Donate $1 to every free WordPress plugin you use

Donate $1 to every free WordPress plugin you use

Donate $1 to every WordPress plugin you useAre you a WordPress “taker”, not a “giver”? Do you eat all the free donuts at church but never volunteer? If yes, I’m calling you out:

Donate at least $1 to every free plugin you actually use.

Alternatively, if the plugin author operates on a “freemium” business model, upgrade today, like you know you’ve always wanted to.

Do you want to donate more than $1 to some? That’s fine. In fact, you could calculate your website or blog’s value and share some of your value with them.

Or, if you have a patch for something broken but haven’t gotten around to sending it to the plugin author because you forgot about everyone else as soon as your own problems were fixed, send it to the plugin author.

Do something to give back. Do it today.

This isn’t new. In the past, Matt Mullenweg declared a Thank a Plugin Developer Day. Maybe you missed it. Today’s your own “Thank a Plugin Developer Day”. Today’s the day to say thank you with one dollar.

Plugin Donation Options

Here’s a list of Q&A’s to help you overcome your objections and just do it. You no longer have an excuse.

  • Q1: Why should I donate? WordPress is free so plugins should be free too.
    • You chump. WordPress doesn’t cost money to you, but it doesn’t magically appear out of thin air. It does cost time, money, blood, sweat, and tears. Same goes for extending WordPress with plugins. In fact, there’s an inverse relationship among those costs: the more time and money one has, the less blood, sweat, and tears expended. I don’t need to say anything more. Don’t have a chump’s opinion.
  • Q2: How can I keep track of my favorites if I have more than one WordPress installation so I can get a list of the plugins I think are worth donating to?
    • Matt Mullenweg recently wrote Plugin Directory Refreshed, an article highlighting some of the great changes to the WordPress.org Plugin Repository. One new feature is the “favorites” feature. Just login and click the “❤ Favorite” link underneath the Plugin’s download button. Then visit the “My Favorites” link at the top of the page, next to the “Log Out” link.
  • Q3: How do I know where I should donate to?
    • If it’s installed and activated on your WordPress website, it’s likely there’s a donate link somewhere in there. If not, check the plugin’s WordPress.org page (remember the My Favorites link) and see if there’s a “Donate to this plugin” link. Here’s an example from Contact Form 7‘s page:WordPress.org plugin donate link
  • Q4: Is donating $1 really worth it to the plugin author?
    • Let me ask you a question: If you had to do zero additional work, would you like to receive $0.67? It’ll automatically be sent to your personal checking account and there are no strings attached. How about 100 times over for $67? Um, yes. So spare a buck and share this post with others to encourage them to do the same.
  • Q5: Won’t $1 be an insult, saying the plugin is only worth $1?
    • Option 1: Donate more than $1. Yes, that’s allowed.
    • Option 2: Stop using the plugin. No one wants that, not even the plugin author. So just donate $1 and write a nice note and link to this post in your PayPal message and they’ll know you mean well, really well.
  • Q6: What if I have $0 to spare and just cannot donate money?
    • Do you pay for web hosting? If yes, donate $1 per month to your top 12 plugins.
    • You should also tell someone you know who has both WordPress and more than $12 about your favorite plugins.
    • You could also blog about your favorites on your own site. Spreading the word about good plugins helps the author attract a wider user base, which helps in many ways, one of which is the potential for more donors.
  • Q7: I use a bunch of plugins and this sounds like it will take a long time. Do I have to?
    • Referencing item #1, above… Don’t be a chump. Is it quicker to click a “donate” link or to develop that plugin’s same functionality by writing the plugin yourself… and supporting others’ questions… and updating it for new versions of WordPress?
    • You had time to read this article.
    • Stop reading. Copy this link. Click to donate. Write sweet nothings and a link to this article in your donation message. Submit $1 or more. Sleep better at night. Brag about it to your friends.

Summary

  • Use the WordPress.org Plugin Repository’s “Favorites” feature.
  • Use the “Donate to this plugin” link on each plugin’s page.
  • If there’s no link there, check in your WordPress installation’s settings page for each plugin you have activated.
  • Share this post with others to turn your $1 into $2, and $2 into $4.
  • Why? Because you know you’ve wanted to and because it helps you by encouraging ongoing development, for both updates and new plugins.

P.S. If you are a developer of free WordPress plugins, thank you. I invite you to add your own WordPress donation link. If you eat all the donuts, volunteer once, just once.

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