GWJ Donation Drive 2020!

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Before we begin, we understand that this year may be financially challenging for many. Please know we see you, we feel for you, and we are here for you. Many who want to donate may not be able to, and that is okay. We thank you all the same for being part of this wonderful community. You are the reason GWJ exists year after year. Thank you!

It is time once again for the annual GWJ Donation Drive!

We're honored again this year to kick off the annual Gamers With Jobs Donation Drive. It's the one time of the year we ask for your support to keep the lights on and to allow us to remain one of the few ad-free websites on the internet. Your contributions help us to create content like the weekly GWJ Conference Call podcast, our Twitch streams, Story Roost RPG podcasts, and more! Please go to patreon.com/gwj to kick in whatever you are willing to spare.

One important note—if you want the rewards, make sure the email you use for Patreon is the same one you use for your GWJ account. If your emails are different, see the FAQ below.

While Patreon is our preferred way of supporting the site, we understand that some folks still prefer using Paypal. Your donation will still count! You can click on the Paypal button below if you’d prefer that route. Please include your forum name in the notes so we can associate the payment with your site name and make sure you get tagged.

2020 Setting Realistic Expectations

We didn't get the chance to do everything we hoped to do with last year's projections. 2020 handed everyone the unexpected in spades. Although much of 2020 hasn't been the greatest, one standout has been seeing familiar names and faces returning to chat, play games, commiserate, cheer each other on, and participate in the forums—a real silver lining! It's incredibly good to see you all and we're so glad you're here.

We will continue to tweak the site, the show, and our ongoing projects with a community-centered focus. Keeping our expectations and ideas reasonable, based on what we can all do during these times, will be key to powering through. More details will come as we discuss further how to align our aspirations with reasonable possibility.

Yearly Charity Twitch Streams

Last year, we began running an annual charity fundraiser for organizations that help people in need. In 2020 we ran a charity stream for I Need Diverse Games and Color of Change for BLM. We are committed to continue supporting a charity in need every year. The next charity stream is to-be-determined and will happen in late winter/early spring as we've done in the past.

Story Roost

Story Roost will continue! Over the last year, Amoebic and others have been steadily learning the ropes of production, organization, and planning. We're slowly-but-surely growing the skills to create more stuff for you in the future! We were able to put together our Honey Heist RPG and look forward to exercising and growing our skills to be able to create more content for you.


FAQ

How do I donate to the site? Go to Patreon.com/GWJ, enter an amount you’d like to pledge each month and your payment information, and you’re good. If you are an existing patron subscriber, now is a good time to make sure the details are all up to date. Thank you, you’re awesome.

What If My Patreon and GWJ Emails Don't Match? Please email amanda (at) gamerswithjobs.com. Include both of your email addresses and your forum name, and we'll make sure you get on the list! When donating with PayPal, please note your forum name in the notes section!

Can I Change My Donation? You can always adjust your donation, up or down. We activate our monthly rewards based on whichever tier your donation falls into at the time, so if you want to get a specific reward, you can bump up your donation to receive it. Alternatively, if you need to trim some expenses, feel free to drop it down.

What if I want to use PayPal? All good, just use the button up top! Please note your forum name with the PayPal submission so we can tag you in the forums!

I don’t live in the US, can I donate? Yes. At least according to Patreon’s FAQ, your funds will be converted to USD. Here’s what they have to say.

Cool, now what do I get for my money? Mostly, you get an awesome community. That, and articles, streams, podcasts, RPG stories, and a bunch of other stuff that hopefully you like and want to support. But, there are also rewards as well:

Any $2.00+ donation — Golden community icon for the forums.

$5/month — We’ll read a short, custom message from you on the Conference Call. Shout out a friend, thank someone for being awesome, or share whatever is on your mind! Includes all previous tiers.

$10/month — A GWJ Forum Member Digital Trading Card, including your Forum Name and Tag. Details TBD. Includes all previous tiers.

$25/month — A Custom Stan Avatar in the style of the rotating Stan logos (designed by Amanda). Includes all previous tiers.

Are icons still part of the deal? Heck yeah! Just donate $2.00 or more and we’ll tag you with the next icon. We have a few people in the community who have been with us for 18 years and donated each year, so we couldn’t leave them hanging without a new look.

Sweet, when do I get my icon? This year, we’re going to start the tagging in early November, once all donations are cleared. We'll do them all at once to make it easier to not miss anyone!

Are you doing Personalized Stans again this year? We sure are! At the $25 level, you will get a personalized Stan avatar, designed by Ameobic and emailed to you sometime during 2021. You'll receive high-resolution options with and without backgrounds, as well as holiday versions if you desire. After the drive ends, watch for a survey from Amoebic to plan your personal Stan.

What are the GWJ User Trading Cards? Get a custom digital trading card designed by Glendon aka Staygold of your forum stats, profiles, links, persona, and more. You will be included in the Kickoff Starter Pack Lineup in future related projects. There will be a survey to collect images and details to follow for those who opt-in for this tier or higher. The image below is a prototype, and the design may change slightly throughout the development process.

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/uxvR9CS.png)

When does the Donation Drive end? Technically, we will be accepting support year-round, and there will be a link to the Patreon on the site, but the Donation Drive itself still only lasts a month. After November 7th, 2020 we’ll stop tracking donors for forums tags and rewards until next year. We will only be accepting PayPal donations until November 7th.

Anything else? Probably. If you have anything else you’re wondering, drop a line in the comments, send Amoebic a PM, or reach out to amanda (at) gamerswithjobs.com. We’ll try to get you an answer ASAP.


Thank you all so much. Even if you are unable to contribute your dollars to help the site, your presence here is so important. We love and appreciate you! So many of you do things large and small every day to make this an amazing and rare place on the internet, stretching from our forums, to our Twitch channel and community Discord. We are so grateful for your time, support, and awesome contributions! Thank you for helping make GWJ such a wonderful place to be.

Comments

The Nameless One wrote:

Updated my Patron.

I'm one of those PITA folks who likes to pay yall once a year through Patreon and then cancel my sub. Aaaaaaaand done.

Now to remember to cancel that in a month.

Does GWJ get more money from PayPal vs Patreon?

PaladinTom wrote:

Does GWJ get more money from PayPal vs Patreon?

The vast majority comes from Patreon as $2 icon donations! A few folks prefer or can only use Paypal, so the option is available for those folks. We only take Paypal during the month of the drive (October 7-November 7), whereas Patreon is ongoing if folks wish to do so. For rewards, we're just tracking during the month-long span.

BY THE WAY:
After the drive, I'll be polling the community to suggest and choose the next golden icon for those among us whose contributions have been ongoing for eighteen years. Congratulations, you absolute legends, your donations are now old enough to buy porn and vote.

Spoiler:

GOODBYE, HELICOPTER.

Amoebic wrote:
PaladinTom wrote:

Does GWJ get more money from PayPal vs Patreon?

The vast majority comes from Patreon as $2 icon donations! A few folks prefer or can only use Paypal, so the option is available for those folks. We only take Paypal during the month of the drive (October 7-November 7), whereas Patreon is ongoing if folks wish to do so. For rewards, we're just tracking during the month-long span.

Understood. I was just curious how much Patreon takes from monthly subs. I'll continue my Patreon sub, but would flip back to PayPal if it meant more for GWJ. But now I recall Shawn saying that Patreon makes it a lot easier for you to manage donations so you likely prefer it to PayPal.

Upped my monthly donation as a thank you for tolerating my nonsense. Love you all.

Looking forward to a hockey avatar!

Just upped my Patreon for the month

Thank you all so, so much <3

Thanks so much for the reminder on the front page! I just double checked my Patreon, sent an email about my forum email and Patreon mismatch, and I'm good to go again for the next year!

Cheers, and keep up the great work!

Sadly and a bit expectedly, I can't donate no matter what I do, Patreon I don't use, Paypal goes haywire if I try to because of my location and the credit card option does the same thing also. Hope things turn for the better soon in my country so I can give a little bit back directly to you guys. Thanks for mantaining this site and community as good as it's ever been.

Feeank wrote:

Sadly and a bit expectedly, I can't donate no matter what I do, Patreon I don't use, Paypal goes haywire if I try to because of my location and the credit card option does the same thing also. Hope things turn for the better soon in my country so I can give a little bit back directly to you guys. Thanks for mantaining this site and community as good as it's ever been.

Meebs, I just upped my tier. Can you apply the "difference" for Feeank? Give that man a golden icon please. He's been around longer than I have (but juuuust barely).

Rassa frassin home internet hiccups

Feeank wrote:

Sadly and a bit expectedly, I can't donate no matter what I do, Patreon I don't use, Paypal goes haywire if I try to because of my location and the credit card option does the same thing also. Hope things turn for the better soon in my country so I can give a little bit back directly to you guys. Thanks for mantaining this site and community as good as it's ever been.

Good to see you, Feeank! Doing what you're doing by checking in and hopping into discord is a means of support. Your presence is a part of the community and that is invaluable

LilCodger wrote:
Feeank wrote:

Sadly and a bit expectedly, I can't donate no matter what I do, Patreon I don't use, Paypal goes haywire if I try to because of my location and the credit card option does the same thing also. Hope things turn for the better soon in my country so I can give a little bit back directly to you guys. Thanks for mantaining this site and community as good as it's ever been.

Meebs, I just upped my tier. Can you apply the "difference" for Feeank? Give that man a golden icon please. He's been around longer than I have (but juuuust barely).

Absolutely!
IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/xUOrvYsejyUZkpFseA/giphy.gif)

Has there been a Golden Eye icon, yet? Seems fitting for a gaming site.

Well I missed it, but my monthly Patreon auto renewed so I assume that it continues to make it where it needs to go. If I need to change to the new link please let me know. Not worried about any rewards, just that it's going to the right bucket.

Thanks for the update! We'll work it out <3

What happens next? I upped my donation to get the cool, custom avatar.

Thanks for the reminder - I should really do up a whole post to clarify!

We've compiled the list of donors, so now I'm going through the tier rewards lowest to highest from $2 to $50. I think maybe last year I sent out a patreon email, so I'll do that, too. Will also be emailing the folks that did paypal. Thanks for the kick in the pants