Since its beginning nearly two years ago, FR. DENNIS AT THE MOVIES, has experienced ever increasing readership and has even begun to receive some acclaim.
Yet from the beginning, the goal has been to see if a Blog such as this, seeking to promote dialogue between Conemporary Culture and Faith, could become a self-supporting ministry. Yes, the task ahead is daunting, but one has to start somewhere ;-).
So today, I set up a PayItSquare / PayPal Driven Donations Page to begin to see if the Blog could start to cover its costs. The page is set-up to accept TWO KINDS OF DONATIONS:
(1) A FREQUENT READER DONATION (suggested $6 whenever you feel like it, or feel guilty enough to contribute ;-). Consider it like buying a magazine on a newsstand. Yes, you can continue to read the blog for free. But you could also hand the magazine that you bought over to a friend to read afterwards (or read a book or magazine that a friend had bought and lent you). In any case, the operation of a blog like this does incur real costs in terms of both money and time, and it is fair to occasionally contribute to its continued operation.
(2) A "PATRON" LEVEL DONATION (suggested $25 but you could donate more or less) which would be for those who'd like to perhaps make a more definitive statement of support of the Blog and its mission of promoting a Dialogue between Contemporary Culture (as expressed in Film) and our Faith.
IN BOTH CASES THESE WOULD BE "ONE TIME" (rather than RECURRING) DONATIONS. And you would receive an e-mail giving thanks for your contribution from me on behalf of the Friar Servants of Mary - USA Province. The Province is registered in the United States as a religious/charitable institution. All proceeds collected above expenses (strictly accounted) will go to the Province. As such your contributions would be tax deductible. FURTHER, if you give a truly significant donation (on the order of hundreds or even thousands of dollars ;-), you can be absolutely certain that you would be hearing from us to make sure that you receive all the required paperwork so that your generous contribution to the Servites would be recognized by the tax authorities. FINALLY, if you are reading this Blog from OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES, while I really _doubt_ that you could deduct your donations from your taxes, I'd honestly appreciate your contributions as well especially if you are a frequent reader. It'd be a nice gesture to do so _on occasion_.
I honestly envision that most donations to this blog would be small. So I doubt that for most people (both from inside the United States and outside) their donations here would have a meaningful bearing on their taxes (though your contributions, large or small, would _certainly_ have a meaningful impact on this Blog / developing Ministry). If however your donation would be large, you can be sure that I/we in the Province will do what we is proper/needed to help make sure it's recognized by the proper tax authorities.
Again, this is a rather daunting and arguably-ego risking task. I fully expect that particularly the first few months will be bruising. But I'm seeking to move this Blog to the next levels of its journey:
PHASE 1 (4-6 months - Mar 2013) - The blog becomes able to pay for its direct expenses (gas/tickets/appropriate donations to open source materials - wikipedia/imdb referenced in my reviews) -- $250/mo.
PHASE 2 (12 - 18 months - Mar 2014) - The blog truly starts to pay for itself covering both expenses and at least minimally the effort involved (assuming 20 reviews a month at 2 hrs/review and a pay rate of $10/hour = $400/mo+expenses) -- $650/mo.
PHASE 3 (2-3 years - Sept 2015) - The blog brings in enough money to pay for expenses + 1/2 half time salary ($15000/yr or $1250/mo + expenses) -- $1500/mo.
PHASE 4 (4-5 years - Sept 2017) - The blog becomes capable of supporting a full time salary ($30,000/hr or $2500/mo + expenses) -- $2750/mo.
So may God then continue to bless this project, and let us see what God wills ;-). And in any case BLESSINGS TO ALL!
Fr. Dennis Kriz, OSM
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