> People need to be 100% sure that when they donate money to "running costs", it would not end up being used for something else like your new iPhone or a vacati

> People need to be 100% sure that when they donate money to "running costs", it would not end up being used for something else like your new iPhone or a vacation in Mexico. So what if it does? Yes, if you explicitly say that all donations will be used for site maintenance, then maybe. But even that could include labor? In any case, the point is moot. Very, very, very few open source projects take in enough donations from the general public to pay for a new iPhone. Most are very lucky to get $100-$200 in a year.