I see it’s time that I think about my annual donation to the Barthmobile website. Perhaps now might be a good time to initiate a discussion among members as to our collective thoughts and ideas on the subject.
Those of you I’ve met either via the Internet or now, in person since the Midwest G-T-G this year, all vigorously agree that Bill NY is doing a great job leading the rest of us in a very worthwhile cause: helping and supporting each other in our quest to keep the Barths rolling, keep them safe and have good fun doing it.
We all know a little or a lot of things about economics and how they affect any endeavor, including ours:
• Times aren’t so good right now
• It takes time and money to keep anything worthwhile going
• It wouldn’t be right for Bill NY to have to personally fill any gaps between expenses and donations.
And we want to keep this site going for the benefit of all.

Perhaps discussions could revolve around sub-topics such as these:
a. How often should a member contribute
b. How much?
c. Should it be based on their membership date? The anniversary of their last donation? Perhaps on a calendar year basis?
I won’t propose any hard and fast “rules” or “guidelines” just yet as to how much each member should contribute or indeed, who should contribute, except perhaps for an occasional suggestion or two along with other members. That can come from some or all of us later. But I am curious what others think about the topic and would encourage your comments and suggestions. If enough folks participate in this discussion, we might be able to come up with a standard or two that would help each of us make our own decisions on how to pitch in. That, in turn, would help to ensure a good long run for this very valuable site.

What do you think?

When I got my first Barth I relied on several personal phone calls to Dave Bowers to answer some of my dumb and inexperienced questions. In conversation,it was obvious some of this site was "out of pocket" to Dave.Since it was January I sent a donation and have continued to do so annually.It is my understanding the current donations are doing the job but if Bill NY needs help,PLEASE Bill, holler and we'll do what it takes, I may not post a lot, but be assured I read everything and try to learn enough to keep "THE TOY" perking. We need BARTHMOBILE,COM..

I try to contribute quarterly in Jan, Apr, Jul, and Oct. Spreads it out for me and makes it rather painless. I'm with Carl and Lou, if it "ain't enough", I don't want Bill taking money out of his pocket to keep it running. I need it to bad for something to happen to it.

Nick

I love this site if you need more OR IF YOU PREFER CALL ME, pm, me i will do what ever it takes !!!!!!
lenny PS. I know you are very private about what people give.but we don't know what you need to keep it up and pay yourself which you should do..

quote:

Originally posted by Nick Cagle:
I try to contribute quarterly in Jan, Apr, Jul, and Oct. Spreads it out for me and makes it rather painless.

Nick

I like that idea. I wonder if my bank will help me out on that. Sort of an automatic payroll deduction for the jobless.

In Blythe, CA, before satellite TV, there was no reception, save snowy blurs from El Centro.

An enterprising fellow put up an antenna on a mountaintop over across the river in AZ to receive Phoenix stations, and rebroadcast over UHF channels aimed at the Blythe area. Contributions were voluntary, but when the money ran low, he issued a warning, and would shut it off if donations were not forthcoming.

Guess where I'm going with this.................

As a cheap old Hollander I still think that a MINIMUM of 25 bucks a year is still a great deal. When you save a chunk or make a chunk through the site then it should be more.

Thank you all for your compliments. First off, I want to assure everyone that...

"when the money ran low, he issued a warning, and would shut it off if donations were not forthcoming."

...Is not an option. I do have to admit, that story made me grin. Thanks Bill H for that one.

Lou, you are right on several fronts. Times are not good right now. Donations are down. Paychecks are smaller. RV prices have dropped. People are scared. Retirement accounts are a pittance of what we had.

For myself... lower consumer confidence means less freight. less freight means less truck traffic, this directly equates to less truck repairs which is how I really make a living.

It seems like I struggle with the same delimma each time funds get low. Do I come right out and ask or do I hold on and keep doing what I've been doing? The answer has usually been the latter.

Donations to this site are "Nice to Get" but it is not a deal breaker for me. I am doing ok...

Dave warned me, and he was right, the donation stream does not keep up with the bills. It wasn't really an issue for me back when times were better. I, like most of you, had some discretionary spending... Not so much so now.

So if anyone wants to help out, I would appreciate it. Times are a little tougher... Please, do not donate if you can not afford it.

Thanks to everyone for making this site, the best place to get your RV, StarTrek, Mindless Banter, Fellowship, Male to Male Plugs and Dark Sucker fix around.

Besides a warm fuzzy feeling, this is what I have to offer. It took me a whole 1/2 hour to create . Now imagine how long all these other images, photos, scripts, maps etc. took? If you do choose to donate, any amount is appreciated.