PMJS Finances & Management Updates
Paula R. Curtis
Dear colleagues,
On behalf of the PMJS Steering Committee I am writing with some updates to PMJS management. Many of you may not be aware that while the PMJS mailing list itself is a free service offered through Google Groups, the PMJS Google Workspace used for its management, the domain (https://www.pmjs.org/), and emails linked to the domain are not. For many years the cost of these services was shouldered by the person managing the list’s logistics. The PMJS Steering Committee has been discussing how to share these costs more equitably and transparently, and so we are reporting on the details and conclusions reached. Information on how to support PMJS is included at the end of the email.
What costs does PMJS incur?
The Google Groups system where the mailing list and its posts are housed is free. The domain registration (registered with GoDaddy web services), incurs an annual fee. The Google Workspace, to which the domain is tied, incurs a monthly subscription fee. The Workspace houses/centralizes the email addresses associated with the domain, web space (Google Drive) for any documents related to PMJS management, and is tied to the public-facing website.
How has it been paid for up until now?
The registration of these services and their payment was previously managed by Matthew Stavros. When management of the list was passed to Christina Laffin and Paula Curtis, they both took over coordinating the technical issues related to the accounts, and Christina paid for the services out of pocket. The prices of these services have crept up in cost over the years as Google has initiated new payment models (and split its domain management from internal to GoDaddy as a separate service).
Approximately how much do these things cost?
At present, Google Workspace costs approximately $250 USD per year, and the domain about $25 per year. Though we do not have full accounting records, Christina has personally funded at least $2,000 USD in the past 5 years to support PMJS since 2019. Please see the following file for details: (LINK)
What options did the Steering Committee consider to fund PMJS-related services? What will be done from here?
Several options were considered:
・ Becoming an Association for Asian Studies sponsored group (declined)
Although PMJS as a mailing list has 1,600+ members, the requirements for becoming an AAS sponsored group include having a series of bylaws and for individuals to be registered as members of AAS, which would pose a burden and a challenge on our largely informal community of members from around the world.
・ Registering as a non-profit organization (declined)
It was suggested that we might incorporate PMJS as a non-profit and register for tax exempt status, which would allow us to fund raise easily and create a legal structure. However, this would require a significant amount of time and an individual would have to be responsible for the paperwork and managing the accounts. There also needs to be a physical address where NPOs are registered to, and this would likely be a greater undertaking than necessary for the list.
・ Seeking sponsorship through Japan Past & Present/Yanai Initiative (declined)
Although the origins of Japan Past & Present are, in part, members of a PMJS subcommittee brainstorming how to expand PMJS’s online presence, it is not currently within the scope of JPP or Yanai Initiatives activities to fund a private community or external service/website.
・ Allowing an individual to manage the finances and take donations (declined)
It was proposed that we could continue in an ad hoc way allowing one person to volunteer to make payments, with PMJS list members donating funds through something like PayPal or to the person directly. While the easiest option, it would require a volunteer, and would lack transparency–How much was donated to this person? If they had donations through Paypal, how could records in their bank account be filtered to easily show only PMJS-related donations? While possible, this was deemed not ideal.
・ Setting up a Patreon account for regular donations
The Steering Committee ultimately concluded that an option similar to the above but with more transparency would be helpful. They therefore decided that a Patreon could be set up that allows PMJS members to make either one-time annual donations or recurring small donations (beginning with $1) per month.
Although this system would still deposit funds into a single person’s account (Paula Curtis agreed to manage the funds, as she currently has her credit cards linked to the Google Workspace and domain accounts), the Patreon system 1) shows how many members are signed up for recurring donations, 2) shows how much the account generates monthly, and 3) generates invoices of deposited funds that are separate from an individual’s bank account records. This option allows for a much more easily-maintained and transparent management of any financial transactions.
In addition, the Steering Committee has asked for a volunteer to summarize financial reporting annually on PMJS-related finances, a summary that will be shared with the list each year. Linda Chance has volunteered to serve in this capacity. All records related to financial reporting will be uploaded to the shared space of the Steering Committee each month and compiled at the end of the year.
How can I support PMJS?
So how can you support PMJS? We now have a Patreon account where you can subscribe to contribute monthly or make an annual contribution: https://www.patreon.com/PMJS
Given that the annual costs of PMJS management are roughly $275 USD, to reach that threshold it would take, for example:
23 donations of $1 per month x 12 months = $276
12 donations of $2 per month x 12 months = $288
8 donations of $3 per month x 12 months = $288
6 donations of $4 per month x 12 months = $288
5 donations of $5 per month x12 months = $300
There are some minor fees associated with processing donations through Patreon, but they are not high. If someone donates, we will place their name (first name, last initial) on the PMJS website in recognition of their contribution.
What happens if there are more funds than is necessary to run the account?
In the event that the amount of donations exceeds the costs, a record will be kept of that amount, and the Steering Committee may decide on a future use to support the community, or keep it on reserve for future expenses related to the online PMJS accounts. Christina has indicated that she would decline repayment for her past contributions if offered.
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While that was a lot to read, we hope it has anticipated any questions or concerns you might have! PMJS has been an active community since 1999, when it had only 17 members. We are sure that it will continue to evolve in its scope and function, and it remains an important part of maintaining a robust community of premodern specialists and enthusiasts. We appreciate everyone’s contributions, both intellectual and, potentially, financial, to keep PMJS operating and growing.
With gratitude,
Paula
Yanai Initiative for Globalizing Japanese Humanities
Gregory M. Pflugfelder
This Message Is From an External SenderThis message came from outside your organization.
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PMJS is a forum dedicated to the study of premodern Japan.
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Christopher Hepburn
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Amy Vladeck Heinrich
On Apr 21, 2026, at 10:33 AM, Gregory M. Pflugfelder <gm...@columbia.edu> wrote:
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Travis Seifman
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Ross Bender
天皇
A heavenly sovereign, perceive with great reverance.
Ross Bender
Paula Curtis
This is wonderful! PMJS is a great treasure. Many thanks to Matt Stavros and Christina Laffin for personally supporting this in the past. Of course I immediately signed up at the Imperial Level, but immediately noticed an egregious misspelling: Please allot some of my generous contribution to the purchase of a reliable spell checker.
$5 per month天皇
A heavenly sovereign, perceive with great reverance.
<image.png>
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PMJS is a forum dedicated to the study of premodern Japan.
To post to the list, email pm...@googlegroups.com
For the PMJS Terms of Use and more resources, please visit www.pmjs.org.
Contact the moderation team at mod...@pmjs.org
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You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "PMJS: Listserv" group.
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Robert Borgen
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PMJS is a forum dedicated to the study of premodern Japan.
To post to the list, email pm...@googlegroups.com
For the PMJS Terms of Use and more resources, please visit www.pmjs.org.
Contact the moderation team at mod...@pmjs.org
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Paula R. Curtis
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pmjs/4FE73104-4229-4712-8B4D-1724AFDD3C1C%40ucdavis.edu.