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Originally Posted by Collmandoman
All I'm basically saying is .. it is not professional to ask for something in return for doing a good deed. Personal satisfaction should be enough.. and if it is a truly good thing you are doing.. people will note that and thank you.
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I think you are missing the intention of this thread. What Steve is asking is if people would be willing to volunteer some extra cash to help ChiefDelphi.com continue/improve the outstanding service it's providing to the FIRST community. It's not a question of asking for something in return- it would be asking for contributions to offset the real-world cost involved of hosting such a valuable site. As the site increases in popularity and use, it will require more computing resources to handle to load, and so more funding. Would I donate to the cause? Absolutely. Would I need anything in return? No, but it never hurts to say thank you in some way.
If your comments were related to donations in general, I do have to disagree. My team is funded entirely by donations from local companies. It's great when people just handed us the cash with a big smile, but I do feel obligated to provide something in return as a token of good will, or simply as a thank you. That's why we offer space on the back of our team t-shirts for recognition of sponsors. It's not a question of professionalism, it's incentive. Some companies have no problem writing a check to support the future of science and engineering. Other companies need something to show for it, and that is not necessarily a bad thing.
Think of it this way- We, like many teams, hold pancake breakfasts as fundraisers. People pay (donate) money to the team, and get pancakes in return. Is it not professional for people to show up to a fundraiser like this and expect to eat pancakes in return for a donation? Some people come because they support our team, while others come because they want a quality Sunday breakfast out of the house. For the latter, does it matter they gave us money with the expectation of getting food? The team still gets the donation, the customer gets a quality breakfast. Isn't it the same for companies giving money with the expectation of some sort of advertising? The team gets the donation, while the company gets the recognition necessary to continue providing funding. I see nothing wrong with that.