Over past years, the RPG Crossing community has donated over USD$20,000 towards research to improve the lives of those affected by mental illness. This year we are hoping to add at least $2,500 to that total!

How it works: 

There are two ways you can participate:

#1 - Effective Dec. 1 and continuing until (and including) Sunday, Dec 31, 2023, $5 of every new or renewed FULL YEAR Community Supporter membership will be donated to the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation to support mental illness research, "to bring the joy of living to those affected by mental illness – those who are ill and their families and friends." The foundation does its work by awarding research grants. 100% of your contributions for research are invested in research thanks to the generous support of two family foundations which cover the BBR Foundation's operating expenses.

#2 - Please make a direct donation to the BBR Foundation through this event web page. Gifts made to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation are tax-deductible in the U.S. More about the BBR Foundation. Donations of $10 or more get cool prizes (see below)!

Goals and Goodies:

With great thanks to our supporters, in addition to the matching donation to charity, everyone who donates $10 or more through our team page for the Brain & Behavior Foundation OR who adds a full year CS to their account (either by purchasing a CS for themselves or if they receive one as a gift, includes $5 donation to charity) will get the following RPG accessories ($21 value):

• Hirelings and Henchmen from Cawood Publishing (PDF)
• Dodgeball the RPG and We Hunt Bugs: Second Edition from Orcs Unlimited (PDF)
• $10 free towards an Adventure-A-Week (AAW) subscription
• Traveller: Explorer's Edition from Mongoose Publishing (PDF)

Everyone who donates $25 or more through our team page for the Brain & Behavior Foundation will ALSO get our Cypher Shorts (perfect for PBP!) prize pack from Underground Oracle Publishing ($18 value, for a total of $39):

• Cypher Shorts: Horror Shorts Vol. 1 (PDF/FVTT)
• Cypher Shorts: Fantasy Shorts Vol. 1 (PDF/FVTT)
• Cypher Shorts: Sci-fi Shorts Vol. 1 (PDF/FVTT)

Everyone who donates $50 or more through our team page for the Brain & Behavior Foundation will ALSO get our Traveller Rulebook and Reading prize pack from Mongoose Publishing ($45 value, for a total of $84):

• Traveller Core Rulebook Update 2022 (PDF)
• The King is Dead (PDF/EPUB/MOBI)
• The Once and Future Prince (PDF/EPUB/MOBI)
• Girl's Gotta Eat (PDF/EPUB/MOBI)
• Shadow of the Storm (PDF/EPUB/MOBI)

That's a pretty great list, so please be generous with your donations. A huge thank you to Mongoose Publishing, Underground Oracle Publishing, AAW, Orcs Unlimited, and Cawood Publishing for supporting our drive with these great prizes!

Note that there will be no short-term in-drive giveaways this year: all contestants get the above prizes based on how much they contribute. And we have special grand prizes for the most generous donors to charity....

Can I give to the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation with confidence? The BBRF has a 4-star rating at Charity Navigator and is "Top-Rated" by Charity Watch. This charity was chosen by RPG Crossing because it supports an important cause that is relevant to our community, supports research that benefits everyone around the globe, and is US-based (to maximise the number of our members who can use the tax receipts.)

What is a Community Supporter account? We are committed to providing an excellent community to all members, but Community Supporters get some perks. Some of these are: a mobile style for easier reading on smaller devices, more private message space, a larger avatar, extensive folder management in games, the Community Supporter badge, access to the Community Supporter forum and its games & wish thread & private threads, nearly automatic game approval, and the warm feeling of knowing that you've helped keep the community going. For a more complete run down and chart, please visit the Community Supporter help page.  

How to purchase a membership for someone else: If you'd like to buy a CS membership for a friend, buy one on your account and send a pm to Birched -- he will transfer the year to the account of your choosing. Please indicate 1) the exact username of the recipient, and 2) whether you'd like the gift to be anonymous.

How to purchase a membership with no credit card or PayPal: Credit card purchases can be made through PayPal even without an account (and if you don't want an account, don't fall for their attempt to get you to make one after you enter your payment information), and there are additional options including wise.com and Stripe.com. Details can be found on the Paid Subscriptions page at RPG Crossing. Please send a PM to Birched if you have any difficulties or questions.

Can I make a donation to BBR Foundation through the site without buying a membership? Yes.  Please make your donation from this page. $10 is the minimum donation to qualify for participant rewards. If you are interested in these, please include your site username in the comment box so that we can contact you at rpgcrossing.com to deliver rewards.

If you've been planning to buy a CS membership for yourself or someone else on the site, this is a great time to do that and also give to a worthwhile cause. Almost all of us have been touched by these illnesses in one way or another, either in our families, amongst our friends, or even here on the site (some of those unexplained absences of PBP players, perhaps?)

I will report back and let you know how we are doing. Wishing you all all the best for the holiday season,

~ Mark / Birched