If I might weigh in here...
...can we not be clear if the site is to be funded by donation or by subscription or both? It is clear that (somewhat bizarrely) people want the site to continue, (much less bizarrely & which I completely agree with) they don't want mac to be out of pocket and are willing to dip into their own pockets when necessary. Setting an expectation that £12 a year subscription across the board (as it seems we are with the initial communication) will be enough seems strange based on past experience & I would wager that either more donations will be needed (and that for the time being people are happy to donate) or subscriptions will need to be higher or more frequent... so why don't we set that expectation now? Do you need help Mac with managing the finances? There must be enough old buggers on here with the time & experience to help if needed.