Do you enjoy being a member of Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer?
Does this site benefit you in some way?
There is much required effort and various ongoing costs involved in maintaining and growing a large multi-media site such as Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer. Software and server/hosting costs continue monthly. I myself probably spend hours per week or more in site maintenance, code updates and troubleshooting, assisting members with their various site issues, etc. Our amazing and dedicated site Moderators volunteer their time daily as well. It's a labor of love for all of us.
All donations, even the most modest, are applied entirely to paying for the upkeep of FOTMD- no profits are kept from donations. So far this system has managed to work for eight years in keeping even with monthly site expenses and fees. Our site remains as it always has been- completely FREE to join and enjoy. There are no membership dues or member 'access fees'.
But donations have been slowly lessening over time. Spontaneous donations are down almost to 1/2 what they were two years ago. The same few generous folks tend to make occasional donations while others never think to do so.
I'm sure one reason for all of this is the state of today's economy in general.
However, FOTMD has been receiving less in donations than the amount needed each month to cover basic site costs.
Our site is as active and fun as always. There are so many members here who have been enjoying and contributing to our site for years, plus a steady number of new friends joining us....which is exactly what FOTMD is about!
I'd like to ask all members, and especially those who have never made a donation, to consider what FOTMD means for them, and to consider supporting Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer so that it remains practical to maintain.
How can you support the site? Well, I'm glad you asked.... 
There are FOUR different ways and levels in which YOU can help support Friends of the Mountain Dulcimer:
1) Make a simple random occasional donation in any amount at any time-
Just click on our Paypal Donate button on the Main Page and make a simple donation to FOTMD for $10, $25, or whatever you feel you can afford. (you don't need to have a paypal account to make a paypal donation- you can just use your credit card on paypal if you like- it's secure). Please consider making a little donation once in a while when it occurs to you that FOTMD is adding some joy to your life.
2) Become a Patron Member of FOTMD!
Our NEW REVISED Patron Member system is this: When you make a single donation of only $35 or more , the period of one YEAR afterwards you will then have a "PATRON" banner proudly displayed underneath your member picture on your Profile Page, like this (and thank you, Gordon!) :
(note: most prior Patron member statuses from 2016 and earlier have since expired , so if you were previously a Patron do check your profile page to see if you still have your banner indicating an active Patron status. If not, you can make a new donation of $35 or more and become a Patron again for a brand new year-long term!) Patrons are our 'Super Supporters'!
3) When you sell something via our For Sale Forum , make the requested donation-
Though it's totally FREE to list something for sale there, we do ask that if you successfully sell any merchandise of more than $100 that you advertised in our forum, that you then please FOLLOW THROUGH and make at least a small $5 site donation (or more if you like). We are hoping to avoid charging everyone a fee for placing every ad, especially if their item does not sell. Instead, our very reasonable donation request is described HERE , and such donations are run on the "Honor System". We'd like to remind folks to please honor that request, because not everyone is doing so. Just a few of these each month makes a big difference in FOTMD's bottom line.
4) Become a Sponsor in our Slideshow AD Showcase on FOTMD's Main Page!-
Everyone wins! FOTMD now offers high visibility promotional ads on the Main Page in our animated Slideshow Showcase....at incredibly low prices starting at only $10/month! See the details and prices here:
https://fotmd.com/strumelia/page/3/ad-rates-for-rotating-main-page-slideshow
This is especially exciting news for the members who have always wanted to promote their music festivals, camps, historic events, custom instrument builders and repair, music stores and websites, instructor workshops, concert appearances, musicians/bands for hire, Skype/online instruction, teachers, instrument stands, supplies & accessories, music scholarships and competitions, CDs/DVDs/books, recording services, instrument sales or rentals, music-themed jewelry & crafts.
Now you can get seen 'up front and center' every minute of the day, as easy as pie, AND support your favorite dulcimer site at the same time, ....at a very low cost. No more wondering whether you are pushing the site rules concerning sales or promotions. Instead, become a proud Sponsor with a professional presence!
And if you are a regular member and you wind up purchasing goods from one of our slideshow site Sponsors, please do mention to them that their FOTMD ad brought you to them .
During your active ad slide duration, you'll have a "SPONSOR" banner proudly displayed underneath your member picture on your Profile Page, like this (and thank you, Kevin!) :
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That's it! FOUR easy-peazy ways that YOU can help support our mountain dulcimer community!
Thank you so much for considering how YOU can give back in some way and keep FOTMD running. 
-Strumelia
--
Site Owner
Those irritated by grain of sand best avoid beach.
-Strumelia proverb c.1990
updated by @strumelia: 10/27/19 12:02:25PM
