How much does it cost to run Democratic Underground?

[Skinner]

I want to thank all of you who have donated so far this fund drive, and everyone who is currently signed up for a monthly donation by credit card. We really appreciate your help!

As many of you know, Democratic Underground is a completely independent website. The large majority of our funding comes from voluntary donations from our members, with the rest coming from advertising and merchandise sales.

Democratic Underground is not cheap to run. This is an extremely high-traffic website that uses loads of bandwidth and processing power. We have three full-time people on staff (EarlG, Elad, and myself), and we are on-call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Here is our most recent accounting of monthly expenses to run this website. It is slightly higher than the number we gave you three months ago. The increased costs from last time are rent (the landlord just increased it by about $45), Computer Hardware (the four-year-old computers finally died last month), and Salaries and Taxes (after paying our taxes last month, I realized that our previous accounting did not completely account for our payroll taxes). I think those are the only changes.

APPROXIMATE MONTHLY COSTS TO RUN DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND

2,300.00 - Website Hosting, Bandwidth, and Technical support, etc.
940.00 - Rent for our One-room Office
350.00 - Credit Card Processing Fees and Other Bank Charges
200.00 - Fundraising Expenses (Letterhead, postage, bumperstickers)
550.00 - Lawyer, Accountant, Etc.
250.00 - Phone, Fax, Long Distance, Cell phones
300.00 - Computer Hardware, Software, and DSL
100.00 - Moderator Training (conference calls)
200.00 - Miscellaneous Expenses
8,700.00 - Salaries & Taxes for three Administrators

TOTAL: $13,890.00 per month

That may seem like a lot of money at first glance, but for a high-profile site like this it is actually a real bargain.

We could not possibly cover our expenses without your help. Every little bit makes a difference. Whether you can donate $5 or $500, your contribution can help us reach our goal.

Please take a moment to donate right now. Democratic Underground is here when you need it. Now is your chance to return the favor when Democratic Underground needs you.

Thank you for your support.

David Allen
(Skinner)
Democratic Underground Administrator

[Misunderestimator]

1. I appreciate your being upfront with the details...

Check's in the mail. :)

[On the Road]

2. Thanks for the Open Books, Skinner

It seems very reasonable and puts the money question in perspective.

DU is a bargain.

[Don_G]

3. I Came Across The Inadvertent Figures Of The Free Republic Once

One-and-a-half to two million per year with most of it going into RimJob's pocket.

"There's one born every minute" and DUers don't exactly seek out the "Great Egress" either (PT Barnum and Karl Rove).

Do what you can, when you can.

'Nuff said....

[Skinner]

17. My understanding is that Free Republic's budget is not that high.

I have not seen Free Republic's budget recently, but I was under the impression that their annual budget was somewhere around $250,000.

Not sure, though.

[philosophie_en_rose]

46. But DU is still a better value.

DU is constantly updated, easy to navigate, and looks professional. Free Republic just looks awful.

[Skinner]

47. No disagreement here.

I think DU is a tremendous value. :D

[Gman]

4. All 3 of you are extremely underpaid!

[leftistagitator]

8. You're not kidding

2900 per admin per month at 12 months a year is only 35000 a year, not including taxes. I almost got that much doing a crappy tech support job before I went back to school, we're ripping this guy off. All right, I feel guilty enough, I'll find a way to donate somehow.

[Skinner]

10. It's actually less than that...

...because that number includes payroll taxes, which are an additional cost above the actual salaries.

And we're not all getting the same salary, either.

[Gman]

36. Without whooping out the calculator

I figured its probably closer to about $24K a year. If you have a family of 8 you'd probably be below poverty level!

[Gildor Inglorion]

5. Thank you for the details...

I wish I could afford to donate more, but as my favorite cousin always used to say, "Mighty pines from little acorns grow." I just can't imagine trying to get along without Democratic Underground in these days of hysterical right-wing dominated media.

[JohnLocke]

6. Thank you for being open about your finances.

I might donate. :)

[outinforce]

7. Thanks For The Details

It looks as though it costs you guys a fair chunk of change to process credit card transactions.

Would it save you some significant money if more people sent you their contributions by means of a postal money order? Is there some way to send you contributions that does not end up costing you money??

[Skinner]

9. To be honest, we are perfectly happy to take credit card donations.

Yes, it does cost us $$. But credit card donations are very easy for members, plus they saves us a lot of hassle.

If you send your donation by check, it doesn't cost us anything. But there's always that chance that you'll "forget" to send the check for some reason -- you need to buy stamps or you don't have any envelopes or there's no toner in your printer or whatever. With the credit card, you can donate right now, and we get the money instantly, before you have time to "forget". :)

[outinforce]

11. Thanks For The Reply

I'm as guilty as anyone, and so I would never want to do anything to discourage another DUer from using whatever means s/he finds most convenient to make a contrbution.

I just want to do what I can, personally, to help you save on your expenses.

The information you've posted might encourage all of us to dig a little deeper, if we are able to do so. I know I am expecting my income tax refund any day now........

[NMDemDist2]

32. i took AmyStrange's challenge last nite

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1566607&mesg_id=1566607&page=


Put every bit of folding cash in the house in an envelope and mailed it this afternoon.

It wasn't much but i did it RIGHT THEN!

look for more later guys and thanks again for all you do :)

[dryan]

12. Mailing address

I would be glad to send you a money order. I was a victim of identify theft and make it a habit now not to use credit cards. I really enjoy the site; I learn a lot. Thanks for this service.

[Beetwasher]

13. Miscellaneous Expenses?

That would be the hookers and drugs right? :evilgrin:

Great job guys! I'll be donating when I get paid at the end of the week.

[Skinner]

14. LOL. Who, us?

;-)

[leftistagitator]

15. 200 dollars, huh?

That's one really good hooker or 200 really bad hookers.

[EstimatedProphet]

16. A little number crunching

reveals that if your figures are constant, it costs approximately $166,000 per year for DU.
That's $166,000 for consistently well-written articles.
That's $166,000 for what I have come to view as being in touch with the fastest news-breaking forum I have seen.
That's $166,000 for a forum that is one of the best designs I have seen.
And, that's $166,000 in contrast to what was reported as $1.5 to $2 million per year for the voice of evil Free Republic-and we're whipping their asses too!
It's a bargain, plain and simple. Everyone, get busy and donate!

[mike1963]

18. A little arithmetic: with ~40,000 members, each one would only need to

contribute about 32 cents a months to cover this. I think we can do a little better than that, folks!
:D
;-)
:toast: for Skinner

[northofdenali]

19. Skinner, I've sent in my donation for the quarter and

can't afford much, but is there another "donate for a fellow broke DU'er" thread out there? I'll give up a six-pack of Alaskan Amber if someone wants a star!!

[Skinner]

23. As far as I know, there is no "donate for a broke DUer" thread out there.

But if someone wants to start one, I wouldn't stop them from doing so.

[kitkatrose]

45. There's one in the lounge, somewhere.

Give me a minute, and I'll find it.

Okay, here we go: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=1119124&mesg_id=1119124

[Oddman]

20. I donated

but I guess I should have read the privacy policy first!

Is any private information given out??

[Skinner]

26. We have never given out members' personal information.

As it is currently written, our privacy policy does permit us to share our list with other progressive organizations. But we have never done so, and we don't intend to do so. It's the same privacy policy we've had for about three years, and I think that we should probably just change it.

[IHaveADream]

30. Great!!!

That's fantastic!

[SheepyMcSheepster]

21. first time donor here, and this post is the reason.

i didn't realise it costs so much to run website, i suppose the amount of traffic DU attracts requires a lot of bandwidth. keep up the good work DU! you are my source for late breaking news.

[Renew Deal]

22. Outsource your staff to India.

That should help ;)

[Blue-Jay]

24. Have you bought a new SUV in the past year, Skinner?

RimJob has.

(OK, I'm just busting your balls. I'll send another pittance, as soon as I find one worthy of a star)

Note to n00bs: Stick around, learn some things, send a few bucks. I'm notoriously tight with my money, but DU is worth it. This site is one (of two) sites to which I regularly send some "green persuaders".

Do it. Even if you just lurk. Do it.

[Skinner]

27. You know, that's a good question.

I was recently the victim of identity theft. There's a long list of fraudulent purchases in my name, including a brand new 2003 Toyota Sequoia SUV. Apparently someone walked into a dealership in Georgia and purchased it in my name. I found out about it a few months later because the bank called me to find out why I never paid any of the payments.

:wtf:

[Blue-Jay]

29. It's a helluva ride!

Thanks, man!

[Adelante]

25. But where's GrovelBOT?

What have you done with him? ;)

I won't be able to participate in the current fundraiser, but I will catch up, I promise, the first of the month.

[Skinner]

28. He's around.

Just do a search for DU GrovelBot.

[minkyboodle]

31. kick

just donated. Thanks to Skinner and everyone else who makes this site so great. I couldn't live without it.
Scott

[TOhioLiberal]

33. I'll see if I can scrape up some dough...

...unemployment's a b*tch!

[GOPisEvil]

34. $940/mo for that office?

I've seen bigger prison cells. :7

In all seriousness, this place is a bargain at twice the price.

[crossroads]

35. I enjoy the site...

and appreciate your being upfront! Glad to help... just wish I were wealthy so I could help more! Damn, if I were rich, I might be a greedy Rep and not even be on this site...LOL! Seriously, thanks for creating/managing DU!!! :toast:

[imax2268]

37. Well...

cool...that means I have donated more since I bought a T-shirt a few months ago(that I wear proudly)...and a java mug...so you guys have gotten coin from me so far...don't worry...I will give more towards the end...

[DU GrovelBot]

38. ## Support Democratic Underground! ##

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The time now is 11:02:26PM EDT, Monday, May 10, 2004.
 
There are exactly...
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This website could not survive without your generosity. Member donations 
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Please take a moment to donate to DU right now. Thank you for your support.
 
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Click here to donate.

[Pale Blue Dot]

39. I noticed that you didn't include moderator's pay in your chart.

You PROMISED that you would double our salary after this fund drive!

:evilgrin:

[lazarus]

41. experience counts

I guarantee I'm making three times what you're making. :D

[flamingyouth]

57. Yeah, three times zero is ... hey, wait a sec!

:evilgrin:

[loathesomeshrub]

40. Made my first donation yesterday. When do I get my star? I am

excited about being able to search!

[Michael_UK]

42. How can non-americans contribute?

Is it possible to donate good ol' pounds sterling?

[Skinner]

43. If you have a credit card, you can donate that way.

We get many international credit card donations.

[billyskank]

55. Yeah

I'm a Briton, and I've donated several times. Whip out yer plastic and make a donation. It's so easy. With the exchange rate in our favour as it is these days we can afford to be a little more generous than usual too! :D

[ProfessorGAC]

44. Wow! Transparency In Running A Business

What a novel concept!

Thanks, Skinner.
The Professor

[Skittles]

48. I just printed the letterhead I send with a check

I try to donate every quarter. :D

[Pallas180]

49. I was ready to send $120 for my donation for the year, but Skinner

was rather unpleasant to the astrologers, and so I put my checkbook
away.

There isn't a newspaper in the country that doesn't carry an astrological column, therefore I think it rather odd that Democratic
Underground discourages the astrological postings.

But I'll be glad to send the money as soon as Skinner illustrates a change in attitude toward what I and many others consider a valuable contribution to any site.

[Skinner]

51. Donating to Democratic Underground is completely voluntary.

If you feel that this place does not deserve your money, then by all means do not donate. You are fortunate that there are other people who do donate, so you have a place where you can discuss astrology or any other topic so choose.

I have no recollection of being "unpleasant to the astrologers". As far as I know, I haven't had anything to do with the Astrology discussions in months. I certainly haven't done anything do discourage astrology postings.

Our view has always been that astrologers and skeptics are each free to post their opinions about astrology, as long as they follow our message board rules.

[LynneSin]

50. How much for the care and upkeep of Cutout Bush?

We're hoping you and EarlG are taking good care of our guy!!

[Skinner]

52. We're taking really good care of him.

He's been standing in the corner for weeks. :)

[LynneSin]

56. Try not to destroy him with dart practice

He has a counter convention to attend in NYC

[dutchdemocrat]

53. Costs me 80 bucks a month

Three millon hits and a half a million page hits a month, a trickle in donations.

You guys are lucky. Our Bandwidth may very well kill us unless I can get our membership to chip in more. Then again,I will meet the bills.

[Terran]

54. I sending a check today (5/11/04)

so you guys can add one from me to the count!

Dirk

[Onlooker]

58. How much bandwidth do you use a month?

Just curious.

[Skinner]

60. I think we've been doing about a thousand gigabytes a month

Or, approximately 34 gigabytes a day.

[Sgt. Peppers]

59. I recominf the SBC all in one long distance for 49.00 a month for unlimite

d.

[Skinner]

61. Our long distance bill is usually less than $49. (nt)

[ElsewheresDaughter]

62. Skinner my $50 money order in snail mail today..i don't use cerdit cards

pay pal or even have a bank account...if i can't pay cash i don't get it :7

[Skinner]

63. Thank you.

We appreciate it.

[dryan]

64. What is the address?

Will send a check - second time!

[Skinner]

65. Instructions for mailing a check are here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/donate_by_mail.html

Print that out and send it here:

Democratic Underground, LLC
P.O. Box 53350
Washington, DC 20009

Thank you for donating. :thumbsup:

[dryan]

66. Thanks!

Love the dog!