A Donation Blog: Charity Fund Raising Machine #1
What's the easiest way to raise money for good causes on Substack?
Hello Again Friends!
Today’s post brainstorms another way that a charity fund raising machine could be made part of the Substack experience. Today let’s talk about a Donation Blog, a simple and obvious idea that will be familiar to all Substack users.
A Donation Blog is just a regular Substack blog where anyone can become a paid subscriber. On the Donation Blog, instead of our subscription fee going to a particular author as usually happens, the fee we pay to subscribe to the Donation Blog would go in to a global fund managed by Substack which would be used to support good causes.
Freedom Of Choice
The Donation Blog would operate just like any other paid subscription blog on Substack. Everybody on the network, both readers and writers, could decide for themselves whether to participate. Each donor could perhaps chose from a range of donation amounts such as $5, $10 or $20 per month. Donors could always unsubscribe at any time too, thus giving each donor full control over their level of participation.
Fund Managers
As I imagine it, the fund created by the Donation Blog would be managed by Substack leadership, who would make the final decision as to what good causes to support. Every month Substack leadership would report to subscribers how much money was raised, and where the money went. A variety of good causes could be supported so as to broadly reflect the priorities of donors. As paid subscribers to the Donation Blog we’d be paying to support the good causes, and to receive these reports.
I’m suggesting Substack leadership manage the fund built by the Donation Blog because they are the best known and most credible members of the community. Establishing trust with donors would be key to raising as much money for good causes as possible.
If Substack leadership manages the Donation Blog, the project becomes “The Substack Public Service Campaign”, a project which is capable of becoming famous, instead of just another little blog run by somebody that few people have ever heard of.
Using Existing Technology
The Donation Blog would use the normal blog account structure which is already established and widely understood by all Substackers. The Substack team wouldn’t need to create any new technology, which would likely make the establishment of a charity fund raising machine more likely to happen.
Polling Priorities
Substack leadership could run polls on the Donation Blog, just as we can on any Substack blog, and these polls could help Substack leadership stay in touch with the priorities of donors. Polls are easy and convenient, and don’t require any new technology.
What Could Be Accomplished
The amount of money raised would of course depend upon how many people became paid subscribers. A good round number goal to shoot for could be $1 million dollars a year raised for good causes. That would require 17,000 people to subscribe at $5 per month.
17,000 subscribers X $5/month X 12 months = $1,020,000 per year
If 17,000 paid subscribers sounds like a lot, please know that an article on Axios reports that Substack now has 3 million paid subscriptions on it’s network.
Also, we should expect participation on a Donation Blog to grow organically along with the Substack network as a whole.
Summary Of Benefits
A Donation Blog would use existing technology, so the Substack team wouldn’t have to create any new features.
Readers and subscribers wouldn’t have to learn anything new.
Donors would have full control over their level of participation.
The amount of money raised for good causes should grow steadily as the Substack network expands.
How You Can Help
If you support the general idea of Substack having a public service component, why not write about it? Share your ideas on Notes, or in a full article you share with your readers. If you’re not sure what to say exactly, don’t sweat it, you can also restack or cross post any of the articles you see on this blog.
Thanks for listening, and….
Let’s Make This Happen!
I'd be happy for Substack to assure readers that the money they pledge gets to a charity. I wouldn't be happy with them choosing what it is. I think far more substackers would be interested in this initiative if they could use it to promote causes they care about. I'd also like to see Substack not charge for this service — or perhaps charge a one off charge to meet any of their costs in setting up such a function.
I've been thinking about a donation engine for a long time. Substack is a great place to think about the issues. 1) the divisions and suspicions here are so strong that many people would probably rather leave than inadvertently support a random charity. This would disincentivize substack from commiting. 2) For the same reasons a charity blog would likely only become a mudslinging opportunity.
Have you considered more grassroots options like creating a writer's soup kitchen and gathering the client's writing, and partially funding it with the website's donations?