I agree that the issue w/ international payouts needs to be resolved; this is a known bug. But speaking as a "first world programmer" (https://www.gittip.com/jn

I agree that the issue w/ international payouts needs to be resolved; this is a known bug. But speaking as a "first world programmer" (https://www.gittip.com/jnoller/ https://www.gittip.com/jnoller/) the money from Gittip I have gotten has already made a huge difference for me. For example; say I burn 40 hours a week working on PyCon or other community-related things. Ok, that's in addition to my day job, and time away from my family, and it's also hours I could spend working on side contracts from work that would pay me. Instead, I have gittip; the funds of which have allowed me to pay some of a myriad of medical expenses (long story) and other debts that has relieved stress against my family and I and in turn make me, and my family, less stressed and concerned that the time I spend volunteering is not time misspent. So, while yes: you are perfectly correct that 1$ in one country isn't equivalent to $1 in a "first world programmer's world", I can state that the 1$ I get from gittip helps my family and I a great deal - even if it's just $1, it's positive psychological reinforcement and stress relief. So no, don't assume "they don't need them that much".