Theocacao, CDC, CB - why not ask for separate and smaller payments instead? The lower the initial cost, the more likely people are to chip in.
I know it seems counter-intuitive, but my experience is asking smaller individual payments seems to have the opposite effect.
The decision to donate is not based on "can I afford it?" Most people reading this can just as easily afford $21 as they can $5. If I ask for nearly nothing, then the expectation is that these sites don't really need financial support, which is wrong. If there is no financial support, they go into maintenance mode.
A sort of awkward metaphor for the donations is if you receive too much change from a cashier. If you walk out of the store and realize you have an extra $2, many people won't concern themselves with going back in. If you have an extra $20, you'll take it more seriously. Asking for two dollars sends the message "it really doesn't matter one way or another."
Now if you had to purchase content on Cocoa Dev Central or Theocacao, I agree a smaller payment would work better because there's something you cannot get access to unless you pay. The current solution is a compromise which takes a surprising large number of competing factors into account (forgoing billiable time, bandwidth, answering emails, and so on).
I think the main thing I take away from what you've said is that I'll need to make it more clear that the donation is effectively destined for all three sites.
by Scott Stevenson — Dec 19
I know it seems counter-intuitive, but my experience is asking smaller individual payments seems to have the opposite effect.
The decision to donate is not based on "can I afford it?" Most people reading this can just as easily afford $21 as they can $5. If I ask for nearly nothing, then the expectation is that these sites don't really need financial support, which is wrong. If there is no financial support, they go into maintenance mode.
A sort of awkward metaphor for the donations is if you receive too much change from a cashier. If you walk out of the store and realize you have an extra $2, many people won't concern themselves with going back in. If you have an extra $20, you'll take it more seriously. Asking for two dollars sends the message "it really doesn't matter one way or another."
Now if you had to purchase content on Cocoa Dev Central or Theocacao, I agree a smaller payment would work better because there's something you cannot get access to unless you pay. The current solution is a compromise which takes a surprising large number of competing factors into account (forgoing billiable time, bandwidth, answering emails, and so on).
I think the main thing I take away from what you've said is that I'll need to make it more clear that the donation is effectively destined for all three sites.