Why isn't my contribution value going up?

To increase your CV above $30, you need to give away games that were never bundled.

If you are giving for CV you're wrong. Anyway, to increase it, pick games which haven't been on a bundle.

No, because another human being will receive that game if you give it away, and he or she will get to play and enjoy it.

Edit: Also no, because bundled games at all NO BUNDLED GAMES will raise your CV further.

If your broker is advising you to invest in CV, you need to drop him like a smouldering spud.

Thank you. Finally.

I'm afraid you still don't "get it."

1) Non-bundled games give non-bundled value at current market price. When the price of a game drops, so does the CV for it.
2) Bundled games give bundled value. The amount of BV counted toward CV is capped at 20$ of total NBV.
3) The first $25 of bundled games are considered non-bundled. This is a "bonus" to balance out the equation for bundled games.

So, CV == NBV + min(BV, NBV*0.2).

Q. What does this mean to me?
A. It means that your CV will stop going up if you give nothing but bundled games.

Q. So, if I want my CV to keep going up, I should give only non-bundled games?
A. Giving a non-bundled game will give you full CV for that game, but the CV will drop as the value of the game drops.

Q. So, you're saying that no matter what I give, my CV will still decline over time? Why am I giving, then?!?
A. If you are giving in order to accumulate CV, you are wasting money. The exchange between cash and CV is very inefficient.

What is CV?
As I understand it, CV is not a measurement of how much money you have spent. CV is a measurement of how much impact your gifts have had here on SteamGifts. The more active you have been as a giver, the more CV you will end up having. People on SteamGifts sometimes use a CV-gate in their giveaways when they want to "reward" those who have been active givers by making a special giveaway just for them. It is their way of saying "thank you" to those individuals who have kept the site going through their regular contributions. (If all we had here at SG were bundled games, things would not be quite as interesting.) This is also why I feel CV should be included in the new version of SteamGifts.

Who cares about CV?
From what I've seen, people seem to care about CV (or not) for various reasons. Some people see CV as a goal, and they push themselves to give more in order to reach that goal. Other people see CV as a mark of distinction, and they strive for the biggest epeen they can afford. Still others see CV as a form of credit, and do what they can to hoard it. It is this last group of people who are most often frustrated.

By contrast, the happiest people on SteamGifts are those who don't care about CV at all. Some of them are happy to give bundled games, and some of them are happy to give non-bundled games. All of them, however, enjoy giving, and SG is a great place to do that.

Not everyone is as awesome as you, bondyboy. Unfortunately. :(

We're the same, except I've given considerably less.

.. So a game becomes worthless because it's been in a bundle? Someone's actual enjoyment of a game doesn't matter?

Also, for someone who's been here as long as you have, has as many entries and wins as you do, and has given away as little as you have, you sure got a big mouth.