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Is there some legal distinction? Getting money with the expectation that it will be used to further some vaguely defined public good you are doing (writing free
by WJW 5y ago
Is there some legal distinction? Getting money with the expectation that it will be used to further some vaguely defined public good you are doing (writing freely available software in this case) sounds exactly like a charity, especially since you will be doing most of the public good regardless of whether you get the donation or not. A tip on the other hand is an additional payment for some good or service that you were already paying for, but that is not the case for most software projects.
- DoreenMichele 5y agoI'm a blogger, not a programmer. I don't make near enough money from it but calling it a tip instead of a donation has performed better. Tip signals "payment for my work." Donation signals "gift." People seem to be more inclined to actually fork over a few bucks if you signal "This is my work. I deserve to be paid for it." than if you signal "I would like gifts (or charity) from random internet strangers."
- WJW 5y agoInteresting, thanks for the explanation!