On Sat, Dec 31, 2011 at 12:59 AM, geni geniice@gmail.com wrote:
We appear to have actual blinking ads. Unfortunate. Still I suppose the occasion should be marked.
You're a year late to mark it. The year-end fader banner was first used in 2010, e.g.: http://meta.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:NoticeTemplate/view&...
A fundraising campaign is not a switch-on/switch-off affair. It has an arc. It's that arc that helps it be successful. This is the last day of the campaign, and a final invitation to give to reach our goal. It should communicate a sense of urgency towards closure and resolution, coinciding with people's increased year-end willingness to give (which isn't just about taxes). Utilizing a tasteful but slightly unconventional banner that one time is entirely appropriate to wrap things up.
Last year's December 31 was, up until this year, our most successful fundraising day ever. This year's first day of the campaign seems likely to stay our most successful fundraising day of all time, followed by this year's December 31. Those are great successes worth celebrating.
But what's especially worth noting is that the fundraising team has worked enormously hard this year to build a fundraising story that's _not_ simply about maximizing revenue. This deserves celebration, too, but I'll send a separate note about that.
Happy new year all -
Erik