Fall/Winter 2019 Funding drive has started

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Eric Korpela Project Donor
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Message 2020975 - Posted: 28 Nov 2019, 22:00:33 UTC
Last modified: 28 Nov 2019, 22:01:19 UTC

We've started our 2019 funding drive. Many of you have probably received our email penned by Jeff Cobb who has been in the SETI group longer than I have. If you can't wait, you can read yours here.

Because of our continued effort to be GDPR compliant, we're not sending emails to anyone with an EU/EAA email addresses, anyone who listed an EU/EAA country, or anyone who listed "International" as their country. And, of course, anyone who has opted out of our emails won't get them.

Thanks for your support!
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Message 2020977 - Posted: 28 Nov 2019, 22:23:29 UTC - in response to Message 2020975.  

Thanks Eric,

Just made my annual contribution.

Z
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Message 2020987 - Posted: 29 Nov 2019, 0:22:10 UTC - in response to Message 2020975.  

I seriously consider making another donation, provided these previously done in september can finally be acknowledged. I don't think I had forgottten to specify those were specifically eartagged for SETI@home, but I could be wrong about this.
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Message 2021039 - Posted: 29 Nov 2019, 7:11:55 UTC - in response to Message 2020975.  

You should have contacted EU based members prior to GDPR coming into force. That way you could have contacted those - like me - that wanted to be kept informed.

I had lots of non EU organisations contact me prior to GDPR. Bad planning on your part.
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Message 2021058 - Posted: 29 Nov 2019, 14:49:48 UTC
Last modified: 29 Nov 2019, 14:49:59 UTC

Why No PayPal?
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Message 2021061 - Posted: 29 Nov 2019, 15:09:17 UTC - in response to Message 2021058.  

Why No PayPal?


From the donation page:

PayPal users: We vastly prefer the other donation methods listed above (due to lower overhead and ease of management), but if you can't contribute to us otherwise, you can now use PayPal. Thanks to the helpful support of the GPU Users Group, they are collecting donations via PayPal for SETI@home, which (after the standard PayPal overhead) is redirected entirely to us for general use or to then purchase specific pieces of hardware. The GPU Users Group is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, so donations made via this method are similarly tax-deductible. If you use this method, there may be a long delay (as much as a month) before you obtain your green star. For more information, or to make a donation through the GPU Users Group, click here.

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Message 2021065 - Posted: 29 Nov 2019, 15:33:42 UTC - in response to Message 2021058.  

Why No PayPal?

Direct, you are giving to a government organization, the Regents of the University of California. IRS doesn't take PayPal either.
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Message 2021066 - Posted: 29 Nov 2019, 15:34:26 UTC

I already beat you to the punch! I made a significantly larger donation this year at the start of Nov. I "might" donate an equal amount in Dec (I am not certain yet). Right now I am trying to get back my top 1% slot!
I treat everyone with equal disregard, I make fewer enemies that way!
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Message 2021095 - Posted: 29 Nov 2019, 18:01:32 UTC - in response to Message 2021061.  
Last modified: 29 Nov 2019, 18:02:33 UTC

Why No PayPal?


From the donation page:

PayPal users: We vastly prefer the other donation methods listed above (due to lower overhead and ease of management), but if you can't contribute to us otherwise, you can now use PayPal. Thanks to the helpful support of the GPU Users Group, they are collecting donations via PayPal for SETI@home, which (after the standard PayPal overhead) is redirected entirely to us for general use or to then purchase specific pieces of hardware. The GPU Users Group is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, so donations made via this method are similarly tax-deductible. If you use this method, there may be a long delay (as much as a month) before you obtain your green star. For more information, or to make a donation through the GPU Users Group, click here.

Thank you for setting this Up.
Who gets the Credit the Member or the Team GPU Users Group?
Most all other BOINC Projects World Wide Support Direct PayPal Donations.
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Message 2021096 - Posted: 29 Nov 2019, 18:05:26 UTC - in response to Message 2021095.  
Last modified: 29 Nov 2019, 18:10:37 UTC

Who gets the Credit the Member or the Team GPU Users Group?


The donor gets the star and donation credit. GPUUG is just the vector to get the funding to the SETI@Home project via UC Berkeley.

Most all other BOINC Projects World Wide Support Direct PayPal Donations.


As Gary noted, this due to both SETI@Home (and BOINC itself) being part of UC Berkeley, unlike all other BOINC projects which are independent. UC Berkeley will not and has never accepted PayPal on its donation portal and not from lack of the SETI@Home team asking, I am sure. :^)
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Message 2021105 - Posted: 29 Nov 2019, 19:41:00 UTC - in response to Message 2021096.  

UC Berkeley will not and has never accepted PayPal on its donation portal and not from lack of the SETI@Home team asking, I am sure. :^)

I strongly suspect that is due to laws about audits and control of funds. PayPay is not a traditional bank and likely Government funds must be in such an institution.
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Message 2021182 - Posted: 30 Nov 2019, 14:38:13 UTC - in response to Message 2020975.  

Wie ist diese Aussage zu verstehen?

SETI@home: Fall/Winter 2019 Funding drive has started
We've started our 2019 funding drive. Many of you have probably received our email penned by Jeff Cobb who has been in the SETI group longer than I have. If you can't wait, you can read yours here .


Because of our continued effort to be GDPR compliant, we're not sending emails to anyone with an EU/EAA email addresses, anyone who listed an EU/EAA country, or anyone who listed "International" as their country. And, of course, anyone who has opted out of our emails won't get them.
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Message 2021528 - Posted: 3 Dec 2019, 9:16:15 UTC - in response to Message 2021182.  

Wie ist diese Aussage zu verstehen?

SETI@home: Fall/Winter 2019 Funding drive has started
We've started our 2019 funding drive. Many of you have probably received our email penned by Jeff Cobb who has been in the SETI group longer than I have. If you can't wait, you can read yours here .


Because of our continued effort to be GDPR compliant, we're not sending emails to anyone with an EU/EAA email addresses, anyone who listed an EU/EAA country, or anyone who listed "International" as their country. And, of course, anyone who has opted out of our emails won't get them.


GDPR compliance is NOT an excuse. I am in the UK and I received MANY emails from USA based organisations asking if they could remain in contact. They still do.

There was plenty of time in the lead up to GDPR coming into force for you to contact your users. Terrible oversight on your part.
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Message 2022297 - Posted: 8 Dec 2019, 3:35:21 UTC - in response to Message 2020975.  

I need to say what I think about you asking for donations. I do not understand why you need it. You are part of Berkeley, surely, the university will receive credit and financial support to release some information on discoveries. We as your supporters on the other hand already spend thousands of dollars on equipment and the associated cost of electricity. For example, it costs me near A $3000,00 a quarter for electricity cost only running 16 machines for only BOINC use 24/7. Please explain, why should I finance your costs as well, considering that your project credits are the lowest of all BOINC Projects. We use those credits as a metric among ourselves to show how much we support a Project and why, and pride ourselves on our position of the ladder of achievers.. Why do you think we only deserve such small credits and you have the audacity to ask me to fund you as well?
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Message 2022302 - Posted: 8 Dec 2019, 3:55:05 UTC - in response to Message 2022297.  
Last modified: 8 Dec 2019, 4:20:52 UTC

Barring an official answer, I will see what I can do...

I do not understand why you need it. You are part of Berkeley, surely, the university will receive credit and financial support to release some information on discoveries.


UC Berkeley is a public, thus partially taxpayer-funded, U.S. university. It is nigh-impossible to obtain government funding for SETI in the U.S. since 1992, when Senator William Proxmire handed out his "Golden Fleece Award," for projects which he deemed the most frivolous use of taxpayer dollars, to NASA's SETI program. Unfortunately this proved unduly influential, and this program was cancelled after only roughly a year. No publicly-funded SETI program emerged again. If the SETI@Home team could get funding from UC Berkeley, they would, but UC Berkeley won't even pay for the project's electrical or internet bandwidth costs; this basic necessity is one of the prime reasons for the steady-state donations of these regular fundraisers.

We as your supporters on the other hand already spend thousands of dollars on equipment and the associated cost of electricity. For example, it costs me near A $3000,00 a quarter for electricity cost only running 16 machines for only BOINC use 24/7.


SETI@Home was designed and intended from its inception as a more casual project for smaller participants who ran the client during idle time of their single home or work computers. If we choose to have farms of 24x7 multi-GPU machines as I also do, well... our choice and expense. No one coerced us to do so. As well you are participating in numerous other projects besides SETI@Home.

Please explain, why should I finance your costs as well, considering that your project credits are the lowest of all BOINC Projects.


BOINC itself and and SETI@Home share the same inventors and developers who set the credit standard. While it is true our credit awards are roughly half of what they would have been before "CreditNew" was introduced, it is well-known that some other projects seem to artificially award much higher credit than the Cobblestone definition allows, precisely to attract participants. Solving arcane mathematical equations certainly doesn't have the inspirational wide-ranging appeal as finding the first sign of extraterrestrial intelligence!

Hope this helps...
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Message 2022311 - Posted: 8 Dec 2019, 4:33:13 UTC
Last modified: 8 Dec 2019, 4:48:56 UTC

The only thing that I have to say about it is that it's a bad time of the year for it as most of us are trying to get our families sorted for Xmas (as well as a few birthday's, at least in my case) at the same time.

Spring and autumn would be way better alternatives for fund raising IMHO (by March or September).

Cheers.
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Message 2022407 - Posted: 8 Dec 2019, 22:13:22 UTC
Last modified: 9 Dec 2019, 11:24:46 UTC

For U.S. donors who would like a tax deduction for their donations, please note that there have been recent changes in U.S. income tax law with the passage of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Donations, including to 501(c) (3) registered charitable organizations such as SETI@Home, are now only deductible on itemized returns, those where a Standard Deduction ($12,000 for single or married filing separately, $18,000 for head of household) is not used and instead all deductions that would fall under this blanket deduction are claimed separately.

This guide and calculator will allow calculation of the amount one can claim on itemized returns. Please note that this page indicates that there were no changes to charitable donations due to the Act's tax reforms, but this assumes that one is already submitting itemized returns (generally these are more often used by people with larger incomes.)

Of course, it is also recommended to consult a certified tax professional before making any changes to one's tax returns.
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Message boards : News : Fall/Winter 2019 Funding drive has started


 
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