is a member of this forum because then it is not my forum

[VladTepes]

Please URGENT let me know when Trump or Putin is a member of this forum because then it is not my forum

Hehehe that's a shame, they only had nice things to say about you 


Yeah if that happens:

[VladTepes]

A big thank you to those who have donated so far this year. As always donations are welcome any time, it doesn't have to be right now (or indeed, at all),   Cheers 


Also, a reminder please to PM me when you do a deposit.

[Jeykey]

A big thank you to those who have donated so far this year. As always donations are welcome any time, it doesn't have to be right now (or indeed, at all),  Cheers 


Also, a reminder please to PM me when you do a deposit.

Once again, thanks for your utmost dedication to this forum!