Autumn Sunrise Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Great - I did wonder why there didn't seem to be any way to donate to AVEN :D . Thanks for all the hard work, setting this up. Donation on the way, and I'm looking forward to the new/improved technical stability of the site. Link to post Share on other sites
UncommonNonsense Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 As soon as my next paycheque comes in (with some awesome overtime and a bit of time-and-a-half, yay!) I'll be sending some more AVEN's way. I'd rather fund this than buy a coffee on my way in to work or spend it on lunches when I can (and should) pack my lunch instead. So you folks will be getting cash, and I'll be eating healthier. Yay both ways! Link to post Share on other sites
Tarfeather Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 Why has nobody told me about this? D: Link to post Share on other sites
Sage Raven Domino Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 It's never too late to join, Tar! I agree, though, that a top-level announcement (like ones about elections and AVENues) should have been made on the main page of each forum. Link to post Share on other sites
Toothlesss Posted June 8, 2016 Share Posted June 8, 2016 I hope I can donate at some point. At the moment, I'm going through the "change of address" jazz that moving entails so I have no clue what address my card(s) are at. Link to post Share on other sites
Perissodactyla Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 At present our donation page on paypal is here. Yes the page is not going to go away in a hurry, and we might get a permanent donation button to put on the website. Please ask someone to add a donation button that is easily visible soon! With the donation button, maybe also add a link to the announcement, so it's clear to everyone that site stability is a goal. Thank you! Link to post Share on other sites
Asex Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 "...However, if we go over the $5000 mark we will have to pay some of it as tax, which means that some of your donation will be going to the US government..." When I asked on the internet about a place for asexual people in an American site I got some answers "What For?" and a horde of thumbs up on these answers, I have also watched a video with the founder of AVEN being a guest in a TV show and some women so laughed at him and the audience too... Even if we ignore that our money may end up in a non-lethal Toyota in some place where a non-genocide is performed, I ask purely philosophically/civilizationally does AVEN belong to the USA? Link to post Share on other sites
Sally Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 "...However, if we go over the $5000 mark we will have to pay some of it as tax, which means that some of your donation will be going to the US government..."When I asked on the internet about a place for asexual people in an American site I got some answers "What For?" and a horde of thumbs up on these answers, I have also watched a video with the founder of AVEN being a guest in a TV show and some women so laughed at him and the audience too... Even if we ignore that our money may end up in a non-lethal Toyota in some place where a non-genocide is performed, I ask purely philosophically/civilizationally does AVEN belong to the USA? Asex, just what are you trying to say there? Because what you did say makes no sense. Link to post Share on other sites
Asex Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 I am asking the question if there is something like "AVEN values" where is AVEN most at home regarding to this thing? Which is the country that should house AVEN, be it the hardware/servers, be it legally. Where does AVEN belong most to, based on AVEN's view of the World, for example AVEN's view on human mistreatment or animal rights in food industry and so on... Link to post Share on other sites
Member4445 Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Legally Aven is American (I believe). Because that's where the founder came from and the server is based. ~correct me here if I'm wrong~ The rest is just a non-question because Aven itself doesn't represent the views of its posters. A forum is an inanimate object and therefore does not have a brain to form an opinion. Link to post Share on other sites
Sage Raven Domino Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 As far as I understand, AVEN is free to incorporate in any country, but it was most natural to do so in the US because most of the members are from there and it was imperative to enable tax-deductible donations for them. Link to post Share on other sites
Martini Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 This is great news, Congrats Link to post Share on other sites
Tarfeather Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 As far as I understand, AVEN is free to incorporate in any country, but it was most natural to do so in the US because most of the members are from there and it was imperative to enable tax-deductible donations for them. [citation needed] Link to post Share on other sites
aceghost Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 That kind of geolocation data is very easy to look up in website analytics software, which presumably the people with server access are able to see. It would make some sense too, given the population of the US, and the fact that a lot of non-English speaking countries have their own separate community sites off AVEN. But presumably, this mostly was done because David Jay lives in the US. US non-profits also are pretty standard fare, meaning you don't need to find specialized (and expensive) legal/accounting help to keep the lights on and can dedicate a much higher percentage of donations to the actual work you want to do, so it's a smart decision that way, too. (I helped found a Belgian non-profit many years ago and the overhead involved was a complete pain in the ass. After we moved it to the US our "infrastructure" costs like that cut down to like 1/8, easily.) Link to post Share on other sites
Sage Raven Domino Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 As far as I understand, AVEN is free to incorporate in any country, but it was most natural to do so in the US because most of the members are from there and it was imperative to enable tax-deductible donations for them. [citation needed] Alexa shows that only 45.5% of the unique AVEN visitors in May were in the US. (Here's the archived snapshot of that page as of now, needed for truth because the Alexa data changes fast.) However, the 2014 AVEN census (section 1.5 of the prelim findings pdf) shows that 63.6% of respondents said they were US nationals. I was basing my assessment on the survey results, but even if we assume that the Alexa data gives more accurate nationality statistics (the 2014 results are rather outdated, after all), the US still has more active AVEN members than any other country, and the aggregate amount of tax relief on donations would be lower had AVEN been incorporated anywhere else. Link to post Share on other sites
ithaca Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Much simpler, our servers are in America ;) Link to post Share on other sites
Sage Raven Domino Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 Oh, don't tell me you wouldn't be ready to move the site to servers in another country if it gave you (or your donor base as a whole) tax benefits. Maybe I'm overestimating AVEN's current raising power, though. An organisation only needs to consider tax benefits when it becomes big enough; before that, convenience is the primary consideration indeed. Link to post Share on other sites
michaeld Posted June 9, 2016 Author Share Posted June 9, 2016 I agree, though, that a top-level announcement (like ones about elections and AVENues) should have been made on the main page of each forum. Please ask someone to add a donation button that is easily visible soon! With the donation button, maybe also add a link to the announcement, so it's clear to everyone that site stability is a goal. Good ideas! I'll look into this; it would be natural to do this when our next thread on the subject goes up. "...However, if we go over the $5000 mark we will have to pay some of it as tax, which means that some of your donation will be going to the US government..."When I asked on the internet about a place for asexual people in an American site I got some answers "What For?" and a horde of thumbs up on these answers, I have also watched a video with the founder of AVEN being a guest in a TV show and some women so laughed at him and the audience too... Even if we ignore that our money may end up in a non-lethal Toyota in some place where a non-genocide is performed, I ask purely philosophically/civilizationally does AVEN belong to the USA? AVEN does not belong to the USA. However, AVEN is incorporated in the US state of New York and its servers are based in the USA; thus AVEN is subject to US laws. Further AVEN was founded by an American (David Jay). Despite its legal status and founding, we mostly prefer to think of AVEN as an international organisation. Link to post Share on other sites
Perissodactyla Posted June 9, 2016 Share Posted June 9, 2016 We're waiting patiently for AVEN to become a stable site. Any news on this? What are we waiting for? Donations to reach a certain level? What? Thanks! <3 Link to post Share on other sites
thylacine Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 That is way cool. Link to post Share on other sites
kelico Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 *donates* :D Link to post Share on other sites
Tarfeather Posted June 10, 2016 Share Posted June 10, 2016 Much simpler, our servers are in America ;) Oh so that's why the site is so slow.. :P Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Posted June 11, 2016 Share Posted June 11, 2016 Omg I didn't even see this until now. Congrats. And I lack funds to donate atm, but I will make one next month. :D Link to post Share on other sites
Asex Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 I am not exactly sure on finances... ..being without values might turn out to be more beneficial, would we base AVEN in some anti-AVEN country even if they paid us? Another thing is that people with values are willing to donate, there might be very rich people that haven't donated anything. And who knows where is the largest asexual community on earth, I mean on American movies I watched people own like two cars and a huge house, but the majority of the population on the planet is maybe too busy trying to survive, it hardly has any time to self-determinate as this or that. I also want to ask what if someone wants to invest their heart in AVEN, should we or shouldn't we? I mean imagine a lot of people invested that way in AVEN and at some point someone decides: "Well, it was pleasure/fun/honor, we are closing..." who gets and who doesn't get to have a word on this? Link to post Share on other sites
Sage Raven Domino Posted June 12, 2016 Share Posted June 12, 2016 To begin with, a registered charity has to spend the donated money on its announced causes. None of it will be pocketed by the board even if it shuts down. 'Heart investments' are temporary (if you meant volunteering). If the organisation closes, its volunteers will be set free (and may found a new organisation themselves if they wish). Link to post Share on other sites
Asex Posted June 14, 2016 Share Posted June 14, 2016 "To begin with, a registered charity has to spend the donated money on its announced causes. None of it will be pocketed by the board even if it shuts down..." My question was how much should finances matter, like would we move AVEN to some country that suits it perfectly in terms of finances if in that country people are persecuted for their sexuality. "...'Heart investments' are temporary (if you meant volunteering). If the organisation closes, its volunteers will be set free (and may found a new organisation themselves if they wish)..." Volunteering sounds to me like investing time, money/resources... I am talking about investing myself, my heart/soul, I becoming part of AVEN but not by means external to me but by means internal to me. Link to post Share on other sites
Qutenkuddly Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Omg I didn't even see this until now. Congrats. And I lack funds to donate atm, but I will make one next month. :D If it makes you feel any better,I only just saw this now. Then again, with all the site lagging, it's been a struggle just to get my basic duties done. Congratulations, AVEN, and, hey, it just happens to be payday! Link to post Share on other sites
Member4445 Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Can we just make something clear. When you send money to the organisations PayPal, you are sending a donation. Donations cannot be received back. So if you donate to the page and then get into a fight with admods, other members, warned and permanently banned: you are not entitled to a refund. You don't get refunds on donations. This may be the internet but the NPO status is still real. Feel free to correct me but this is my understanding of NPO donations. Link to post Share on other sites
Sage Raven Domino Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 Donations are gestures of unconditional love, so they're irreversible and it makes a lot of sense. Link to post Share on other sites
Snao Cone Posted June 17, 2016 Share Posted June 17, 2016 As an aro, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the "love" part of unconditional love :P But I'm happy with the unconditional part. A donation made is a donation made. Link to post Share on other sites
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