What's the deal with all the "Donating" for ports?

[pickled_heretic]

In life, it's a problem, because you see nonprofit organizations dodge taxes and so forth by accepting "mandatory donations" for various services and products. It's a misuse of the term "donation," which implies 100% voluntary payment, rather than a compulsory fee. Commerce is not regulated in everquest, though, so people can say whatever they want, but it's still considered a misuse of the term. On the other hand, people shouldn't be railed for porting people as a business and charging a fee. It makes more sense in many circumstances to both the client and the porter to have a flat fee. You don't feel like you've been shit on as a porter if you don't get paid and the customer doesn't feel awkward not knowing how much you expect for your services.