I guess the major issue I have with "value based pricing" is when a project is still evolving and most people would would traditionally have a better short-term

I guess the major issue I have with "value based pricing" is when a project is still evolving and most people would would traditionally have a better short-term option via a non-open tool. This would drive any funding opportunities from FLOSS work which may be significantly more beneficial in a more long term view. This might be just the behavior to expect, however. Per the discussion on funding models, my favorite source for background is the research work which the (mostly dormant) snowdrift.coop project has done: https://wiki.snowdrift.coop/market-research/other-crowdfunding https://wiki.snowdrift.coop/market-research/other-crowdfundi... and https://wiki.snowdrift.coop/market-research/history/software https://wiki.snowdrift.coop/market-research/history/software give you an idea on the other funding options out there which focus on spreading the cost across the users (similar to how many users were intended to make a bounty in bountysource grow). Each one has its own pitfalls.