Just to clarify a bit... so a donation is or is not purchasing the node? Sorry, just a little confused on what the donation is.
A donation is NOT purchasing the node. If you donate it will help lower the cost of the node for someone else who applies for it. Eg. A $100 donation would lower the cost of the node by $4 for 25 people.
All donations are pooled together at the end of the month. If we get a good amount of donations, we would be giving away nodes for little to no cost.