Bandwidth costs vary, depending on the system resources used. A site which has straightforward downloads (not a lot of dynamic content, you know, like message boards and user control panels and other features that require databases) can get away with a cheap web hosting plan. I have sites like that. They use up perhaps a total of several 100 GB a month, and yet I pay peanuts. But if I were to start adding databases and getting a HUGE amount of users coming on at the same time, then I'm sure I'd need to get dedicated hosting, which would cost a LOT more.
I am a donater for the same reason as JaddziaDax: I don't want to feel like a leech. I sometimes view the videos here (fabulous stuff!), but to be honest I enjoy this place because it is an excellent resource for any type of fan video authoring. I've found some wonderful helpful information here for editing on a Mac. Donating a small sum was the least I could do!
