Donations are now online

In 2014, I finally got off my bum and set up donations for the site. 

Yes that's right, here is a PayPal button!

Button removed, please go to https://tesrskywind.com/donate/ to donate, as they share the same server.

Donations so far (goal is $2500/year to cover hosting costs):

* the above stats were updated December 31, 2016.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Why donations?
   
   Well, first off a lot of people have asked if they can donate.  Also, it costs a lot of money to run this site, and I've been paying out of my own pocket for the last two years (see below).  So I set up an LLC and so forth to handle donations.
    
2. Why an LLC and not a non-profit entity (non-profit corporation, etc.)?
   
   I did consider this, but I went with an LLC because it provides better liability protection for me personally, as well as other users of the site.  Plus, it's a whole lot simpler to set up.  Also, the LLC gives the "operating at a loss" situation a bit of a silver lining.  If I don't raise enough money each year to cover the costs, with the LLC, I can write off the loss against my taxable income.
    
3. But I thought you were rich or something?
   
   Not really that rich, actually - just generous.  And if I have the opportunity to cover some of the costs, then that's great.  Plus, it's a big bill to pay come November (see below). 
    
4. Why donations and not ads?
   
   A couple of reasons.  1) Donations are optional, ads are mandatory; 2) A lot of people block ads; and 3) A lot of ads spy on the site and its users.  No thanks.
    
5. Where does my money go?
   
   Payments go to a PayPal account for the LLC.  Account info and transactions in the account will be posted quarterly (no emails or names will be shared, just summary information) so you can see how much money I "make" on this and how much it offsets the costs.  You can see the results attached to this post, below.
   
   Where your money ultimately goes is for paying our service providers (Dreamhost and iflychat.com) for the web hosting and chat (respectively).  The server is quad-core, 4GB ram, 500GB HDD space, Raid 1, with unlimited bandwidth.  TESrenewal's site averages about 10-20 GB of data transfer a DAY so unlimited bandwidth and a dedicated server is pretty much mandatory.  The chat is capped at 60 simultaneous users.
    
6. What do I get for my donation?
   
   Nothing!  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!  Well maybe an icon on your forum posts that shows you've donated.  That's about it though.  This is strictly out of the goodness of your heart - you can still download files, or use the site, or whatever, without donating.
   
   Oh and if you do donate, send me a PM and I can add the little "Donor" icon to your forum post panel (see mine to the left).
    
7. How much do I have to donate?
   
   At least one cent.  Otherwise, PayPal won't let you donate.  However, with a one cent donation, your money goes straight to paypal because of the fee.
   
   Note that I reserve the right to NOT add the "Donor" icon if you donate a microscopic amount, such as one cent.  A few people have donated this amount, and then PM'd me for their "Donor" badge.  Nice try.  Please donate $5 or more if you want the badge.
    
8. I've been here for years helping out with development, and I don't feel like donating because I think I've put in my time.  Problem?
   
   That's fine; again, donations are totally optional.  If I find anyone pressuring anyone else into donating, I will rain fire on your asses. [External image]
    
9. I am rich and I want to donate $1,000 but I want to become a moderator, or some other such deal.  Will you do it?
   
   No.  You can donate as much as you want, but it won't get you anything extra. [External image]
    
10. Can I get a refund on that donation?
    
    Yes, but if it turns into a big hassle for me I will just refund your money and then ban you from the site.
    
    Imagine taking your money and setting it on fire.  That is what you are doing.  If you don't want to do that, don't donate in the first place. [External image]
     
11. Don't you share this server with other sites? Shouldn't they be donating too?
    
    Yep, and they are.  On average, TESRenewal.com and TaleOfTwoWastelands.com use up about 95% of the server's bandwidth.  It's a race!  Donate more than the other guys.  Or whatever.
     
12. What happens if you get more than you need?  Will you stop taking donations?  Will you keep the money for yourself (you jerk)?
    
    If, by some miracle, people donate more than ~$2500/year, then the excess will stay in the bank account / PayPal account to be used for future server costs.  Or, if we just have a shit ton of money, the excess will be donated to a charity after a vote on what charity (or charities) it should go to.  Pie in the sky, but it's good to have a plan I guess.
     
13. Will donating make Skywind (or Skyblivion or Morroblivion) happen any faster?
    
    NO!  Donating only really helps pay for our web hosting. If you can, WE WOULD MUCH RATHER HAVE YOU TO DONATE YOUR TIME - that is, learn to use the Skyrim Construction Kit and help with the project.  There are tons of youtube tutorials, text tutorials, and Skywind-specific tutorials.  If you are a hard worker and self-directed learner (or interested in acquiring these valuable skills) and also interested in learning how to mod and develop video games, this is a great project to work on.  Please see this post for details.

Here are some numbers:

2012 expenses:

• 2012-07-24: $214.80 - Dreamhost Shared Hosting (paid ahead for 2 years of hosting)
• 2012-11-05: $9.95 - Domain Registration for morroblivion.com
• 2012-10-23: $6.66 - Dreamhost VPS trial / upgrade, for service through 2012-10-23
• 2012-11-06: $1859.00 - Dreamhost Dedicated Server (Blue Moon 4 Dedicated) - $169/mo, with 1 mo. free if billed annually (note that multiple sites share this server, but TESrenewal.com uses about half the bandwidth)
• 2012-11-08: -$183.27 - Refund on unused balance of Shared Hosting plan
• -
• 2012 total: $1907.14 - paid by me

2013 expenses:

• 2013-01-30: $204.00 - iflychat.com chat service (for next 12 months)
• 2013-11-06: $1859.00 - Dreamhost Dedicated Server (Blue Moon 4 Dedicated) - $169/mo, with 1 mo. free if billed annually (note that multiple sites share this server, but TESrenewal.com uses about half the bandwidth)
• -
• 2013 total: $2063.00 - paid by me

2014 expenses:

• 2014-01-29: $204.00 - iflychat.com chat service (for next 12 months)
• 2014-07-22: $15 - SSL certificate
• 2014-05-06: $23.90 - two year renewal of morroblivion.com
• 2014 misc bills - $242.90 paid by me - consider this my "donation" to the site
• -
• 2014-11-13: $1859.00 - Dreamhost Dedicated Server (Blue Moon 4 Dedicated) - $169/mo, with 1 mo. free if billed annually (note that multiple sites share this server, but TESrenewal.com uses about half the bandwidth)
• 2014 hosting - $1859.00 paid by donors!
• -
• 2014 total: $2101.90

2015 expenses:

• 2015-01-29: $204.00 - iflychat.com chat service (for next 12 months)
• 2015-07-16: $15 - SSL certificate
• 2015-01-09: $75.65 - domain renewals for various morroblivion and tesrenewal domains .com/.net/.org
• 2015 misc bills - $294.65 paid by me - consider this my "donation" to the site
  (Note that this doesn't include state and federal taxes on donations that occurred in 2014, which I paid myself in 2015. I estimate these to be around $1000 total, or about $500 each, shared between the two sites, but it is difficult to get an exact figure as I am the sole member of the LLC and therefore the taxable income "flows through" and is merged with my personal income filing - turbotax takes care of the rest.  So, I'm paying the taxes myself for two reasons: so everything is nice and legal, and so donations stay in PayPal instead of being used to pay taxes)
• -
• 2015-11-24: $1859.00 - Dreamhost Dedicated Server (Blue Moon 4 Dedicated) - $169/mo, with 1 mo. free if billed annually (note that multiple sites share this server, but TESrenewal.com uses about half the bandwidth)
• 2015 hosting - $1859.00 paid by donors!
• -
• 2015 grand total - $2153.65

2016 expenses:

• 2016-01-29: $204.00 - iflychat.com chat service (for next 12 months)
• 2016-07-17: $15 - SSL certificate
• 2016-01-23: $67.70 - domain renewals for various morroblivion and tesrenewal domains .com/.net/.org
• 2016 misc bills - $286.70 paid by me - consider this my "donation" to the site
  (Note that this doesn't include state and federal taxes on donations that occurred in 2015, which I paid myself in 2016. I estimate these to be around $500 total, or about $250 each, shared between the two sites, but it is difficult to get an exact figure as I am the sole member of the LLC and therefore the taxable income "flows through" and is merged with my personal income filing - turbotax takes care of the rest.  So, I'm paying the taxes myself for two reasons: so everything is nice and legal, and so donations stay in PayPal instead of being used to pay taxes)
• -
• 2016-11-24: $1859.00 - Dreamhost Dedicated Server (Blue Moon 4 Dedicated) - $169/mo, with 1 mo. free if billed annually (note that multiple sites share this server, but TESrenewal.com uses about half the bandwidth)
• 2016 hosting - $1859.00 paid by donors!
• -
• 2016 grand total - $2145.70