Welcome to the WinCustomize Charity & Subscription Drive!
This year, support not only WinCustomize, your favorite skinning site on the web, but also help us give back to the real-world community and support a good cause. We will be donating $2.99 of every subscription to the Children's Hospital of Michigan to buy toys and games for sick kids as part of the 2007 Childs Play Charity Drive.
Help us help kids this holiday season.
Frequently Asked Questions
We're sure you have plenty of questions bout this year's charity/subscription drive. To help you out, we've put together this brief FAQ to address the most common questions.
- How long will the drive last?
The subscription/charity drive runs from November 1st until December 14th.
- Why a Subscription Drive?
Every now and then it's important for us to actively push site subscriptions, and explain why it's so important for users to support the site. The last time we did this was back in 2005 and the drive both helped the site and helped strengthen the community as skinners and users alike came out in support of what we do here at WinCustomize.
- Why Should I Subscribe?
WinCustomize receives its funding from two major sources; advertising and subscriptions. The money goes straight into paying for staff, ongoing development, server hosting and bandwidth. Using site subscriptions as a way to support the site lets us be much more choosy when it comes to advertising. We don't do pop-ups, pop-unders, floaters etc. because they would hurt the site. They'd make us a lot of money, but they would make the site a less inviting place.
- What do I get for my subscription?
You get ad-free browsing, unlimited downloads, an online photo album, and four premium suites (pre-selected). In the past, subscribers were also given a sneak-peek at major site revisions before they were available to the public. We're constantly looking for new features to add to make a subscription more valuable too.
- I already have a subscription, can I still be a part of this?
Yes! Even if you have an active subscription, you can renew it early (renewals are for 2 years).
- Ok, I don't want to renew my subscription until 2015, but I still want to help. What can I do?
You can also purchase a subscription for another user as a gift. When going through the purchase process on the Stardock Store, just check the box saying you're buying the subscription for someone else.
- Why a Charity Drive?
This year, we wanted to give something back to the real-world community we live in. So instead of just a plain subscription drive, we're donating a portion of each subscription, and part of the sale of selected Master Skins to Childs Play, a charity dedicated to helping out sick kids and their families by donating toys, games and movies to the hospitals they spend much of their lives in.
- Why Childs Play?
Childs Play is a charity we strongly believe in here at WinCustomize. A 100% volunteer-run charity, Childs Play delivers toys to one of the places they're needed most; Children's hospitals. Childs Play works directly with a network of over 40 hospitals world-wide to get new toys and games into the hands of kids who may very well spend their holidays in a hospital bed.
- Where exactly is the money going?
Proceeds from our drive will go to the Childrens Hospital of Michigan in Detroit, MI. This is Stardock's local participating hospital.
- How much of my purchase goes to Childs Play?
For each subscription purchased (or renewed), we will donate $2.99 of the sale to Childs Play. Master skin rates are set by the skinner with a minimum of 5% of the skinner's cut of the sale.
- How can I get involved?
Help spread the word to everyone you know, both in the community and beyond. Help spread awareness of what we're doing and encourage others to join the WinCustomize community.
- I have a question not answered here...
If you have any questions about the drive, the charity, or how it all works, please email Mike Crassweller (mikec@stardock.com) with the subject "WC Charity".
Childs Play
(www.childsplaycharity.org)
Childs Play is a volunteer-run charity that started in 2003 with the goal of bringing toys, games and movies to kids in childrens hospitals. Think about how dull and depressing a hospital is for an adult, then imagine what it must be like for a kid. Many hospitals have too few toys and games for the children in their care, and those they do have are likely old or broken. Imagine you're a child stuck in a hospital bed over the holidays. How much would it mean to you to get a brand new toy, video game or movie to help distract you, if only for a little while?
Childs Play is a charity organized, run and supported almost entirely by gamers. People who know the value of a good toy and how it can turn your day around. With zero overhead costs, and a system where money and toys go directly to the participating hospitals, Childs Play is one of the best charities you can give to this holiday season.
