Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Doug on September 30, 2011 at 9:35am

Between JDRF and Dr Faustman and other organizations - lots of entities are asking for a piece of My Diabetes donation pie.

I'm not around here very often and havent read all the various posts but the one question that I havent seen answered is - what is the money for ? There are really 2 pieces to the question. 1 what is the money used for ? 2 Is it really being used for that ?

http://www.charitynavigator.org doesnt have an entry for the DHF so its not possible to see what % of the $$ is used for the as yet unstated reason.

In my google search about DHF I found that they have relationships with JDRF and some big corporations, do we assume that no $$ changes hands there ?

I know that these questions may not be received well - But I always want to know who Im considering sending money to. And I bet Im not the only one...

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Permalink Reply by bobnominous on October 3, 2011 at 7:57am

Hi Doug,

I should have replied days ago but this will have to do.

First of all, your questions are well received. If you can't question anything, it's already questionable.

So first part: What is it used for? I would imagine license fees and hosting costs as well as administrative costs. TuD is heavily themed for it's own personality but it's essentially built on the ning framework, which isn't free. The smallest bare-bones package that will support a site this size is $600/yr, but that's just the framework itself. There's domain costs, hosting, bandwidth, support, advertising, admin, addons etc. It adds up faster than you might think. If you have never run an organization of any sort it's easy to miss a lot of this stuff. Then you have to consider the time spent running this community. The site management, projects, events, nearly daily updates, partnerships, etc. I've seen pictures of Manny all over the world! Well the US at least, but i'm sure he's promoted TuD elsewhere! Have you seen all the projects involved here? Full length professional videos, massive gatherings, contests, meetings, etc. It's a lot of work coordinating all these things, and quite frankly, $14k is a pitifully small amount to manage all that. My guess is that Manny also works a regular job (as if diabetes management isn't a full time job enough) as well as run TuD. If he's getting support from corporations and JDRF, then all the better! The great thing about it though, this site cuts through the redtape, the spin, the BigPharma slant, everything. Opinions are welcome (usually) for or against any topic that comes through.

So the 2nd part: Is it really being used for that? I'm honestly not really sure it matters? Somebody has to pay the internet bills. It's not me. But then, what is the purpose of this site? Are they selling anything? Services? Ad revenue? No, they real reason for this site is community support. It excels beyond any doubt in that main goal too. Which is why I chose to donate. I don't know what charitynavigator is, nor do i care. As far as relationships with JDRF and "some big corporations" and assuming no money changes hands... i would certainly hope it does change hands! I'm not sure why you think this would be a bad thing? Am i missing something?

Wanting to know where you send your money is prudent and smart, I agree. This community has a tangible effect for me and I choose to support it. I also support Dr Faustman's, the Diabetic Dogs program, and probably another several hundred a year for various charities that friends participate in. If you do not feel comfortable donating, that's perfectly fine! Please do consider contributing in other ways, perhaps just lending an ear when a friend needs to vent, or a simple "like" to show support for somebody that's having a tough day. It doesn't take much effort and you never know what kind of difference it may have.

Full disclosure: I have never met anyone from this site, including Manny or any of the admin staff. I'm just an opinionated anonymous joe on the internet, and will remain so.

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Permalink Reply by Doug on October 3, 2011 at 8:17am

Thanks for the replies

Ive already ruffled enough feathers by asking the questions ... Im going back in Lurk mode
Feel free to remove my disruptive questions.

Not that it matters but Ive been hosting and managing profitable web communities for many years. Mostly auto enthusiast sites. I know what goes into it.

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Permalink Reply by Judith on October 3, 2011 at 1:17pm

Mmmm, Doug. Reasonable to ask. DHF is a registered non-profit. If you are really worried, their records have to be publicly accessible and I'm sure you can find them. They also post them here at the site every year.

I've literally grown up in and around 501(c)3s for 50 years. And founded 2---one was a strong community presence for 25 years, the other is still going strong without me at the 30-year mark. Ultimately, it's just a matter of: Does this one make a difference in your life? And can you afford to support it financially, or with volunteer efforts, or not.

Best to you and yours......

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