Since the multiplication of funding platforms, this subject has become a true niche market. The concept is adapted to help improve free and open-source software through voluntary co-funding solutions.
All work deserves pay. And even if there are still people who think that free software is developed by a bearded guy working in his basement eating only chips and beer, someone needs to explain how he can afford those two vital supplies.
In short! In real life, free software mostly comes from three types of projects: a proprietary project may be freed because it is end-of-life, or to relaunch it, to increase its distribution, or to serve as a showcase for related projects; a project is built by several companies seeking to pool risks; or the project owner wants to free their product out of conviction or to reuse all the open-source building blocks without restrictions.
If this type of fundraising works (and 2,000 users donating 1 euro each is not impossible), we could see a new type of funding emerge, or even, if pushed to the extreme, a new economy.
Regarding this project, it is an interesting evolution proposed for a reference project, namely GIMP, and the developer's credentials are solid. All the more reasons to believe in the project's success once the funds are raised.
The reference for this article comes from another article by Framasoft which provides all useful references and also presents the French project enabling this kind of initiative.