I really don't think it will take out the spontinaity.

The way I see it:

Most ideas for gifts of kindness started with one person emailing their address book. That may still happen for small community specific things, but for whole community things, or things that the organizer wants to be fully inclusive, they could now email Nilly or Deena for a full email list.

They could remove the secret giftees info and send out the email. It would appear the same to anyone receiving the email. What it would save is a few people feeling left out.

It seems that feeling left out is a fairly common thing on the boards, why not do something that would eleviate it a little?

I'm not saying don't do it. I'm just leery of it, is all.

How about you manage it, and let me have a copy so that we have backup?

Which also works in case we are surprising one of YOU!

As far as killing spontainaiety, I can see the concern... but I'm agreeing with msbelle. It's a bummer to feel left out and it can cause bad anti-cliquey feelings.

I think it's okay. I've started a few campaigns, and as noted by msbelle I just grab nearby email addresses out of my inbox. I do ask people to send the message along, but most of these things have been for relatively cheap items (skulls, knives...you know, things Buffistas like) and so by the time 20 people chip in with $10 each its done in a day.

I do love the spontaneous giftie impulses that have provided rent relief, and travel money and cookies for folks in hard times. For the fund gathering though, it wouldn't be bad to have an opt-in list.

It would all start the same way, intiated by one person, just asking to use the Giftie List minus the gift-recipient, and it would still be informal. It'd just be a more inclusive mailing list.

As long as there are no committees and the solicitations are fairly simple and straightforward I think it would be okay.

Just the one time is enough

Also, keep in mind this is not codified as THE ONLY WAYS BUFFISTAS WILL DO NICE THINGS FOR EACH OTHER.

If a small group of friends wants to get together to treat another friend, that's grand. In many cases, a huge group of participants isn't necessary and could even be unwieldy.

YGenorosityMV.

The reason I thought this sort of thing could be good was because it's another way to let people become part of this 'us' - I was thinking more about relatively new posters, or posters who participate in only a few threads, or only occasionally - who are less likely to be in other people's e-mails addresses-books.

Being one of those folks who fits parts of this description, this is why I love the idea. And ...

If a small group of friends wants to get together to treat another friend, that's grand.

Most ideas for gifts of kindness started with one person emailing their address book. That may still happen for small community specific things

I bet this will still happen as it always has, which is great and special.

I'm with ita and burrell. I don't always know about the nifty gift giving, but I do sometimes. And I kinda feel ooky about a maintained database specifically for funds related stuff that's not board related. Especially one that solicits right off the bat with registration. And also one that gets given out to whomever asks for it. What if we get a request from someone we don't all corporately know? Would there be a risk for Buffista addresses to end up on spam lists? 'Cause I got an account seriously spammed during the Yahoo list phase. And the address I have up now is a real honest-to-goodness address and not a spam account, cause we have control of the boards, and I have some knowledge of how it's going to be used. Which isn't protection, I know, but a maintained database, especially one that includes addresses not listed here, makes me a little edgy.

And also about the names, I definitely didn't mean that we had such a tradition now, just that it was part of our heritage, and we have some relics from it. I think we fairly specifically didn't add it to our faqs, etc., cause it's not a part of our board culture now. And also many of us who were formerly Real Name, Esq., have edited now, cause of all the scary internet people.

Also, being included in most of the emails will give those of us without a reliable income a way to contribute when we can, even if we can't every time.