Donations requested to keep UPHPU online
Monday, 31 January 2005 @ 6:24As noted in an article posted by Mac just last week, our group has grown significantly recently as we are fast becoming a premier resource for PHP and general web development not only in Utah but throughout the world. We are well over 200 members in number now. With this success however, we are increasing our bandwidth and services, all items that are paid by someone whether via donations or direct cost. We would like to resolve our transient status once and for all, plan for the future, and establish a home that has room to grow.
As most of you are aware, the Utah PHP Users Group outgrew it’s home on the internet last fall and undertook an effort to acquire a new server by means of donations from our members. Surprisingly, however, one of our own stepped up with a much larger donation, offering the group an entire server, rack space, and bandwidth all at once. Thus seemingly ending the need for donations, we moved to this new server without further petition and were happily there for the next couple of months. Unfortunately, this favor soon became unavailable and we were forced to move again. Luckily, another member stepped up immediately and offered to configure an old, unused server laying around his office for us to share, providing a quick solution to our problem.
With the other favors however, this situation has unfortunately also become unavailable, leaving us once again looking for a new home. As was the feelings in September, yet much stronger and urgent now, we believe that the Utah PHP Users Group needs a permanent home. There are many that have offered and are currently willing to donate space on servers and personal bandwidth but it is important to remember that nothing comes for free. There is always someone, somewhere paying the bill.
The web-a-thon that we held in September sadly only resulted $20 from two donations. Although this is a start, we will need much more to keep UPHPU online, at least without interruption. So, we are officially requesting that each individual that has benefitted from the group support the future of the organization by donating $10 dollars. This money will be used to purchase our new server and pay for bandwidth. XMission has already agreed to donate the necessary rack space.
We would like to once again offer sincere thanks to each individual and organization that has assisted us in the past, including Matt Fredricko at Hosting Inferno, and Fred Larsen. Each person that offered hosting, spent time configuring the server, and donated have been paramount to our existence and growth.
We are an entirely volunteer organization, supported and run by a group individuals dedicated and passionate to supporting the cause. This incredible resource and service is ours because of the generosity of every member’s time and talents. Because of this, we have an excellent list of services available to offer our community that we would like to remind you of. From our interactive website, mailing lists, RSS feeds, a library of free books, training and information seminars, and visibility for employers, this is definitely a significant value and something to be part of.
So, please take a moment to send in your donation and notes of any other ways in which you are interested in supporting or assisting the group. Donations can be submitted via PayPal (address at bottom of page) or a mailing address for personal checks can be obtained by contacting the group administrator. Thank you!