* I bet he'd sell more if there were some incentive to buy more and get more. (It's not as though they gif images cost anything.)

Last edited Fri Feb 9, 2024, 03:53 PM - Edit history (2)

Do I cancel the old one first?

on edit: Yonnie3 posted the answer in post #134, below.

Also, if you set up a recurring donation during the heart drive, you'll automatically be given hearts at the beginning of next years heart drive & when your recurring donation hits again, during the drive, you get more hearts.

Party, bonus!

I'm not finding any link to upgrade/increase my recurring subscription in MY DU settings.

the link to take you to the Monthly Subscription page. Follow the instructions from there.

We note on the monthly and yearly payment pages that if you start a new automatic payment, it will NOT cancel your previous automatic payment(s).

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=star&type=monthly

So you have a few options -- let's say you already have a $5 automatic payment and you want to make it $10 intead, you could just use the link above to start a new $5 automatic payment -- so you'd be making two $5 automatic payments for a total of $10/month.

But if you'd rather not have two automatic payments going on (which most people would not, I'd imagine) then you'd need to make sure to cancel your current one, either after or before you start a new one.

To do that, you can visit this PayPal page:

https://www.paypal.com/myaccount/autopay

It will show you your current automatic payments, and you can manage/cancel any from there. (That link to PayPal can also be found on your Star Membership page -- click the My DU tab, and then the Star Membership button.)

Hope that helps!

I never used to have the ability to cancel people's automatic payments -- they had to log in to their PayPal accounts and do it themselves. But as of fairly recently, PayPal has provided me with an option to cancel payments. At the same time, some people have been getting these messages directing them to me to cancel their payments.

So I'm not quite sure what's going on there, but in most cases people should be able to cancel their own payments -- if they can't, however, I can do if for them. If you need me to do it, just contact me via DU Mail or email.

but scrolling way down I see a link "Remove PayPal as payment method."

I got there after logging on PayPal and by clicking on the "Democratic Underground, LLC - Automatic Payment for $XX

There is a link midway down the page that says "Manage Democratic Underground, LLC payments"

Clicking on the above gets you to a page that has links of:

"Change payment method"

"Manage and cancel at Democratic Underground, LLC"

and at the bottom all the way down the page "Remove PayPal as payment method"

I think this is how you cancel all PayPal payments to DU.

I didn't try to cancel DU but I removed several vendors who had apparently snuck themselves in there with no payments listed.

All above is from the website.

They couldn't have hidden that better if they tried!

Have a new credit card. It keeps sending me, not accepted. I just need the. Address.

I will save that!!

I hope it helps.

I donated earlier this week, a one-time payment. I will keep your monthly donation in mind for August. Thank you for all you do.

I’d like to make a one-time payment now, but all I saw was either another Star membership or a monthly contribution.

I thought the one I got in Aug tacked on to the one I already had, but this one doesn't seem to do that.

But I'll certainly think about doing a monthly donation.

I'd be happy to add to my support, but I don't want to change the renewal date on my Star Membership, which is my largest contribution annually.

So I hold off on giving at other times of the year, sometimes.

If there was an easy way to contribute outside of (in addition to) the Star Membership program, I'd use it more often.

You guys hang in there, we got your back. We'll work something out.

The election is coming, after all, and we NEED DU, including your careful stewardship of the site's tech and content.

appreciatively,
Bright

maybe setting up a Patreon, in exchange for which DUers could suggest new features and get early input into how they might work, and then if a feature is approved, get early access using it while we test it out. I wasn't sure how interested people would be, but I could explore it further...

But I think it would be a worthwhile investment to build in a native transaction tool not unlike ordinary e-commerce programs, with a direct payment capability. It would give you more flexibility for managing contribution programs and managing members, users, contributors, etc.

Extra work, though. And not fun.

regretfully,
Bright

EarlG, I would love it you could do what TygrBright is suggesting. Tbh, the way things are set up now is kind of complicated and confusing for those of us who would just like to increase our monthly contribution.

PayPal currently shows me as having 2 annual recurring payments, one in August and one in February, plus a small monthly recurring payment. I'm not exactly sure how this came to be, but it looks like I'ver been donating 3 times as much per year to DU as I thought I was.

Fortunately, I can swing it (for now), and I don't begrudge DU a single penny, believe me. I'd much rather not have 3 different recurring payments, and now that I'm aware of the situation, I'll delete all 3 recurring payments and set up up a third that will total as least as much as I've been paying. Still, I can't help wishing it didn't have to be quite this complicated.

I don't know much about e-commerce, and I have no idea what would be involved in setting up what Bright is suggesting, but as a DU member, I would find that incredibly helpful!

member gave 10 dollars, or FIVE dollars for a Star Membership we could all sleep better knowing DU will be fine.

I won't say what I give for a star membership each year but it is more than 10 dollars and it doesn't hurt my bank account or budget.

This is such an informative site, how can someone just skate free?

This is important!

if i am now breaking a rule because of my california rights to opt out of ads then i quit. if evryone asked me for money i am lo income how about sending me money.

2) Without guilt, you should not donate if you are not in a position. Take care of your personal priorities. 3) If you are in need of additional income/food/resources, hopefully your community services can help: food bank, etc.

Take care.

Your ad blocker doesn't have any work to do here.

Only one comment and one request from me:
First, Grovelbot wasn’t so bad
Second, can the hearts start just a little sooner and linger a little longer?

Thanks for all you do, Earl G and Elad.

Fundraiser like the hearts?

And how about a minimum star donor contribution of $10 or more?

You should, too, spooky3!

but I’d buy pumpkins, too.

Keep doing the hearts, but add another fundraiser in the fall with punpkins!

I’m no good with sticky notes because I can never think of anything to say, but I know they work well for a lot of people.

Just remembered: at one time we got to give away star memberships, and I really enjoyed looking up friends who had no stars. Maybe could make those at the $10 level.

Grovelbot could kick butt, too.

Lower income people have plenty of obstacles.

It's feels so good to do this! This is the first time I bought hearts, but donate 20$ in August and November!

kinda feel Cupid!

sage

... with an invitation to get a Star membership. I thought I already had one, but got a message that it was running out on Feb 7 and would be renewed for a year.

But I got the same message today, after "renewing."

I've already gotten myself signed up for Star twice a year or two ago. Sorry. But until this is cleared up I won't make another donation.

I just checked and it looks like you made a recurring payment on February 6 but then another one on February 7. I just refunded the February 7 payment and canceled the automatic payment so it will not recur again. So you now have a single automatic Star Membership payment which will recur again on February 6 next year (unless you turn it off before then) -- thank you for being a Star Member.

For people who already have a recurring Star Membership but would like to make an additional contribution, the best way to do it is to use the One-time online payment option. Making a payment with this option will not affect any automatic payments that you already have set up.

Thanks again.

If you make a donation to DU, it was as little as $5 you don't get advertisements and some other perks.

You have a Gold Star already, so you are a Star member.

I have no clue what your salary is but it is peanuts when considering how vital your work is. I have a star membership but would like to make a one time donation. How can I do this? I hope others who can comfortably financially afford it will do the same.

You guys are great!

I know it's a drop in the bucket, but if the hearts could stay a little longer - like two weeks or through Feb, then I bet you'd raise a bit more funds.

This is my very first year being able to buy hearts. I only have a few, so it's hard deciding who gets them. I'd love to buy a few more. I just started a new job a few days ago and I was thinking that I'd love to buy more hearts after my first check
....but that is after this campaign expires. Boo.

And, yes, simply buying/renewing a star membership is enough, but I think campaigns like the hearts are more engaging and grab more attention. Maybe a seasonal thing? Flowers in the spring? Suns in the summer? Pumpkins? Christmas trees or snowflakes? I'd think you'd find people would be happy to engage in that way.

Thank you for keeping DU going!

DU has poor marketing. Everybody is focused on "buy us" "support us".

The awesome question to ask is: "Why do people NOT buy/support?"

I am quite well-off from a career in raising this question.
The answers range from trivial to profound, but you need to know why not.

It's just savvy marketing. Why not?

Cheers!!!

To improve marketing simply and economically?

i have been reading this site for years...not always commenting but always reading. i won't do paypal. and i am sorry about that but if you and elad decide to try a monthly fundraiser i would be more than interested.

After I filled in the required blanks, it still tried to get me to sign into PayPal. However, there is a blue checkmark button that, when you uncheck it, lets you contribute direct from your cc or debit card account. It changes to a "guest member" donation .

I would suggest to the DU admins that you might want to clarify the non PayPal options for donating on your subscribe page.

Used an unsecure browser, allowed cookies, cleared every cache and tried again.

I give up.

The option you describe STILL brings you to Paypal because they handle all the transactions. The only non-paypal option is snail mail.

But, by unchecking the blue check mark button, it clears the PayPal prompt and processes the tranaction as a normal direct cc/debitcard payment.

And I do that every time except when trying to troubleshoot. None of the options or click buttons change the problem. I go through the whole process and end up with my card rejected. Shit, I've entered it into the form so many times that I have the cc# memorized.

The little blue opt-out of opening an acct thing doesn't make any difference whether I use it or not, it is still a paypal transaction and they won't accept my card. I don't have another to use, I bought this one specifically for this DU event.

good luck

Thanks for trying.

Altho I have long since gotten comfortable with online donations and purchases — the one-time donor feature is good, and the “guest” feature for PayPal is also good.

The same way and now it does not work. Did it last year, same computer and settings, same brand of credit card. If they are trying to compare it to the one I used last year, we've got a big problem because that means they are retaining the card info on a one time transaction.

I've got an envelope ready and it will go in the mail tomorrow.

I send my checks to the PO Box that is under Contact us ..so easy and I’m happy the adm accepts payment this way.
The only down side is I have to be aware of the calendar..I sent my Valentines fundraiser last week and waiting for the ok to gift them..if we get to do pumpkins, bunnies, Veterans or whatever, we’ll just have to mark the calendar. Hope this helps ya..

I'll just send it in earlier.

Thanks.

I very much appreciate all of your hard work and am happy to donate as much as I can.

Not too long ago, I wanted to gift a "Star Membership" to a person who said s/he couldn't afford to pay for membership. At that time, you emailed me that unfortunately that wasn't an option.

Do you think you could make it possible for those of us who can afford to gift a membership to do so?

Some of us may be able to help others get a membership while also raising much-needed funds. It would be like purchasing hearts, in a way. We could just purchase memberships!

Again, thank you for sharing this. I am very grateful for DU.

I've done that during that fundraiser for the past two years, but I wish it was possible more often as well.

Thank you!

Fucking Paypal will not accept my payment. I have tried all kinds of tricks suggested by others and none of that works.



Terribly frustrated, my membership ends tomorrow but I can't seem to renew unless I simply use snail mail which makes it certain that I can't buy hearts during this campaign and I was saving up for that for weeks. Seriously disappointed and kind of pissed about that part.

Would be nice if there were another option for online contributions but if not, guess snail mail is it.

DU obviously has a partnership program with Paypal, but my above post explains how to do a one-time donation that doesn't require signing up or signing in to PayPal.

I'm gonna give myself a hat tip!

Hope that helps a bit! We need you and DU!

DU is a better value than any TV subscription.
I am going to review my TV subscriptions and start a monthly donation to DU, + a few extra $.

Thanks for everything DU and DU'ers!

I am a new baby star-member!

I can't wait to throw these hearts around like glitter.

Baby star member

After all, it seems like you are achieving your goal of not making money, anyway!

Good luck with this.

First of all, the downside: you won't receive my contribution until after Feb. 14, so I don't get any hearts to distribute. Second, for the extra time I hope I am buying you, my 99th request to stick all the one-track "evil Israel" posts in the forum designated for them, and unburden GD from their tedious monotony (full disclaimer--I do not pretend to be Jewish, have never been to Israel, and have no special plans to go there, even though I'm closer than most of DU--4 hour flight or so, and would really like to try one of their locally baked babkas, which I hear are amazing).

Now the good news: I will be sending you a check. That means you get to keep all of it. No 4% deducted by some credit card company. And, that check will be for $1000. Not that I'm a billionaire, but the past few years have been good for me. It's only about $50 per year for the nearly twenty years I have been here, less than twenty cents a day. Obviously, I have contributed in the past, but not on this level, and never in response to this frank a message of need.

About the "you can refuse" part--there is no obligation to pay attention to my request, and you can always tear up my check if you consider it too old-fashioned, or if there is some kind of unspoken moral obligation to cut Mastercard in for $40.

One for the donation and 1 for the forum comment.

"From each according to his ability to each according to his need."

But although there have been times when I left DU when certain factions seemed to have taken over the asylum (indeed--some still seem bent on it), I still sort of like the site, and think it is worth preserving.

I will gladly accept your check, provided that you still want to send it, on the understanding that it won't influence my decision on the status of I/P discussions in GD. However I certainly understand your feelings about that situation -- I can tell you that there is already an active discussion in the Hosts forum about it; there are no firm decisions yet, but we are currently in the process of determining when (and how) to return to the stricter standard.

Done deal!

Maybe not the most encouraging news you'll get all day, but better than the envelope sitting around in Düsseldorf gathering dust.

With all the hearts I have now, I used this thread to dump a bunch of them.

Still have a lot of hearts in my inventory, though. Willing to sell a bunch at a steep discount!

I agree with the suggestions to have four fundraisers a year and to extend the hearts season to two weeks each year.

How about creating an option for star members also to see advertisements? Totally voluntary of course. I for one would not mind seeing some ads if that would help you all get more money from your hard work.

I am now a star member on a monthly subscription plan.

Keep up the important work!

I figured I'm on here more than I am on Hulu and usually less disappointed in the content anyway.

As a Canadian, this is the best site for news about the US that is of interest to more liberal minded thinkers. First stop of the day.

Wish I could contribute more! I value this forum immensely

I just received my tax return money so I can do a (what is for me) a nice one-time payment. I know you're worth a lot more. Good luck, and I hope the people here all pull together and contribute what they can.

So I can send a check. Have a new credit card, the old one will not work.
Please send me an emai. I am not on PayPal.

But I agree you need a better way to plan and pay your obligations. I just started a monthly...more than I pay for my Washington Post subscription!

Please let us know if this fundraiser has helped you.

DU has been the only forum I have visited for over 20 years and I will contribute what I can to keep it going and also provide a paycheck for both you and Elad for the essential work you both do.

Last edited Fri Feb 9, 2024, 10:02 AM - Edit history (1)

Changed plans at credit union due to limitation on number of monthly transactions with my free account.

is whether recurring payments are eligible for the fund raising "perks." I like to be able to give a gift star membership to someone who needs one and giving hearts. I've never set up a recurring payment because I don't want to lose those perks. Could you clarify if they are available? If not, is it possible to make at least one of them available (i.e., when the time comes "over the past year, you've donated enough with your recurring payments to give x star memberships/x hearts.&quot ?

I hope it helps… Love you guys!

I just grabbed another batch of hearts to give away. I love this time of year on DU, and I love the idea for having pumpkins to give away in the fall, too! 🥰

A check will be in the mail tomorrow morning. Thank you for all you do.

Thanks for all you do, you and Elad both.

My DU membership is way cheaper than therapy, and — in my case, at least — way more effective! Well worth a little extra.

I renewed and raised my amount a bit. Thank you for all you do!

There’s only one DU, and it matters to me.

This is my rock.

Thanks for all you do EarlG and Elad. You guys are the best.

I've been a lurker for years but today i officially signed up and set up a donation. Thank you for all your hard work.

I"m glad you're here!

Enjoy!

Someone said spend your money on experiences not things. DU is a great experience every day. I’d like it to stay that way.

Thanks for all you do.

more after this effort, pass the hat again.

... ideally, how much should a DU member need to be thinking about paying yearly?