Fund drives/2005/Q3

It seems obvious now that we will break the $200,000 barrier before the deadline. Nevertheless, $198,000 is enough to cover us only until the end of September, and we will need funds again in one month. The fundraising campaign will continue, but it is important to find some way of explaining why, i.e., how we intend to use the extra money that is raised, and why the fact that we have reached our primary objective (basic operating costs for Q3), does not absolve us from seeking more funding.

I therefore suggest the following proposals:

Short term

1. A new letter be prepared (and translated) explaining this.
2. A second bar be created to mark additional income

Long term

1. Fundraising events focus on a larger timeframe than the current quarter
2. New fundraising gimmicks (such as gift cards, etc.) be considered
3. The budget include "discretionary funds", i.e., funds that are not absolutely necessary, but that we could do good things with if we had--even costs like hardware can be divided up into "vital" and "discretionary"

Other

1. Efforts be made to find organizations/individuals who will
   1. match funds (for the entire campaign, or even a single day)
   2. cover operating costs of future fundraising drives, for instance, PayPal costs, which will come to approximately $10,000.
   3. study the problems associated with giving from certain countries, such as Japan, and find easier solutions to them

Please add, comment, etc.