
So we've escaped the clutches of MVN, poked fun at Sam Zell's misguided attempt to sell naming rights to Wrigley Field and we have Arizona Phil. You're probably asking yourself right now, how can I help support this amazing website and make sure it lasts longer than Jason Marquis will as a Cub? Well, you can dress up in a Cubbie Bear costume, put on a sandwich board that says "Visit the best Cubs site on the web, THECUBREPORTER.COM" and stand outside Wrigley Field during each game of the next homestand. Be sure to get pictures if you do indeed go that route. We suspect that might not be your style, so if you're looking for a simpler alternative, you can just send us a bit of pocket change.
We're starting a little donation drive this month and we hope all that can help us out, will take a moment to do just that. This site did cost us a bit out of our own pockets to get started and now we have expenses such as domain names, server costs, Parachat and potential lawyer fees when the AngelFan Wife finally gets fed up with me burying my nose in a laptop. We'll take whatever you can scrounge up from the bottom of your couch cushions, whether it's a dollar or forty (or more if you have really deep couch cushions). If you're looking for a little guidance on an appropriate amount, if we could get 100 people to donate $20 each, that should cover our costs for the year (including Parachat) and leave a little left over for site improvements and advertising. We're even offereing some wonderful gifts to the top givers.
I have one copy of the Chicago Cubs Legends DVD set for the most charitable reader. For the second and third higest donations, you'll get a one year sponsorship on our Cubs 40-man roster and Cubs Depth Chart pages, similar to what Baseball Reference does. If there happens to be a tie anywhere among the top three, we'll literally have to flip a coin to determine the giveaways. So if you are donating, please be sure to include your TCR username in the notes section, if you have one, and at the very least, include your email address in there.
Now, we understand not everyone has the means to help us out with a straight cash donation, so there are a few other ways to support the site. One is by clicking some of the ads on the left and right sidebars or the bottom of the page (and soon on the top of the page). We've been instructed that we cannot directly solicit clicks by our readers, so only click on ads that interest you (lots and lots of times). And if you're wondering why are we asking for donations if we have advertising, well the answer is they don't pay much. You also have to reach a certain threshold before they pay out and we're not on pace to reach those for a few months.
If you like fantasy baseball, consider creating a free team on Rotohog as we get a little kickback from each new registrar from that referral link. Or what about opening a savings or checking account on ING Direct? With an initial deposit of $250 or more, they'll deposit $25 into your account and we get $10 put into ours. Unfortunately they don't have a direct link that works, but drop me a note and I can send you a referral email. It costs you nothing (you actually make $25) and you'll get some of the highest interest rates available on a standard savings or checking account. You can also visit our "TCR Approved" Amazon store and buy one of our recommended items. And this isn't just all the Cubs crap we can find on Amazon. All the items found there are items someone on the TCR staff has owned or viewed and endorsed.
Or just send us $20(or whatever you can afford)....
Comments