I'd rather see an annual Pinside Premium membership (Pinside LE if you will) that includes many features, not just ad removal, to offset costs. It's been stated that this is a business so it's good to start running it like one with clear descriptions of the product benefits being offered for a subscription fee.
I could care less about the ads and understand why they're needed if you aren't charging a sub fee to offset costs. However, if you are then please provide benefits to merit it. It's not a donation anymore