Thank You: A Meaningful Way to Close Out the Year – Please Support Our Momentum!

mclemore

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As we approach the New Year, I find myself reflecting on the incredible impact our efforts have made for the vibrant community we're building together.

The Museum of the Game and The International Arcade Museum Library both launched great initiatives in 2024, but each is spending more doing so than they bring in. We're asking for your direct support for the New Year, as we'd like to sustain our momentum in 2025!

We are asking you to reflect on how valuable you find our offerings, whether you believe in arcade, coin-op, and video-game preservation, and whether you would be able to give at least $5. If you have given in the past and we still provide you with value, please kindly donate again. If you have never contributed, please consider joining our efforts today. If everyone reading this gave just $5, we'd be well on our way to reaching our goals. All that matters is that you choose to support our preservation efforts. Every contribution helps, whether it's $2 (a common first donation), $5 (the most common donation amount), $12 (the average), $20, $50, $100, or more.

For further information on contributing to the Museum of the Game, please see our Contribute page.

For The International Arcade Museum Library, please see the main Library page.

Museum of the Game - Year In Review:


The Museum of the Game started the year with the launch of a new web site after two and a half years of solid work. It replaced a barely working (often not-barely), non-mobile friendly, 25-year-old infrastructure with a dynamic site utilizing modern programming techniques, mobile responsiveness, and more. It introduced new features including the Arcade Map that highlights locations to visit globally, an expanded technical resource section, data cleanups, and more. Then throughout the year we expanded a revision tracking and permission system that safely allows our veteran users to edit game entries, manufacturer entries, a people database, an events calendar, and an Arcade Map location search engine, with such additions and edits going live instantly in most cases instead of getting buried for eons in a moderation queue. See more of this year's accomplishments on our System Updates page.

In 2024 to date, while the Museum's 'ask' was very subtle, it invested over $151,000 into expanding the offerings while receiving only $3,656 in contributions. To keep up the current pace of innovation (and to keep non-relevant advertising off the site), we need to expand the breadth and depth of our support.

The International Museum Library, Inc. - Year In Review:


Separately, The International Museum Library Inc. ("IAML", a 501(c)3 non-profit charity) continued to work on scanning projects and a grand expansion of the eLibrary online PDF system. As of December 23, 2024, the IAML's 2024 spend on services of $52,269 has far exceeded $22,956 in revenues. For 2025, the IAML wants to focus on increasing both the quantity of content online, as well as that ability for our supporters to upload content with ease, all while improving our handling of images and in particular the accuracy and easy of OCR processes. For more information, please see the page about the Library's finances at https://library.arcade-museum.com/finances .

Thank you

Thank you for your support, and a Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year to All!
 
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Here is an update on our year-end and year-start fundraising drives.

Museum

The Museum started its web site contribution fund on 6/3/2024. Through 12/31/2024, it received $6,577 in contributions, leaving $6,057 after PayPal Fees.

2025 is off to a nice start. In January 2025 through January 18, $2,140 in contributions were made.

Overall, the Museum continues to spend funds faster than it can raise them. Either the Museum needs to slow the rate it works on new projects, or needs to increase its income. In 2024 alone, the deficit amounted to about $146k.

Note: High fees are associated with small donation amounts. If someone contributes $1, PayPal takes $0.52 from it (52.0%). If the person checks the box to cover the fee, then the contribution is in the amount of $1.53, and PayPal takes $0.53 from it (34.6%). If someone contributes $10 and checks the checkbox to cover the fee, PayPal takes $0.80 from $10.80 (7.4%). On a $50 contribution, PayPal takes $5.4%. On a $500 contribution with fee checked, PayPal takes $15.38 from $515.38 (3.0%)

Library

The Library's balance sheet is in better shape that the Museum, but is also running at a deficit. In 2024, the Library received $15,911 in donations, and made $9,259 on interest and investments, for total income of $25,170. Of its donations, it received $2,016 of the total in December, and $741 of that in the last 5 days after we announced a year-end call for donations. In 2025, the library spent $52,977 -- $52,088 on program expenses, $798.59 on PayPal fees, and $90 in other expenses.

2025 is off to a solid. In January (through 1/18/2025), donations to the Library have totaled $3,591

Thank you

Thanks to everyone for their support. If you have any questions, comments, thoughts, or other messages about any of this, please feel free to reach out to me.
 
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