**IMPORTANT** Please help us Keep NMP up and running!!

[snowflake293]

Just thinking, maybe more people will see this & donate if the message could be copied into every section of the forum somehow? The HA section regularly has 700-800 people looking at it, but other bits of the forum don't have so much... which is probably why not so many people have commented here.

Excellent idea!

[lior]

I will be donating and I think it's the right thing to do to ask people to donate.

However, most charities don't get enough money from people who use them. Often people who use charities are going through a hard time financially on top of their other problems. I'm not working at the moment because of my depression and anxiety and I know many other people are like this.

Instead, charities often get money from funding sources such as the Lottery or rich philanthropists.

Maybe this is something we could look into as a more secure, long-term solution?

If I feel up to it, I will try to research some funding sources. I've never found a better anxiety forum, so I think this is a very special place. That fact will help attract funders - because NMP is unique.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Instead, charities often get money from funding sources such as the Lottery or rich philanthropists.

Maybe this is something we could look into as a more secure, long-term solution?

If I feel up to it, I will try to research some funding sources. I've never found a better anxiety forum, so I think this is a very special place. That fact will help attract funders - because NMP is unique.

Perhaps celebrity funding could help? There are plenty of ex and current sufferers who like showing support to charities. Its more the standard view of the charity that they support and I think the lack of borders to this forum is a selling point as most charities for things like this are restricted by geography.

I don't know if any of the other forums have sought donations on this basis but Nic might know if they all speak to each other?

I haven't tried any others, I found this place quickly via Google and with it being right at the top. naturally I started looking.

If I search on the following in Google today, I get these results:

Search Phrase Page Position(s)
Panic Forum 1 1 & 2
Anxiety Forum 1 3
Depression Forum 1 5
OCD Forum 1 6
Social Anxiety Forum 2 2
Phobia Forum 4 8
Phobias Forum 2 4
Health Anxiety Forum 1 2 & 3
Panic Symptoms Forum 1 2
Anxiety Symptoms Forum 1 5

So, this place must be getting a lot of hits, more than most of the other forums if thats correct.

I remember when I attended the walk-in groups that this was mentioned. Some people there would have preferred a support forum alongside the walk-ins as they weren't enough.

I think these forums are quire hidden compared to the mainstream and unless they become registered charities and promote themselves more actively, they are not recognised but they should be.

---------- Post added at 11:00 ---------- Previous post was at 10:56 ----------

Just thinking, maybe more people will see this & donate if the message could be copied into every section of the forum somehow? The HA section regularly has 700-800 people looking at it, but other bits of the forum don't have so much... which is probably why not so many people have commented here.

I think it needs to be, perhaps just banner style across it all for now like Wiki tend to do.

I've added it onto a signature so it shows up in some threads because I get the impression that the HA board is kind of a forum within a forum and I don't see a lot of people posting elsewhere so I wasn't sure if they were seeing it? The HA board is by far the busiest and I would imagine they would want to show their support but even some of the more senior members haven't, and they normally do join in to support such things, so I assumed it wasn't been seen for some reason.

[Mindknot]

That would of course be awesome to get a banner up, funding etc, I'd be up for helping out with that if I can in anyway.. but for now, I'm nicking your signature idea MyNameIsTerry

Unfortunately I've poured a bit too much of my heart and soul out on here to want to share the link with my friends and family (closet anxious), but I'm still working a full time job, so I will try and donate monthly. Hopefully some others can do that too. I have absolutely no idea how much it costs to host a forum this size, but perhaps we can make a NMP co-operative type scenario to spread the cost across a few/appropriate number of willing "shareholders"

[Heenimoana]

So sorry to hear about the things she is going through at the moment, it would be a shame to have this site come down, I wouldn't know what to do. The support and advice I've received from everyone has been amazing and I don't know where I would be without you guys. I'd love to make donations as often as I can, especially knowing that there are other people out there who also need that support. Blessings to Nic and I hope she pulls through as a stronger person.

[PanchoGoz]

Shall we start a hashtag?

[Annie0904]

I think hashtag is a great idea I wouldn't know how to start it though...will leave that to a younger member

[t0rt01se36]

I have tweeted five celebrities.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I have tweeted five celebrities.

How about current president of MIND Stephen Fry and former president Melvyn Bragg?

[MyNameIsTerry]

That would of course be awesome to get a banner up, funding etc, I'd be up for helping out with that if I can in anyway.. but for now, I'm nicking your signature idea MyNameIsTerry

Unfortunately I've poured a bit too much of my heart and soul out on here to want to share the link with my friends and family (closet anxious), but I'm still working a full time job, so I will try and donate monthly. Hopefully some others can do that too. I have absolutely no idea how much it costs to host a forum this size, but perhaps we can make a NMP co-operative type scenario to spread the cost across a few/appropriate number of willing "shareholders"

Steal away

I know what you mean, I couldn't share this either for the same reasons. I come on here to be able to talk privately.

I think Nic mentioned approx £100 per month earlier in the thread.

I think Nic needs to have a think about how she wants to work this going forward because its going to need some t&cs for monthly subscribing and it leaves the issue of those not wishing to pay and visitors. Those that do join a collective may want more involvement in services provided or not but I think clarification is first required of charitable status, trustees, structure, spending, etc going forward as it currently feels more like a private website that Nic has out of the goodness of her heart and I don't think it can realistically stay thay way, but if it changes, its still Nic's charity.

Its not a lot of money per month though so there are options for small numbers to go in with Nic or a smaller donation of a larger number of members but for me this feels like subscription. I know the local charity I used to attend had free and paid membership but the paid members had additional benefits such as having a say. Its perhaps something Nic needs legal advice on.