Bitcoin 100: Developed Specifically for Non-Profits

[BadBear]

I pledge 1 BTC per organization, until further notice.

But if I'm allowed to be a bit of a spoilsport, I think we need to be realistic with respect to the success prospects of this initiative. 100 BTC is not a lot for the organizations that matter, and Bitcoin comes with legal and publicity baggage that they will be mindful of. If they need any convincing at all to accept bitcoins, a mere 100 BTC will not be what convinces them.

It's even worse if the funds aren't collected in advance. When the time comes to pay up you don't know who will have forgotten about the whole thing, who doesn't get the memo, who has run out of coins and who simply refuses to honor their pledge. And the organization will be less eager to go along if they're not assured the money is all accounted for.

Maybe we can learn a few things from the DOSBox pledge which was sort of similar but on a much smaller scale. That was essentially a one-man crew with a hobby project and without any real legal obligation, and the persuasion process was far from "100 BTC you say? Of course I'll accept bitcoins now!".

I do remember that Roger did this same thing with 1000 dollars of his own money, ready to be paid.   And that wikileaks cited "potential" issues with the Charities Commission. 

[BTCurious]

Maybe we can learn a few things from the DOSBox pledge which was sort of similar but on a much smaller scale. That was essentially a one-man crew with a hobby project and without any real legal obligation, and the persuasion process was far from "100 BTC you say? Of course I'll accept bitcoins now!".

They accepted it though, and the address is still there…

I certainly wouldn't stand in front of the salvation army guys and say I've got money here but only if you use "this" currency.

Agreed, that sounds silly. How about we say: "There are people who want to donate to your cause, but don't want to have part of their money eaten by paypal and such. Bitcoin donations would allow them to donate arbitrary amounts, large or small, without creditcards or fees. We've already collected some money in Bitcoins for you guys, can you set up a Bitcoin address so future donations could go directly to you?"

[evoorhees]

Please add me. Good idea OP.

[BitPay Business Solutions]

I'm in 2 Bitcoins per charity.

And if they need help setting up, we make it so easy they don't even have to know what a Bitcoin is, because they never see it.  We just put dollars into their bank account every day.

https://bit-pay.com/forCharities.html

[fizzisist]

Count me in!

[Phinnaeus Gage]

I will donate 10 BTC for each organization, up to 500 BTC.

Thank you kindly, zhoutong, for your generous pledge. Updated!

Backwards replying is all the rage.

MD = MemoryDealers, i.e., Roger.

The buffer: I mean you could build up a buffer without it being for a specific organization. If we put in 100 BTC in total without specifying which organization it's for, then we could mail both Wikipedia and Pacific help fund X at the same time. If one of them then still says "Thanks but no thanks", then we could send the money to the other guys. Being able to mail multiple organizations would speed up acceptance, parallelizing instead of doing them serially. But in retrospect my idea is not very workable, I think, so feel free to ignore it.

Oh, I figured it meant 100 BTC per organization
If we have to specify that, then I would be 1 BTC per organization, up to a few tens of BTC.

Stupid me! I've used MD several times on this board, but when you used it, it eluded me.

I need to head out to Chicago today to deliver a load of barn wood. I'll be back late this afternoon to fully address the rest of this quote, along with updating the OP and addressing any other issues related to the Bitcoin100.

Thank you, again, to all those who've pledged to date.

Bruno

Back from Chicago. Traffic was rough today. I've updated your pledge to reflex 30+ meaning at least 30 unique contributions (of your choice) at 1 BTC each.

I believe what you mean by buffer is what I referred to as a pool in the OP. As this progresses, this/those/these finer details will fall into place.

Now on to reading, updating the OP, and commenting on the rest of this thread.

[jamesg]

I'm in.

[ALPHA.]

Yep. 1 Bitcoin.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

The following is the list of those who've pledge to date:

The Bitcoin100:

#   NAME   (Initial Pledge: expressed in at least 1 BTC total)

1. Phinnaeus Gage (Bruno) (100+)
2. Coinabul (2)
3. MemoryDealers (10 Per Charitable Organization--Initial Max at 1,000)
4. amincd (1)
5. CIYAM Pty. Ltd. (Ian Knowles) (5 Total ~ at least)
6. damnek (1)
7. BTCurious (30+)
8. Shuai (1)
9. Technomage (1+)
10. MaxSan (2)
11. Steve (1)
12. meanig (1)
13. Littleshop (5)
14. zhoutong (10 Per Charitable Organization--Initial Max at 500)
15. DeathAndTaxes (1)
16. Yankee (10 Per Charitable Organization--No Max on Initial Pledge)
17. dancupid (1)
18. Meni Rosenfeld (1 Per Charitable Organization--With a Min/Max Caveat)
19. evoorhees (1)
20. Bit-pay Merchant Solutions (2 Per Charitable Organization)
21. fizzisist (1)
22. gigasvps (1)
23. ALPHA (1)
24.

Thank you for all the PMs, also, of which I've replied to each and every one of them. Most are of the "great idea" type, while a small handful are of the "thanks, but no thanks" type. I shall not past judgement toward a single member for not coming on board--at this time.

I'll try to combine my posts as much as possible on this thread, but allow me a tad of latitude when I post back to back. I will try to keep it to a minimum.

That said, I'm now going to pen responses to posts I've yet to address since early this morning.

Bruno

EDIT, prior to posting this post. Thank you kindly, ALPHA.

[paraipan]

I'm in.

+1, count me in.

Would be nice to have a website set-up where everyone can put whatever they can, like 30btc for ex, and be counted until his pledge lasts.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

That's why I was requesting somebody else to try to explain how this would not be considered extortion. On the surface, you are correct as to what it looks like, but...

We'll get some clarity on this issue, I'm sure.

Thank you for your kind words, BadBear, about me. I think you know that this is isn't some type of money grab on my part because I won't be in control of any funds. Just wanted to make that clear for what it's worth.

Thought never even crossed my mind, and I'm positive you do have the best of intentions.  I'll try not to shit up the thread too much but hopefully someone can elaborate better on how this could be seen in a good light.  I'd just hate for more bad publicity to come out. 

Duly noted! I've nothing but best intentions in regards to the Bitcoin100 (I like how the name resonates).

Not sure how I am making it sound worse than it is, when it's pretty bad to begin with.  I think peoples eagerness to get bitcoin wider acceptance is clouding their judgement. 

BadBear do you enjoy trolling?

I can't speak for others but for me it is more like I (others) have a limited amount of money to donate.  Some charities accept BTC, some don't.  If you accept BTC you have greater chance of getting funds from me. 

Nothing different than a charity accepting CC.  I don't write checks, and I don't like to give cash (no IRS record) so if a charity doesn't accept credit cards I am going to donate to a charity that does.   10 years ago that was more of an issue but today virtually every charity accepts credit cards.  Maybe in 10 years almost every charity will accept Bitcoins.

If that is evil well I guess I am evil.

Or their rejection of PayPal when they were first introduced. I wonder how many charities had to contend with charge backs from those who've used PP or CC to donate, then later the donaters changed their minds.

Is it even a question? Of course I pledge 10 BTC per organization

However, I reserve the right to deny any organization, especially the smaller ones I dont know enough about.

With the possible exception of the first one or two, all charitable organizations should be known before hand. The finer details of this issue should be worked out when the time comes. Nobody will be donating to an organization that they wouldn't do otherwise using other donation avenues.

I'm happy to pledge (assuming I agree with the goals of the charity - a few international ones would be nice. I'm not sure that health care (Mayo clinic) is a charitable matter for most western countries other than the US - I'm happy to support them outside the US in Africa/Asia - the richest country in the world ought to be able to provide health care to it's own people) .
Not all of us are Americans, and I'm not sure I want to help American politicians deal with their own failings via charity -

EDIT though the same could be said of African politicians - people are suffering because of the failings of politicians everywhere - so I change my mind. Any charity will do.

My initial list of 10 charitable organization is just that--a list. When I penned it, I included mostly the ones known here in the States. As time passes, we'll all automatically think globally.

Not sure how I am making it sound worse than it is, when it's pretty bad to begin with.  I think peoples eagerness to get bitcoin wider acceptance is clouding their judgement. 

BadBear do you enjoy trolling?

I can't speak for others but for me it is more like I (others) have a limited amount of money to donate.  Some charities accept BTC, some don't.  If you accept BTC you have greater chance of getting funds from me. 

Nothing different than a charity accepting CC.  I don't write checks, and I don't like to give cash (no IRS record) so if a charity doesn't accept credit cards I am going to donate to a charity that does.   10 years ago that was more of an issue but today virtually every charity accepts credit cards.  Maybe in 10 years almost every charity will accept Bitcoins.

If that is evil well I guess I am evil.

Sorry, having a different opinion than you doesn't qualify me as a troll, but you did at least respond with something so I'll give you that.

I have nothing against charities accepting bitcoins, it would be nice, I don't want anyone else knowing what charities I donate to so it's very convenient.  What I have a problem with is this specific presentation.  I certainly wouldn't stand in front of the salvation army guys and say I've got money here but only if you use "this" currency.  

And I never said you or anyone else was evil, I try not to judge people (not that I'm innocent).  

I see what you're saying, BadBear, but I think the Salvation Army guy is a bad example. You can ignore him (and it's always a homeless him--correct me if I'm wrong) or drop what ever you like in their bucket. Each year, for at least the past couple decades, there's always at least one story of an anonymous individual donating Krugerrands. I have a theory that it's the same person that leaves a partial bottle of cognac and three roses on Poe's grave.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

I'm in.

+1, count me in.

Would be nice to have a website set-up where everyone can put whatever they can, like 30btc for ex, and be counted until his pledge lasts.

Thank you kindly, paraipan, for your pledge. As time progresses, a site of sorts will be set up to aid this endeavor. The following is a quick outline of the steps toward full implementation.

1. Outline and name the plan--Bitcoin100.
2. Maintain this thread and list initial pledges.
3. Address questions, concerns, suggestions, etc., as they arise.
4. Have a trusted member on this board control the funds (not me!--believe me when I state that I'll spend in on musty old wood).
5. Have one, or more, spokesperson(s) approach the charitable organizations when the time is ripe. They may, or may not, be the same person as described in #4.

That's it, for starters. As time passes, the outline will grow. The entire process need not be that complicated.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

I pledge 1 BTC per organization, until further notice.

But if I'm allowed to be a bit of a spoilsport, I think we need to be realistic with respect to the success prospects of this initiative. 100 BTC is not a lot for the organizations that matter, and Bitcoin comes with legal and publicity baggage that they will be mindful of. If they need any convincing at all to accept bitcoins, a mere 100 BTC will not be what convinces them.

It's even worse if the funds aren't collected in advance. When the time comes to pay up you don't know who will have forgotten about the whole thing, who doesn't get the memo, who has run out of coins and who simply refuses to honor their pledge. And the organization will be less eager to go along if they're not assured the money is all accounted for.

Maybe we can learn a few things from the DOSBox pledge which was sort of similar but on a much smaller scale. That was essentially a one-man crew with a hobby project and without any real legal obligation, and the persuasion process was far from "100 BTC you say? Of course I'll accept bitcoins now!".

I desired to address this post, separately, oppose to including it within a mega-quoted post.

You are so correct in stating that 100 BTC is not a hell of a lot at today's exchange rate. And, like you stated, some organizations won't be to keen on excepting Bitcoin. But some are, like Amani-Kinderdorf: http://amani-kinderdorf.de/index.php?id=213&L=1

In fact, we could could use Amani-Kinderdorf as one example each time a charitable organization is approach. Each new organization added to the list, makes the next ones that much more easily to get on board.

It's even worse if the funds aren't collected in advance. When the time comes to pay up you don't know who will have forgotten about the whole thing, who doesn't get the memo, who has run out of coins and who simply refuses to honor their pledge. And the organization will be less eager to go along if they're not assured the money is all accounted for.

True! That's why a slush pool (for lack of a better term) will always be available. And that is why more than 100 pledging individuals are needed, thereby guaranteeing at least 100 BTC available for transfer when a charitable organization agrees to our extortion (humor-couldn't resist).

I took the time to read the thread you provided on DOSBox. First time I've seen it. I want to state that I thought Bitcoin100 was somewhat an original idea. I didn't mean to hijack or modify any previous similar ideas. I stating developing this idea in my mind after reading the Wikipedia donation post a couple weeks back.

[Isosceles]

Great idea, glad someone is organising this. I pledge 1 BTC.

This is like a forum equivalent of Kickstarter.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Maybe we can learn a few things from the DOSBox pledge which was sort of similar but on a much smaller scale. That was essentially a one-man crew with a hobby project and without any real legal obligation, and the persuasion process was far from "100 BTC you say? Of course I'll accept bitcoins now!".

They accepted it though, and the address is still there…

I certainly wouldn't stand in front of the salvation army guys and say I've got money here but only if you use "this" currency.

Agreed, that sounds silly. How about we say: "There are people who want to donate to your cause, but don't want to have part of their money eaten by paypal and such. Bitcoin donations would allow them to donate arbitrary amounts, large or small, without creditcards or fees. We've already collected some money in Bitcoins for you guys, can you set up a Bitcoin address so future donations could go directly to you?"

Again, accept my apologies for back to back to back posts, but there's a lot of info that needs addressing/commenting on.

"There are people who want to donate to your cause, but don't want to have part of their money eaten by paypal and such. Bitcoin donations would allow them to donate arbitrary amounts, large or small, without creditcards or fees. We've already collected some money in Bitcoins for you guys, can you set up a Bitcoin address so future donations could go directly to you?"

This is what I was hoping for. A short, to the point, 3-4 sentence introduction. Let's tighten it up, together, shall we?

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

There are people who want to donate to your cause, but don't want to have part of their fundraising efforts eaten by PayPal or by other banking institutions. By you accepting Bitcoin donations, allow them to donate arbitrary amounts, large or small, without you incurring PayPal or credit card fees or, that matter, charge backs. We've already collected some funding in Bitcoins for your organization. Allow us to help you set up a donation button on your website so that you can receive these pre-allocated funds and, moreover, have the ability to collect more Bitcoin in the coming years. Thank you kindly for your consideration.

Now, tighten it up. evoorhees?

[ALPHA.]

Mr. Gage, you have my reverence. If there is a god, may he bless with you with all the musty old wood you can muster.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Great idea, glad someone is organising this. I pledge 1 BTC.

This is like a forum equivalent of Kickstarter.

And with your kind pledge, Isosceles, the Bitcoin100 list is now 2 Bit (25 count) strong. I like your Kickstarter analogy.

I'm in 2 Bitcoins per charity.

And if they need help setting up, we make it so easy they don't even have to know what a Bitcoin is, because they never see it.  We just put dollars into their bank account every day.

https://bit-pay.com/forCharities.html

I think your service could/will definitely work, Bit-Pay. Anything to make it easier on the charitable organization's part.

One of the beauties of this idea is that as more known charities attach a Bitcoin option to their websites, more people will see the word Bitcoin for the first time, whereupon curiosity will final get the better part of them, they'll research it, then maybe help spread the word.

To date, a bare minimum of 1,671 BTC have been pledged by 25 members of BT. Not too shabby for an idea introduced only 24 hours ago.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Mr. Gage, you have my reverence. If there is a god, may he bless with you with all the musty old wood you can muster.

Are you suggesting me getting a woody wooden idol? Plus, it looks like you're getting tired. You're sentence structure is skewed. Speaking of, I need to head over to The Never Ending Story thread, Momo.

[ALPHA.]

Mr. Gage, you have my reverence. If there is a god, may he bless with you with all the musty old wood you can muster.

Are you suggesting me getting a woody wooden idol?

I suggest you make a wooden idol in YOUR image.

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Mr. Gage, you have my reverence. If there is a god, may he bless with you with all the musty old wood you can muster.

Are you suggesting me getting a woody wooden idol?

I suggest you make a wooden idol in YOUR image.

Done!



To date, a bare minimum of 53 BTC towards the first 100 BTC goal have been pledged by 25 members of BT, with a grand total of 1,671 BTC. Not too shabby for an idea introduced only 24 hours ago.

I, for one, can't wait to see where we'll be when we reach 100 members pledging.