I prefer the "benefactor" name as it doesn't imply you get anything much. If you do start to get extra stuff, people will start evaluating whether the subscription is value for money, and I think it'd be better seen as a pure donation. (But it would be nice to have some acknowledgement in the form of a badge next to your posts.)

I'd rather $12 than $25, but I'm concerned that the costs of administering it will outweigh the benefits.

Although I don't make a secret of who I am online, I'm rather attached to my nickname as I've been using it across many forums for decades. (I started on Usenet in the 1980s.)