SETI@Home needs your help - urgently!

[Pepo]

Well done! 

I've just got an idea. Could the SETI@Home PayPal donation portal show the amount of money donated so far through it? Maybe the nicely increasing value could also stimulate some folks to donation.

[Urs Echternacht]

Hi Simon,
i just tried to donate some money via the Seti@Home PayPal donation portal and had no luck. It is not accepting my banking account data. I do not have a credit card and i'm no PayPal member, but they have a "Richtlinie" that allows non members to make up to 10 transactions without being a member. Any hints?

[Simon]

Pepo, that's going to be installed tomorrow (total donated amount). I'm too tired to code it today

Urs, not sure right now, I'll research this more tomorrow.

Regards,
Simon.

[Urs Echternacht]

Urs, not sure right now, I'll research this more tomorrow.

Thanks, i will try again tomorrow.

[Pepo]

I'm too tired to code it today

Simon, you probably wanted to say "tonight" 

Yes, highest bedtime 

[Pepo]

Simon, I see you've got it. Nice it is.

Another question along with this, maybe you've agreed with Eric on some details - is any minimum amount (maybe during last 12 months) necessary to get the green star displayed? Or really "any amount is enough"?

[Simon]

Pepo,

personally, I think any donation should be recognized.

Not sure how Berkeley sees it, but that's how I'll handle it (in effect, I'm passing on all donation infos in an automated way, how they dole out the stars is up to them).

Only thing is, PayPal charges on very small donations are pretty high, percentage-wise, so that's not so great, but something's always better than nothing, isn't it?

Regards,
Simon.

[Pepo]

Yes, sure, yes, ...

This way there is finally the chance that also a large amount of tiny-to-small donations can sum up to something really important.

And Berkeley can (later) decide, how to recognize (some number of) such small donations. Actually any star is secondary, yet probably motivating or satisfactory.

Peter

[Pepo]

And Berkeley can (later) decide, how to recognize (some number of) such small donations. Actually any star is secondary, yet probably motivating or satisfactory.

Sorry, Simon, I'm either blind or forgot (or both):

From Your Donations... page:

...if you donated more than $10 in the last year an icon () will show up next to your user name...

This makes it clear.

Maybe the main SETI@home Donation page should state the same once the PayPal section gets corrected.

Peter

[Urs Echternacht]

...
Only thing is, PayPal charges on very small donations are pretty high, percentage-wise, so that's not so great, but something's always better than nothing, isn't it?
...

Hi Simon,
which size a donation must have to have the best relation in terms of donated money over PayPal fees?

[Simon]

Hi Urs,

that's hard to say, but let me show you the actual fees for donations of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 USD (all amounts that have been donated already).

1 $
33 cents fee, 33% deduction

5 $
50 cents fee, 10% deduction

10 $
69 cents fee, 6.9% deduction

20 $
1.08 $ fee, 5.4% deduction

50 $
2.25 $ fee, 4.5% deduction

100 $
4.20 $ fee, 4.2% deduction

Personally, I'd say gifts under 10 USD have a bad fee ratio, but that's something you have to decide for yourself.

PayPal isn't all that cheap, but it's easy to use.

Regards,
Simon.

[Urs Echternacht]

1 $ ~= 0.78€ => 0.26€ fee + 0.52€ donation
33 cents fee, 33% deduction

5 $ ~= 3.88€ => 0.39€ fee + 3.49€ donation
50 cents fee, 10% deduction

10 $ ~= 7.76€ => 0.54€ fee + 7.22€ donation
69 cents fee, 6.9% deduction

20 $ ~= 15.51€ => 0.84€ fee + 14.67€ donation
1.08 $ fee, 5.4% deduction

50 $ ~= 38.76€ => 1.75€ fee + 37.01€ donation
2.25 $ fee, 4.5% deduction

100 $ ~= 77.52€ => 3.26€ fee + 74.26€ donation
4.20 $ fee, 4.2% deduction
...

Did some calculations based on 1€ ~= 1.29$ today, always rounding up. And your right, everyone has to decide themselves what fee one's donation is worth.
Wat'n heck meck.

[hiamps]

Simon, You talked me into giving to Seti. I sure do appreciate all yours and your freinds hard work. Thanks.

[Simon]

Thanks and you're welcome, too

Simon.

[UBT - Halifax--lad]

So anyone know how long a green star takes to show up then?