Not sure what the solution would be If I'm honest, but I could get behind a subscription model. I'm sure player counts would drastically dip, but if the fee was low and nominal enough (below the original SOE monthly sub) I'm sure many would step up to the plate to support the people/services that keep this game alive. I of course would PREFER it to stay free/donation based, but unless more people step up to contribute I don't see how it can.
For the record, I don't even spend a lot of time in-game and my monthly donations are rooted in wanting to reward the time and effort gone into keeping this game up and running. Not trying to guilt anyone as I know some genuinely can't afford to contribute, but if you CAN afford to, I hope you consider it.