Probably not... they will need ongoing funds, not a one-time cash injection through some GoFundMe campaign or similar.

Corporate Sponsorships are likely their best bet. I'd wager their membership fees don't even come close to breaking even for operations and equipment maintenance, let alone new equipment.

Consolidated Communications was generous enough to provide a free symmetrical gigabit fiber connection to their Sacramento location. They need money though, from the sound of it... not free gear and services.

I wonder if they explored or approached Intel, who has a significant campus in the Folsom area. VSP is another major player in the Sacramento area.

we need $xxxx per month is still better than "contact us"

"contact us" is good for when you have a high pressure sales tactic to use, or want to gauge how much money you can extract from a client, not when you are (De facto) begging for a reprieve from death)

The author is merely a new member of the space and not representative of staff. I’m sure the staff would know better what that number is!

Yeah you think they would simply have a "donations" page on their website like 99% of the other nonprofits do?

HackerLab is a for-profit corporation. Which isn't the norm for these types of places.