It really seems like volunteer modding gigs are a huge time investment, so always looking for a creative way to add some financing, but I wanted to focus on teamwork first. Unfortunately sim pilots are fairly independent, and without fiscal incentive, I see IRL responsibilities tanking our critical mass. Even worse than toxic personalities, which come and go. Still, we started 2nd week in January, and we've only just recently started to lose a little steam. I still think we'll have a strong update this month, and I look forward to getting a test model into Outerra to get some dirt on my hands!
Modding projects, especially long term, have always been prone to breakups for the reasons you mentioned and more. Taking a project to completion is always an awesome accomplishment!