Final Edit:
Just a final update and result on this:
As 2 has just informed me he sadly will not be able to attend EF this year. He appreciates all the money people sent him and he tried to find cheaper flights to make the cut, but as the donations only reached about half the needed amount it sadly won't suffice, considering how close EF is already.
As said, 2 thanks all supporters for their interest and money and is sorry it didn't work out. Thus, please, if you still consider(ed) donating: Don't do it anymore, the fundraising has officially ended.
As promised in the beginning he will be starting to return all the donations he got so far. It might be possible Paypal wants to take some cents as transaction fee, but otherwise everyone should have their money back soon.
For any further questions and enquiries you might have, please contact him directly as I'm not in constant contact with him myself and could not give you quick or extensive answers.
Thanks very much, from me as well, to everyone who donated or spread the word. Maybe we can make it happen next year!
Best wishes and a good week to all of you.
Greetings fellow furs, especially those enjoying the humour and antics of our friend and former GoH, 2 Gryphon.
Like it was the case in the last year our comedian friend won't be an official “Guest of Honour” this year, after all we want to have new and different people for entertainment every year, but once again this does not mean we will have to live through EF without him, that is, if we find enough people to support him financially to get over here. For a quick view, there was a thread like this last year (https://forum.eurofurence.org/index.php/topic,5108.0.html), and it worked, so, we might just try it again.
I talked to 2 about this and he'd love to attend again, if people feel generous enough to help him afford the travel.
I'll add a little Question/Answer part further down, but let me make one thing clear first: This is NOT an official event. This is NOT something done by Eurofurence staff right now, I started this and got in contact with 2 on my own. This means: If this works out MAYBE there will be a little “Thank You” event like it was in former years, if we can get EF's consent and a free room. But this is NO PROMISE. This is an independent idea that might work out along the lines of “let us help to get a friend of us to a convention” like, in theory, everyone could do for their friends.
Basically, it's the same situation as last year: MAYBE we can get a comedy event. MAYBE we will have a thank you event. I'm just a regular attendee, I cannot say or decide, but one think is for certain: 2 will certainly appreciate your help and dedication!
As with last year, if you feel like helping 2 pay his possible expenses and get him over here, fire up your Paypal and send your donations to him, stating in the comment it's for his, hopefully working, trip to EF at: 2@ranting-gryphon.com
Now, some things you might wonder with quick answers:
Q: How much money will 2 need to get to EF?
A: Typically, it has been an average of around 2000 Euros
Q: How do we know if it was successful?
A: 2 will let us know once the needed amount is reached and I'll immediately edit this entry as well as any possible others I made by then in other places
Q: What happens if we donate too much?
A: This usually does not happen. Should you make a big donation just when the limit is reached, so that there are excess funds, 2's comment was: "in the case that there is more money than is needed, the rest
goes to something for the donators, like booze for a party where I can meet and talk with them. Or simply, the extra money goes to the convention's charity. However, so far there has been very little (if any) extra."
Q: What happens if we are not successful?
A: First off, many of us will be very sad. But seriously: Should this not work out, 2 stated: "If donations come in, but they are not enough to get me there, then that money is sent back to the people who donated."
Yeah, so, that's basically it. I want to stress it again: This is NOT an official Eurofurence event and I am not acting on anyone's behalf, neither EF, nor 2. I'm just some regular attendee that happened to ask 2 "Hey, can I ask people to donate money again to get you to EF?". He wouldn't even do this himself, but as I know many people love him (yes, I know many also dislike him, but hey, if you feel like it, start funding for that yourself^^) I thought we could give it a try again.
And as you see, the money is directly donated to him, not to me, and not through me or EF.
To any people donating: Thank you very much, let's make it happen again!
I know many people in the past disliked this idea because they're not fans of 2. As it was said last year, 2 can be quite polarising, I know that, but if you got people you think would contribute more or better, hey, feel free to support them in your own ways, I'm not saying this is the only valid case, but it worked in the past, so, I'm giving it another try.
Should any of the EF staff have objections, please forgive me then, but the EF Twitter account seemed to accept the idea and 2 liked it, so, I'll give it a try.
Thank you for your attention, have a nice week.
Greetings,
RealZero
Update - 2015-07-20:
As of today 2 has received about $800, which is awesome, but considering the date and EF being quite soon, chances for this to work out are quite low by now if he doesn't suddenly gets an unexpected influx of donations.
Thanks very much to everyone who donated so far anyway.