This letter is for all DSR members who have never paid the $40/year
membership fee, or have memberships that have expired.
Hi DSR Member,
Our records reflect that you have either been posted on the site for
a while, yet not ever supported the site by becoming a paying member
or that your once paid membership has expired. I’d like to invite you,
at this time, to become a supporting member of the DSR so that we can
continue to grow and provide this service to you as well as for the
many donor families that are joining and matching each month. This is
a huge undertaking for just one person. The fee was $25 for the first
nine months that I started charging (8/05-3/06), and then because of
the influx, I had to raise it. For the first 5 years I supported this
site with my own money- but it became apparent that without the help
of the members, there would be no DSR.
About half of the members joined before 8/1/05, so they are posted,
and have never paid a fee. Many people just pay once, then don’t pay
again until they get a match. So the amount of money coming in isn’t
what it may appear to be. They, like you, just don’t understand what a
huge undertaking this is.
Some of the expenses that the membership income helps to cover:
Operating and maintaining our complicated website/database, including
the services of a database specialist to keep the site up, running and
growing.
All duties of a non profit director of a worldwide organization,
including: doing (or hiring outside help for): all public relations,
media relations and interviews, industry relations, graphic design,
business management, accounting, grant writing, article writing,
educational materials writing, daily site maintenance, uploading and
troubleshooting, business to business relations, dealing with
researchers, speaking engagements, counseling members, and running a
website on a day to day basis. We also have office supplies and
equipment, bank fees, repairs and maintenance, computer equipment,
software, attorney and accountant fees, printing, postage, travel,
rent, insurance, telephone and internet fees and web hosting.
If not for our site, most likely you would not have had the chance to
connect with your matching donor families (if you have matched) or
have the chance to be in the position to be found. So as not to
jeopardize your current posting on the DSR, please consider becoming a
supporting member at the $40/year membership fee.
Thanks so much,
Wendy