Balloon Juice went ad-free nearly 4 year ago, and I know that I am not the only one who is really happy we did that.
Can we take a quick trip down memory lane so we don’t have to reinvent the wheel?
2021
If you’re the guy whose name is on all the bills, ditching the ads and losing $1,000 a month would have to feel a bit like jumping off a cliff without a net.
So here’s what it will take for me to feel good about having asked John Cole to do just that:
– $6,000 in one-time donations now – that would sit in an account, unused, as a safety net, to take the uncertainty out of the equation for Cole.
– no subscriptions, just recurring donations every month from those who can afford it, to pay for hosting and subscriptions etc.
– we need about $1,000 in recurring donations every month for that.
Safety net
Having the safety net has already helpful, but it’s been a long time since we’ve had a site fundraiser and for various reasons we have been whittling away at the safety net rather than putting up a site fundraising post.
So it would be super helpful if we could put some money back into the safety net, with one-time donations.
You can donate to the safety net with Patreon, Venmo, Zelle, and paper check. Even PayPal if that’s your preference, but please mark it as personal / gift and not payment for services.
Monthly expenses
We need about $1,000 in recurring monthly donations for the monthly expenses. Same donation options – Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, and paper check – except I think Patreon doesn’t allow one-time donations. (Please mark it as personal / gift and not payment for services.)
Fine tuning!
Not everyone can afford even $5 or $10 a month, but this is a community and those of us who can afford that have been helping make the site better for everyone.
If you have signed up for a monthly donation but you’re in a different financial position than you were when you signed up, please feel free to cancel your monthly donation, with our sincere thanks for having supported the site for nearly a year!
If you keep thinking you’ll set up a monthly donation, but haven’t gotten around to it, or if the timing is right for increasing your donation, this would be a great time to do it.
If you want to support the site with a one-time check, send me an email message I will send you Cole’s address. (P.O.box)
Memory Lane
In case you want to relive the good times, here’s the post from me on Nov 3, 2021.
Followed by this post from John a couple hours later:
So I Guess We are Going Ad Free (With Venting and Explanation)
Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free
It’s Been Nearly Four Years With No Ads on Balloon Juice!Post + Comments (42)
