Being a board member of a not-for-profit, I can certainly contest to retsof's point of view. NonProfits certainly pay attention to whom the big donors are and tend to all flock to them. This is a big reason why more an more donors are requesting to be anonymous. The ones that are smart enough not to take credit tend to be the ones that continue their efforts. The ones that feel they need acknowledged tend to get bombarded with requests.

One of the things I have received feedback on from members that have reduced or retired has been deadlines. For an app that is supposed to be spare cpu cycles, many of the DC projects demand requirements that involve much more than general idle time. This need for quick returns doesn't really fit the spare cycles of the typical PC user behavior.

Many users also get burned out because there is little interaction with them. Again, as a board member I have found that merely walking around and thanking donors for their contribution makes a world of difference. Standing on a pedestal and thanking them all in a general non-personal way doesn't quite do the trick. That direct contact is what hits home. I don't see many DC projects giving their donors much attention.

WCG is unique in that it isn't the scientists that have little experience in such things. It is an organization that handles a lot of the PR for them. They have the tools to be able to reach out. Though I'm sure it falls under the "we will add it to the list of things to get around to" or the "it just isn't a highest priority with our limited resources" lists. I know they have done a lot more with "informing" its users and to also give small updates to remind them of their last checkin, but it really seems very mechanical or robotic. The impression from the emails do not feel personal in any way to me.

The OP May have given up on this thread, but one thing that was said in the first post was that WCG was not working with Last Pass, a popular password organizer.
To throw my hat into this ring of fire, I am using Last Pass, and it works as expected with WCG. The BOINC client itself of course does not need a password entered to run. The website does need a log in.
I have mine set to 'Auto Login' and it does just that. Once I click the bookmark and the browser opens the WCG website, I am greeted with the "My Grid' Page, and logged in.

Last Pass is an excellent way to generate and use safe an secure passwords across all website logins, and i use it to make personal secure notes for future reference when needed.

Yep, That is correct, My Contribution. My book mark is labelled My Grid, . . .