ETS Foundation was an early adopter of the Network for Good service, which offered non-profits a way to accept donations at zero cost to the non-profit. While it was hardly a perfect solution, integration sucked, it was workable and easy, both welcome attributes for a small non-profit such as ETS Foundation. Then a few months ago things started to unravel. The organization that they were using to process the credit cards filed for bankruptcy, supposedly without warning, which I doubt. We were not notified until some time had passed. At that point NFG promised we would be made whole, that all back donations would be received and that they were going to take over the donation processing and a much improved tracking system would be put in place. To date neither has occurred. The most recent promise is that all back funds owed will be paid by August 15. Today I received a notice that on top of everything, they are going to start charging to process donations as of August 1, no longer will 100% of a donors contribution go to us. That was the straw that broke this camel's back. I am removing NFG banners and links from ETS (as I will not be around to do that on July 31) and we are contemplating a lawsuit if they don't pay us and give us a full accounting in short order as promised. As I am a bit preoccupied at this time, when I return from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh and then Outdoor Retailer Summer Market in mid-August, we shall set up some other system to make contributions, assuming we decide it is worth the effort. To date, the majority of our significant donations have been received as checks, so it may not be worth spending the time to replace the NFG system.

We still desperately need your donations, and sincerely appreciate those we have received, but we are going to have to find a better way to process them.

Just so you know.