Theocritus Traditionally, in both Eastern and Western monastic traditions, monks have gone into the community seeking donations of food to support them in their holy poverty. The alms bowl is one of the few possessions of the ascetics of the East. It is a symbol of their simple life and their connection to the community. Living in faith that they will be taken care of, monks have relied on people who value what they do to support them. The people of the community likewise experience gratification for their ability to support the monks.
Shareware works something like that too.
Programmers offer a product in the hope that someone will value it enough to willingly pay for it, thereby gaining merit and avoiding the karmic debt of piracy. Interlude is not connected with any organization other than those few souls who labor to bring you the website. Contributions are not tax deductible under US laws.