(31 May 2016, 3:09 pm)Andreos1 wrote No idea whether these ideas would work or not, but it may help fill the shortfall left over following the appeal for donations and the subsequent use of ads on the page.

Sponsored pages - within an operators thread, sponsored links to their webpage.
The benefits of this, are pretty obvious for both parties.

Raffles or competitions - This could be via 'bids' or purchase of virtual tickets and a prize could be offered to the winner.
I have no idea if this contravenes any specific laws/legislation.

Obviously there are a number of people on the forum, who have contacts within various organisations and operators. I am sure a quiet word here and there, could lead to implementation (certainly the first suggestion) and a flow of funds to the site, that may or may not materialise under the current ad campaign.

Sponsored pages isn't a bad idea, but in my opinion, you won't get a buy in from this industry. The forum is full of users who already (at least claim to) know these companies inside out, and I don't feel that there's a huge benefit for them to have traffic from NEB. The only benefit for them would be if we were to give favourable reviews or promotion of their services, which in my opinion would take away the site's independence. 

I don't think that raffles work online, as it becomes an administrative burden, and you've got to expect to receive 3x as much in money compared to the cost of your prize. With competitions, you'll generally be given a sponsored prize on condition it's not sold on. So the expectation is that you do a free prize draw from your membership usually. It may generate a bit more site traffic, but not any direct revenue.

A lot of similar websites work on a 'premium content' basis, and that's how they raise funds to cover the running costs (or make a profit). Whilst it's not up to me, I'd personally be disappointed if NEB went down that route. The site has been breakthrough as far as bus enthusiasts go, as it's shifted the landscape away from closed group / country club style setups, to a resource that everyone can use and enjoy. Liam and Dan are constantly working on new projects, and we're also putting a lot of effort into reviewing almost 20GB of bygone era content, with a view of finally having that up and running for everyone. I estimate there's at least 100 hours of work in that alone, and that's being asked of volunteers.