We need an ongoing info site about the reality and costs to run Free Republic. People need to learn that that there are no grants, corporate sponsors or super rich sugar daddies. At that site should be a linkage so that they can start payment at that time if they desire.
Jim Rob should make a position statement to start off that week before. People can respond to his statements and should be able to donate at that time if they desire.
Then in that week, a week before the Freepathon, we can start publishing essays and recycling the ones that are still applicable about why we have these drives and the need for the drive. We should ask people for their testimonials. The moderators need to pull any BS or complainer immediately. Or I just want to debate bsers. These are professional disrupters. Again make it easy for people to contribute at that point!
Then start the official freepathon. Hopefully there will be enough new donations to get a good start on John Rob's bar graph which is great! The moderators need to pull any BS or complainer immediately, or I just want to debate/dialoge bsers. These are professional disrupters and their intent is use up broadband and post a lot of bs to slow down the donations. Again make it easy for people to contribute at that point!
Tumbleweed Connection has been using a simple message about contributing and the need to do so with a link right to pen pal with his threads and replies. It seemed like to me that when he posted a new thread last night or a reply with that simple message and easy link, Jim Rob was getting a lot of Pen Pal Payments.
Last but not least the cluster bombing or spamming does work. Everytime there was massive cluster bombing there was a response!
In my fund raising history, you seem to have 3 types of givers:
The first giver is the good steward, our monthly or quarterly givers. They will quickly come up and repledge or increase their last donations. They make up about 33% of givers and the funds raised.
The next giver is the one who reads, studies, and finds something he or she likes and then they give. Again they make about 33% of the givers and funds. They just take longer until they cross over to the first group.
The last group is the group that needs the cluster bombing, the nagging and in our church the phone calls to get them to reup. Finally they wake up and when they see that the drive looks successful, and they donate. They make up 20 to 33% of the donors and the funds raised. They are not bad people, they just need to be bombarded to raise their awareness level.
Will some people get mad? Yeh, but in most cases, they have other problems that are causing that anger. We ignore them or if they become disruptors, they get timed out and very quickly!
We raised a lot of money in a week and finished about 9 days ahead of last year with more money. That is success!
We have a great cause to raise the money for, a great group of workers and great Freepers who donate to keep Free Republic alive and healthy!
This FReepathon was the most fun I've had since I've been a FReeper. I just don't understand why some people are bugged by it.
