So thankful.
April 26th, 2008
Julie Frick’s Ravelraiser donation drive just ended a few minutes ago. In 3 weeks, 3,457 Ravelers gave donated a total of $71,000 to Ravelry. Not only did we receive an amazing financial boost, we also received a flood of love. About 800 people wrote up really wonderful and amazing notes in the 10 Lousy Bucks group’s “Why I gave” thread. Jess and I are still reading all of the kind words - it feels so good to know that people are really happy about Ravelry. The stories are all different! We never imagined that so many people would come to our site and get so much out of it.
This is such an enormous generous gift that we don’t even know what to say. Thank you Julie, for making this all happen. I know that you have spent most of April working on Ravelraiser stuff and none of this would have happened without you. Thank you to all of the people who contributed yarn and other goodies - we couldn’t believe how many people came out to support us! …and of course, thank you to all of our users. We are *so* thankful for all of the donations that we’ve received in April and throughout the last year and we are also thankful for all of the support that we get from all of you every day. update: We forgot to thank Julie Frick’s Dad! He did such an amazing job photographing the huge numbers of prizes - thank you!
So what are we going to do with all of this money?
Well.. tons of people asked us to share a portion of their contribution with Bob. This was easy at first, but we quickly had thousands of dollars set aside for him. We figured that he is old enough (he turned 2 on Wednesday) to have his own money, so instead of rationing bones and toys like we had been doing, we just gave it to him.
It wasn’t a good idea. It turns out that Bob is a very irresponsible dog.
…but seriously
Ravelry does earn money. Advertising and affiliate programs cover our monthly costs and our paychecks but your donations have really allowed us to do more than just keep things running. Here are a few things that donations have made (and will make) possible:
- We finally paid off all of our startup debt! Yay!
- We bought a much-needed additional server. I’m sure that all of you noticed.
- Mary-Heather is much less nervous about receiving her paychecks :) Joking! Kind of.
- Just a small thing, but we bought carbon offsets so that we’re even (actually, a little ahead) with the Earth as well as our bank
- We’ll now be able to go to more knitting/crochet/and fiber events so that we can get out of our house and meet you all :)
- We’ll have money set aside for future system upgrades so that we don’t have to suffer for a month (or more) like we did in April.
- …and more. We’re pretty open about what we are doing with the site so I’m sure that you’ll hear about more things that the donations have made possible in the future.
A month of Ravelraising
There was so much going on this month! Julie really went all out with constant updates and contests/activities related to the drive. Here is one small part - people could enter to win a fibery prize by putting on a Ravelraiser themed avatar. Site-wide avatar dress-ups are always fun to watch :) Here are a few of the things that people were doing:
and in closing…
April 26th, 2008 at 12:20 am
tsk, Bob needs an accountant.
April 26th, 2008 at 12:23 am
Wooooo Hoooo!!!
did bob ever get his dental work done? I am very concerned about that.
April 26th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Wow, Bob likes bling and drinks beer. Who knew?
Seriously — this was like a barn-raising — you are the leaders of an online community, and we are all invested.
Bravo!
April 26th, 2008 at 12:24 am
Don’t forget lots of RavMerch!! Bob better not blow the funding for pins and shirts and bags and other goodies!! Can’t wait to support the site that way!!
April 26th, 2008 at 12:33 am
I think we should be thanking the two of you (and Bob)…Ravelry is worth every penny that was donated…and LOTS more. :)
///throws cake and dog bones in celebration///
April 26th, 2008 at 12:41 am
this community is soo worth every penny and more! and bob, he is awesome and definitely deserves an allowance…i’m glad i didn’t see any fluezy doggies trying to get him for his gold!!! thanks, jess and casey, for kreating this world for us…:)
April 26th, 2008 at 12:44 am
Lovely bob pics, he’s quite the spoiled kid hehe our spoiled mascot!
April 26th, 2008 at 12:46 am
So the average donation was $20. Not bad! It’s incredible what can happen in these situations. Yay Ravelraiser 08! Think we can break 100K next year?
April 26th, 2008 at 1:03 am
I am new to Ravelry and sent a contribution before I even saw any of the Ravelraising incentives. Good work deserves support. Thank you for your good work.
Way to go, Bob!
April 26th, 2008 at 5:34 am
ah well, once you’ve given money, it’s not yours any more - so Bob can do with it as he will! ;P the pics are hilarious and I do hope that bottle of champers got opened and drunk :D
giggled when I saw my ravatar on the montage!
April 26th, 2008 at 5:41 am
Oh, Bob! You’re such the bad boy. Woof!
Congrats to all of Rav that donated and moved a mountain, but more importantly to Julie for SUCH an amazingly successful project. WOW… Even hubby, who is a bit blah-blah about the knitting world, had his eyebrows raised.
April 26th, 2008 at 6:05 am
I am so very proud to have been a part of this! Shows what I’ve said for a really long time, knitters are some of the most generous folks on earth. We really know how to get behind a good thing.
And Bob! Do we need an intervention? ;-)
April 26th, 2008 at 6:26 am
I am a retired techie, and I took a peek at the statistics and work for the server for the fun of it.
How lucky are we to have such talented people to come up with an idea that has enhanced my favorite hobbies?
Thanks so much.
April 26th, 2008 at 6:26 am
Okay, Bob just made me spit up coffee all over my pjs. That picture alone is worth my contribution!
April 26th, 2008 at 6:31 am
the carbon offset made me even more proud of this amazing site, casey and jess, and the ravelry community.
i love it here!
April 26th, 2008 at 6:57 am
We couldn’t be happier to help you out! Thanks for thinking of the earth and including a little carbon offset in your plans.
April 26th, 2008 at 7:03 am
Bob, Bob, Bob - I just LOVE your bling :-))
Srsly, I simply gave money from my yarn budget. You feed my habit so beautifully, I keep coming back to this site even when I’m not hOngry for fiber just to see what’s happening on the Town Square. But I’ll miss the Ravel Raiser and the LOLravs.
As has been said before, knitters are generous. In this case we’re both generous and selfish. We want to insure the site will continue and grow along the lines (meaning the “Excellence in Community”) it has.
Thank you for all your efforts, Jess, Casey, Mary-Heather, Bob and all the volunteers.
April 26th, 2008 at 7:23 am
Bob-a-bling-bling!
Hooray for RavelRaising! Looking forward to seeing what’s in store of the next few weeks/months. Oh and maybe now you can afford international travel and come and see us folks in Blighty?
April 26th, 2008 at 7:44 am
Bob may be irresponsible, but he sure is a good sport to sit there and let you take all of those pictures of him!!!!
Congratulations! Hope you can make your way up to Maine in September for the http://www.fibercollege.org/index.html
Beautiful spot!!!!
Jane
April 26th, 2008 at 7:55 am
Bob has got some serious bling going on.
April 26th, 2008 at 8:08 am
No one deserves it more. Y’all created such a marvelous site, it is only fitting that you should be rewarded for your achievements. Thanks for all you do!
April 26th, 2008 at 8:09 am
Now that Bob has some extra bucks he can visit his ophthalmologist to fix his right lazy eye . . . sweet doggy.
April 26th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Yay! So glad that everyone was able to make a difference, and in doing so showing you guys just how much we love this site, need this site, and are so incredibly grateful to you for it! I don’t know what I would do without this place, you guys are my hero’s! Thank you from the very bottom of my stash! Muah!
April 26th, 2008 at 8:28 am
OH! Hilarious! Thanks also for starting my weekend with a big belly laugh.
April 26th, 2008 at 8:35 am
am so glad it worked….Keep up the good work, you are part of my sanity. As for Bob…watch the Perrrier-Jouet, it will go to your head…
April 26th, 2008 at 9:12 am
Awesome!
Oh, and my Zoe’s birthday and Bob’s are only two days apart! :) Yay for Bostons!
April 26th, 2008 at 9:39 am
Bling!
I love Bob. I worship Bob.
But you Humans That Live with Bob; you all are just the best! Thank you, THANK YOU so much for creating this WHOLE WORLD for the fiber obsessed. How could I -not- give a Lousy Ten Bucks?
Cheers Much, fey
April 26th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Thank you for making this such a fantastic community- it’s great to know that so many other people love Ravelry as much as I do. 71K! Wow! Bob will be rolling in gourmet biscuits! :)
April 26th, 2008 at 10:34 am
I made a small donation (it’s a tight month) - and was not aware of the Ravelraising! I just wanted to send a slight more tangible way of saying “thank you” for this wonderful site. It has been so helpful to me as a newbie knitter! Long may you prosper!
April 26th, 2008 at 10:35 am
YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
April 26th, 2008 at 10:36 am
So proud of you guys!! That must have been one fun photo shoot with Bob!
April 26th, 2008 at 10:38 am
…and do I dare ask where you got those gold chains?! :)
April 26th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
Congratulations…glad it went so smashingly!!!
Glad to see that Bob has such good taste in champagne! But, who doesn’t love Perrier Jouet?!!
April 26th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Those pics of Bob are hysterical, I can’t breath I’m laughing so hard! lol
April 26th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
How can one still ocntribute?
And how about an annual reminder in Ravelers’ email? Like public radio?
April 26th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
I had no idea this was going on and I feel badly that I haven’t contributed yet. I didn’t even know that Ravelry accepted donations.
I’ll do so soon, but is there anyway to let us know that this kind of happening was happening? I guess I don’t hang out in the right places in Ravelry to be “in the know”!
Sorry
April 26th, 2008 at 1:37 pm
Not to mention JULIEFRICK’s Dad and all his hard work…. Thank you very much!
April 26th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
And a HUGE thank you to Julie’s Dad for all he’s done with the outstanding photos of the donations — Those photos were what made me go back and donate AGAIN ::blush:: I had to have another chance at winning some awesome swag!
April 26th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
And that photoshoot with Bob is AWESOME — You guys, what did you expect from a rebellious teen ::gg:: you gave him far too much freedom with all that cash, and he’s a man after my own hear with that bubblyt!! (Go Bob!)
No wonder I love you guys so much — I can’t find this kind of entertainment around here! Wish you lived closer so we could party in person together!
April 26th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
The Bob pictures are so funny!
April 26th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Besides having the startoff paid up it must feel great to know that we all think you guys are just the best yarnettechnofriendlybraniacs EVER…. Best thing since - oh just the best okay? Love you guys (yes Mr B that means you too)
April 26th, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Wow Bob is officially a teenager!!!! Now all the fun starts … HaKu is mad you didn’t invite him to party with you!!!
All kidding aside I am glad that you guys are in the black for a while now!!!
April 26th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Yay! Hooray! Three cheers!
What? You say it’s over?
What do I do NOW???
April 26th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
Wow Iam so pumped for all 3 of you:)I cant wait to see what function you go to next it was fun meeting you at Stitches West.I donated last year at Thanksgiving also and will again this year as Iam Thankful for Ravelry:)You should have this ravelraiser thing at least once a year:)Hugs Darcy
April 26th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Congratulations. No one deserves this more than you guys. this is an unbelievable site.
And whoever knew it was possible to fall in love with a dog. Hugs to you all.
And a Very Happy Belated Birthday to Bob.
April 26th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Watching Ravelraiser unfold was an amazing experience. It’s wonderful when people care about something and pull together to help.
I hope you soundly chastised Bob for his greed and poor taste in jewelry… and took away the Perrier-Joilet!!! He’s not old enough to drink until he’s 3!
April 26th, 2008 at 6:26 pm
Congratulations Jess and Casey! Ravelry is a wonderful community. I appreciate it every day and loved being able to return my appreciation in this tangible way! :) See you at MD S&W. Kate
April 26th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Your thank you notes are so warm and personal. Good examples of what makes Ravelry unique. I’d never taken part in an internet board or forum that I found much use in after a week or two. I’ve been on Ravelry since October and am still finding new things all the time. I went on hiatus for about a month and missed it so much I had to come back. You are welcome for the Ten Lousy Bucks, take care.
April 26th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Hehehe. I love your pics of Bob’s excesses. And, I for one, don’t think buying carbon offsets is a “small thing”. Thank you for being responsible, upstanding, crafty human beings!
April 26th, 2008 at 9:25 pm
I’m thrilled for the 2 humans and 1 dog that brought the Ravelry concept to fruition. I check Ravelry daily - it is such a fantastic website!
April 26th, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Bob looks fabulous. Does he have a girlfriend…if not he is sure to attract one with all the bling!
it was fun to be a part of ravelraising and even better to be a part of ravelry!
cool people live in MA!!
April 26th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
Hey - I guess I’m oblivious! I did not see the drive announcements ….
but I’ll give the 10 anyway, cause the site is maaahvelous, darlings!
April 27th, 2008 at 12:48 am
I somehow managed to miss the Ravelraising. I posted a late donation, but there wasn’t a place to write a note, and I wanted to tell you how wonderful I think you are. So here goes: I LOVE RAVELRY! It is so great to have a community where I can see what that yarn I’m thinking of buying will look like knitted up AND sell stashed yarn to pay for it, find new patterns, see who else is working on the same project and how they are doing it, and just generally bask in the glow of thousands of other knitters. And all this 24 hours a day! I’m so glad you thought of it, started it, and have kept it going. It makes my life more fun!
April 27th, 2008 at 6:11 am
I think that it is absolutely great about the giving everyone has done to help you and the site. I unfortunately could not give this time around but I do promise to help as soon as I can. Thank you for getting some carbon offsets to help our earth. That really made my day as I believe that we as a country need to do more (myself included) to make this a healthier and better place to live. Thank you for the great site and have a wonderful day!
April 27th, 2008 at 7:25 am
What an amazing place to be! Thank you so much for being here and for the opportunity to be a part of it. I’ve made so many friends and learned so many great new things I’ll be eternally grateful. Don’t be too hard on Bob, we all go a little crazy sometimes, lol.
April 27th, 2008 at 8:51 am
That Bob. Such a party animal.
April 27th, 2008 at 9:23 am
you guys crack me up. i can just picture you setting up all of Bob’s props. and he’s got that perfect, “whatever you say but this is seriously confusing” dog expression.
loves it.
congrats on your high roller status! ravelry is priceless!
April 27th, 2008 at 2:54 pm
Well, at least Bob didn’t eat the money. I know for sure that my toy poodle would have grabbed as much as possible and then he would have torn it to shreds while running from me. My cocker spaniel would have joined him in the shredding.
I’m not a big participant on the boards on Ravelry, but I seem to be on Ravelry each day. I spend so much time looking at patterns & the yarns others used. Then looking at yarns and seeing what patterns were used. Fun, fun, fun!
I didn’t participate in the fundraiser because I gave shortly after I got on Ravelry in September. I plan to give annually around my Rav acceptance date. That will help you guys with cash flow. It’s nice to get large lump sums, but a steady monthly stream is nice too!
Keep up the great work!
April 27th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Bob is a pimp. P~I~M~P!!!!!!!!!!!!! You better be careful with the female doggies. You might be grandparents before you are actually people parents!
OH and BTW vacation in Florida…..vacation in Florida……vacation in Florida
April 27th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
I am so grateful you both created Ravelry - it has had such an impact on my knitting (faster because I want an interesting portfolio!). Thanks for Julie and her dad for Ravelraising - I kept my daughter up past her bedtime because I didn’t want to miss the exciting $30,000 announcement. It IS amazing what $10 lousy bucks can do. Hopefully, you will be able to consider coming to Stitches Midwest now that you have some room in your travel budget?
April 27th, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Those Bob pictures are hilarious!
Thank you for Ravelry!
April 27th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Dear Freckle-girl :) I have just signed on as a member after receiving your invite. Thank you, I know I’m going to love it here! ps: I have a brand new boston terrier puppy named Chica who would definitely turn Bob’s head. Is Bob dating?
April 27th, 2008 at 9:41 pm
I just want to say how cool it us you all bought carbon cred.
Not only was Ravelraiser for a good cause, but it was a heck of a good time. Party on for next year, ravlrzr09!
I just noticed-yay! You liked my weightlifter!
April 27th, 2008 at 10:01 pm
Thanks for buying carbon offsets! You’re setting a good example for others.
April 27th, 2008 at 10:25 pm
OOh you are SO MEAN to Bob!!! LOL!!!!!!!
Maybe Bob will start dating now he has all that money (after buying his carbon credits!!!)
Congratulations and well done to everyone who helped Ravelry in 2008.
April 28th, 2008 at 2:42 am
That’s fantastic! I’m glad you’re purchasing carbon offsets and WHOOHOO for paying off start-up debt. That really is wonderful news!
April 28th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Oh! I am sooo disapointed! I gave my good money for a good cause, NOT for an irresponsible bad dog!!!
…
;-) just kidding. In fact I am very happy and proud. The carbon credits are THE nocest idea. xo
April 28th, 2008 at 5:33 am
Oh crap, I didn’t want to put up a Ravelraiser avatar (I like to be private about that sort of thing), but I really wanted to win a prize (stamps foot and sticks out lower lip!). Can I still be entered? Please?
x
PS Mazel Tov on raising all that money - keep up the fabulous work
April 28th, 2008 at 8:41 am
Bob is a Rap Star! Love the bling.
April 28th, 2008 at 10:58 am
I am seriously astonished by what you’ve been able to accomplish in such a short period of time. And the idea that advertising is *already* paying your monthly subscriptions is so fantastic. I’m pleased that this thing is working out for you as a business because it’s an amazing resource–thank you!
April 28th, 2008 at 11:29 am
my favorite part of this thing has been the ravel raiser avatars. my fav is jc3mamma’s I giggle everytime i see it.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
Well serves ME right! Some time ago I added a short cut to my tool bar to enter directly into my Ravelry login bit and TOTALLY missed all the news about the fundraiser! I have just logged in through my work computer and managed to catch on to what I have missed out on. On my return home I shall immediate change my bookmark short cut back to the Ravelry home page! And yes, I will give another donation. Gave a small one on joining as well.
April 30th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
See those buttons on the bottom? ‘interesting’ ‘funny’, etc. Can we have one that says “HUH?” Seriously - I’ll even give Bob some more money to throw away on dog treats. Actually, I’d prefer ‘WTF?’ but I doubt you’re going that far out there. Sometimes it’s just a mystery what somebody is saying or attempting to say.
May 2nd, 2008 at 4:30 pm
Bad Bob! No Bling!
I’m very disappointed. I thought he had the “I’m such a devoted CPA that my eyes are bugging out of my head” look. Tsk!
:D
June 6th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
Just another little thankyou for all the hours I spend having fun on this site…it is so much fun..I would spend this on a magazine so I don’t mind giving it to you!
June 20th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Thanks for being there. I think I’ve had more fun and found more things to do on this site than I have in a long time. Now get some more lousy t-shirts printed so I can give you some more advertisment! :)
October 8th, 2008 at 6:32 pm
We have had several knitters contact us and order my Horst Schulz inspired “Double Shell” pattern. The pattern can be viewed along with 12 other Horst Schulz inspired patterns. Check our web site out.