Twelve is the new Thirteen

I have ended the tyranny. Since Charitocracy day one, September 1, 2016, there has been an automatic 8.3% "tax" or "tip" to cover Charitocracy's overhead. A 13th month of contribution, essentially. We've used those funds to cover credit card fees, nationwide solicitation registration, web site hosting, software licenses, insurance, advertising, postage, inkjet ink, etc. But those days of mandatory tipping are over! $12 is the new minimum donation, with 100% going to winning charities.

Why now, Benj? Why ever?

I've been trying to put myself into the shoes of strangers. [Not literally, because if you're familiar with my feet, you know they probably wouldn't fit.] These strangers hear about Charitocracy from a friend, or see an ad on Facebook, or see me rocking a Charitocracy sweat jacket, running shirt, or coffee mug. They visit our web site, and then NOTHING happens.

One of my theories is this: they see a $13 donation where $12 goes to 12 charities. They think: scam alert! Charitocracy is skimming a buck off each $13 donor, and probably using it to charter flights to the Caribbean.

Not a bad theory. 59 cents of that $1 goes straight to credit card fees, but the remaining 41 cents would add up fast. Almost fast enough to cover our other expenses it turns out. But luckily we have donors whose employers match, or even double-match, their donations. So we've found ourselves plenty of breathing room for paying the bills while sending 100% of web site donations (and Facebook donations) into the monthly award pots for the winning charities. Still no Caribbean vacations, so clearly we have some kinks yet to sort out.

We appreciate each and every mandatoryincluded tip we've received from our early adopters during our 1st two years. You've paid for our setup costs to get up and running, and we're ever grateful. But from now on, these tips are entirely optional! You can go to My Account > Donation Change to switch to a non-tipping annual donation at any time. And new signups will not have this tip selected by default. It's an opt-in for all new donations. Maybe everyone will still choose to donate a "baker's dozen" 13 months worth every year, but this could be one less red flag for new donors who don't know us personally like many of you do.

In Other News

• We had a larger than usual monthly pot of $1753 for September winner Youth Pride Inc! That's thanks to $2 matches per new social media Like/Follow, as well as matches for each new/upgraded donation. Well done!
• We're continuing this promotion, so keep on inviting friends to join us or at least like our various social media accounts! Potential $8 in the October pot for follows: $2 each for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. And then if one joins at the $12/year level, that's an additional $24 we'll match!
• Despite the busy month, huge gain in likes (over 800 now on Facebook), and big pot, we had fewer voters in September than usual. Combine that with a swing of only 2.5 votes between 3rd place and 1st, your vote would certainly have an impact in selecting the winner. Get out the vote!
• Just a few more hours to sweeten the pot for Youth Pride Inc. or to nominate a new cause for October. Looking forward to another great month!