Add a paypal friends and family link on the website but don't ask for donations or money.
Posted: Sat Apr 25, 2026 10:44 pm
It is not unlawful to place a simple PayPal link on a forum without attaching any request, offer, or promise of goods or services. In this context, you are not selling in‑game items, providing paid services, or offering name changes. You are simply giving community members the option to contribute voluntarily if they choose to support the server.
This is not a donation in the formal, charitable sense. It is a voluntary, non‑refundable gesture of goodwill with no expectation of benefit, exclusivity, or fear‑of‑missing‑out attached to it. There is no solicitation, no exchange, and no implied obligation.
From a legal standpoint, this type of voluntary transfer would not raise issues. First, it is a private matter between the sender and the recipient. Second, the recipient is not required to justify how the funds are used. Whether the money goes toward server maintenance or a personal meal is irrelevant, because no promise was made and no transaction was offered in return.
Providing an optional link simply allows someone who wants to support the server to do so. Nothing more.
P.S. The same is already being done with the AdSense on this forum. It's very vague, not talked about, and just kind of there. I've seen 4 people in chat today ask how they can help out. You got the Turtle WoW migration here who are very generous people. It should never be illegal to willingly give money for nothing in return. EVER! That's like penalizing your neighbor because he brings over a meal to share with your family. It's the exact same goddamn thing.
This is not a donation in the formal, charitable sense. It is a voluntary, non‑refundable gesture of goodwill with no expectation of benefit, exclusivity, or fear‑of‑missing‑out attached to it. There is no solicitation, no exchange, and no implied obligation.
From a legal standpoint, this type of voluntary transfer would not raise issues. First, it is a private matter between the sender and the recipient. Second, the recipient is not required to justify how the funds are used. Whether the money goes toward server maintenance or a personal meal is irrelevant, because no promise was made and no transaction was offered in return.
Providing an optional link simply allows someone who wants to support the server to do so. Nothing more.
P.S. The same is already being done with the AdSense on this forum. It's very vague, not talked about, and just kind of there. I've seen 4 people in chat today ask how they can help out. You got the Turtle WoW migration here who are very generous people. It should never be illegal to willingly give money for nothing in return. EVER! That's like penalizing your neighbor because he brings over a meal to share with your family. It's the exact same goddamn thing.