Originally Posted by onethumb Assuming there aren't any hiccups (again, still checking), I plan to fully re-institute the lifetime policy for verified, registered non-profit organizations so they can continue the good work they do for the rest of us.

If its re-instated, my opinion of Smugmug will shoot back up. Here's hoping. (yeah, I get that there might be tax/legal reasons, fair enough)


The non-profit I work with is a theatre group, which works with kids from all backgrounds, particularly socially excluded. They have two part-time staff that work non-stop and the kids love it. I give my time as a photographer to them for free and suggested by selling the photos to parents through Smugmug they could make a bit of extra cash, without having the extra work of trying to self-fulfil orders. We set everything up, I spent time showing the staff how it worked and they got approval from their board of trustees to sell photographs as a revenue stream. Three months later the pro price plan increase was announced.

The price rise really screwed us up; it went from a "if we're careful we should make a bit more money" to "there's no way we'll even cover the cost of the subscription".

angelshed.smugmug.com

Originally Posted by onethumb We're still making sure we have all of our ducks in a row, but I believe what happened is an employee (who's no longer here) made a change to this policy two years ago that I wasn't aware of. Instead of lifetime accounts, non-profits were being offered first-year-free or discounted years. I feel strongly that this was a bad decision. If I'd known about it, I'd have stopped it. Now that I know, I intend to. I feel like we (SmugMug) have a responsibility to help organizations that are trying to help their communities, and this is one of the ways we can do that. Assuming there aren't any hiccups (again, still checking), I plan to fully re-institute the lifetime policy for verified, registered non-profit organizations so they can continue the good work they do for the rest of us. Sorry for the confusion, it's not just me building this company any more, and sometimes things slip through the cracks. Thanks so much for bringing it to my attention, and please keep doing so - I try, every day, to do what's right for our customers, long term, above all else. I can't do that without great feedback from all of you. Thanks again.

This is a direct, honest, and much appreciated response. I'd love to see more of these, especially in the places where they're still badly needed.

It would go a long way to repairing a damaged reputation.

quick bump to see if there's any more news on this please...

And again please, any news?

I'm happy to confirm that verified non-profits will continue to receive free, lifetime accounts.

Enjoy!

This is great news as I have donated my time at no cost for the last 5 years with a NPO that serves our troops families as well as our local disadvantaged school kids and their families.

Johnny

Originally Posted by onethumb I'm happy to confirm that verified non-profits will continue to receive free, lifetime accounts. Enjoy!

Originally Posted by Johnnycb This is great news as I have donated my time at no cost for the last 5 years with a NPO that serves our troops families as well as our local disadvantaged school kids and their families. Johnny

Hey Johnny, for you, and the others who find this post, we're pretty excited, too. We'll need for you to visit this page and complete and submit the form so we can get you hooked up: http://help.smugmug.com/customer/portal/articles/98093

Enjoy!!

Originally Posted by onethumb I'm happy to confirm that verified non-profits will continue to receive free, lifetime accounts. Enjoy!

Fab news! Thanks for the update

Originally Posted by Lindy Hey Johnny, for you, and the others who find this post, we're pretty excited, too. We'll need for you to visit this page and complete and submit the form so we can get you hooked up: http://help.smugmug.com/customer/portal/articles/98093 Enjoy!!

What's the turn-around time after a request? I filled out the form last Tuesday. Just wondering how long to wait to find out if approved??

Thanks,