>I think my sticking point came in "doing things myself" when I
>asked if I could create a way to get a marketing budget (like
>just asking the players to donate specifically to marketing)
>and was basically told "no."

So what you need is a player donation site. Set up a page somewhere that allows you to take people's donations. Then post a link to that page here. Or find someone to make that page for you if you don't have the technical skills. No imm intervention needed for that.

What else do you need, specifically?