Realizing this, I started a clearinghouse for several of my ancestral surnames in 1974. We now have hundreds of thousands of family group records in our paper files, with more being added on a weekly basis. We have by far the largest collection of its kind anywhere. There has never been a charge to contribute sheets to the Exchange. It is supported solely by fees charged for photocopies of the batches of sheets.
Contributors realize that by sending in their information, everyone wins.
The contributor benefits by preserving the data and years of research effort, and also because the data immediately goes to work as free advertising of his or her research interests. As other people order and obtain the sheets, they will write back to the originator. This benefit continues year after year, with no additional input required, except perhaps to send a change of address or updated sheets if new information is discovered. You will get a tremendous amount of advertising of your interests and may make contact with someone with whom you can exchange information. Your surnames will be advertised in the Genealogical Helper and in other publications or in our direct mail advertising, thereby attracting other members under the same surnames.