This August 2019, I released my long-in-progress freeware computer game, Nothing but Mazes.
To celebrate this, I’ve set up a fundraiser for Evidence Action, which provides safe drinking water and fights debilitating diseases in developing countries. I decided to do this instead of asking anyone to pay for my game, which is free. And if you donate as little as $5 before September 15, I’ll send you a package of cool stuff.
Wait, cool stuff? Yep, see below. But you can only get it if you donate before September 15, 2019.
Cool Stuff
The “cool stuff” package contains:
- A certificate from the aliens in Nothing but Mazes, stamped with signature green ink, in the aliens’ language.
- Another copy of the same certificate, stamped with signature green ink, in English.
- A small pamphlet that serves as a Rosetta stone for deciphering the alphabet of the aliens in Nothing but Mazes.
- Up to 6 copies each of up to 4 postcards, each with a different painting/artwork used in the Nothing but Mazes trailer. See “Postcard artwork” and “Donation levels” below for details.
Donation Levels
Depending on how much you donate, here’s what you get:
$5
“Basic” package
The certificates, the pamphlet, and 2 of the 4 postcards (When emailing me, tell me which two you want. I’ll do my best to honor your request, but it may depend on availability.)
$10
“Full” package
The certificates, the pamphlet, and all 4 postcards.
$25
“Extra” package
The certificates, the pamphlet, and 3 copies each of all 4 postcards.
$50 or more
“Prove my wife wrong” package
The certificates, the pamphlet, 6 copies each of all 4 postcards, and, last but not least, the knowledge that you will be proving my wife wrong. My wife said nobody would donate $50 or more. Make this donation, and you will show her that people are more generous than she thinks. 🙂
Postcard Artwork
Here’s what the postcards in the package look like:
If you need to refer to these, let’s just call them
(1) Mazes title; (2) Two aliens; (3) Wish you were here; (4) Perish in blazes
How to Donate and Claim Your Cool Stuff
- Decide on a donation level.
- Donate to Evidence Action in one of the following ways.
- Go to my Facebook donation page and make a donation. Choose either “Public” or “Friends” for who can see your donation. You’ll get an email that can be used for tax deductions.
- Go to evidenceaction.org, click on Give, click on Donate Now. Complete the transaction, and you will be emailed a receipt for tax deductions.
- I need to get evidence of how much you donated.
- With Facebook, the easiest way is to make sure your donation is visible to either the “public” or to “friends.”
- With evidenceaction.org, the easiest way is to forward me the receipt you’ll get in your email.
- If you want the package of cool stuff, I also need you to contact me at paradoxgreg@gmail.com, or via Facebook or Twitter, and:
- Show me evidence of your donation and amount
- Tell me your mailing address
- If you don’t want me to list your name as a donor on my web site, just let me know
- If you don’t want me to list your donation amount on my web site, just let me know
- Do all this before the end of the day on September 15, 2019.
Why Evidence Action
I’ve selected Evidence Action as my charity of choice because Evidence Action provides safe drinking water and fights debilitating diseases in developing countries. Those are the kinds of public health efforts where your charitable donations can go a long way, and that’s why Evidence Action is currently one of givewell.org’s top charities.
FAQ / Frequently Asked Questions
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Evidence Action is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, so under U.S. law, your donation to it is tax-deductible. When I donated via either evidenceaction.org, I got an email with a PDF receipt. When I donated via Facebook, I got an email with the donation info in the body of the email. So you’re covered either way. I don’t know how this works for people who don’t live in the U.S.
Will my donation be visible to the public?
If you don’t want your name or donation amount to be visible to the public, just let me know in your email to me (and also make the appropriate choice if donating via Facebook). I plan to list donors’ names and amounts on this page, along with the total amount raised, but will happily exclude your name and donation amount if you ask me to.
When will the packages be sent to donors?
By the end of October 2019. I need time to wait for the donation period to end so I know how much stuff to print, then send the order to the printing company and wait for the printed stuff to come back.
The Game
The game is available at
gregboettcher.com/mazes
The YouTube Trailer for the Game
If you haven’t yet watched the game’s video trailer, you should! It’s only 3 minutes, and it features ten paintings that I did just for that trailer. You can see it at
gregboettcher.com/mazes