I saw that some people complained about the donations being removed from the shop related to the fact that people who can't farm elden medals can't afford to buy 100% manastones socket bundles and I had some suggestions to make about the topic.
I highly agree with the idea of the staff of this server to make the server completely free to play (that's what personally hooked me the most when I found out about this server and saw the website), and I have to admit that seeing the 100% socketing bundle in the shop made me think it wasn't a very f2p choice (even considering that titles and candies might be considered a "boost" not so f2p either but I think those items are less "impactfull" than the 100% socket).
So I was thinking about a possible solution and this came into my mind:
you could change the manastone system to the one of later patches (that when u fail a manastone u simply lose the failed one and not the previous ones) and remove the 100% socket from the shop.
I know it might sound not "aligned" with the 2.7/3.9 idea but this server isn't a real 2.7/3.9 experience at the end of the day.
Just think about the fact the we are actually in an adjusted 4.x server, with a daevanion set from a 4.x patch that kinda broke the idea of the 2.7 patch itself, with many skins coming from 4.x patches and even one from 5.x. So I think that the system change might be techinically possible.
Before I get jumped by people with the "it's not fair I had to spend so many elden coins/money to finish my gear and new players won't have to do the same" let's consider this:
with the new patch 3.9 everyone will have to re-gear anyway so I'd say it's the best moment to implement a new system for the manastones. No one will lose anything from the old gear that anyway people used until now and will still have to use until they get the new one, and new players won't have to feel overwhelmed by the idea to farm so many elden coins for the 100% socket. I myself spent a lot to socket my full set on my chanter but I'd love to see this change.
Cause it also would increase the economy of the server, that atm is kinda messed up for the lack of players.
How would it help the economy?
Well, if people need less manastones to be able to finish to socket their gear there gonna be more manastones available to sell, people that have a lot of time to play will be able to farm them to sell in the broker so they can make kinah, while players with a lower time to play can just find them in the broker fresh to buy.
And what about the people that already bought many 100% socket bundle and kept them in their inventory/warehouse ready for the next patch?
Well, a simple solution would be to substitute that item with a manastone bundle where the player can choose the desired manastone (for example: if you kept that 100% to socket your crit +17/mag +27/atk +5 or whatever, here u will have ur manastone to choose and u will be able to put it in your gear with the new system).
Sorry for the long thread but i thought it might be a good solution to propose to the admins of the server.
Cheers 
