Community Question: How can MetaFilter put the FUN into FUNdraising?
October 3, 2022 2:42 PM Subscribe
The MetaFilter Steering Committee (SC) wants your input on this and future year's fundraising drives. Join us inside for details and to share your ideas!
Hello friends!
The first Steering Committee (SC) Check-In is live on MetaTalk! We’d like these Check-Ins to be more than status updates. Part of how we’d like to try doing that is including a question for the community in each one. And really, is there any better place to ask questions of the MetaFilter community than here in AskMe? I think not.
Back to fundraising...
In the past couple of years, there have been some fun initiatives to accompany the fundraising drive, e.g. the wonderful Crouton Petting Zoo, or jessamyn’s excellent Sponsored Posts.
Some specific prompts:
Even if you've shared ideas about fundraising and merch before, please post them again here. And don't forget to hop over to MetaTalk to read about what else we've been up to.
Thanks so much!
Hello friends!
The first Steering Committee (SC) Check-In is live on MetaTalk! We’d like these Check-Ins to be more than status updates. Part of how we’d like to try doing that is including a question for the community in each one. And really, is there any better place to ask questions of the MetaFilter community than here in AskMe? I think not.
Back to fundraising...
In the past couple of years, there have been some fun initiatives to accompany the fundraising drive, e.g. the wonderful Crouton Petting Zoo, or jessamyn’s excellent Sponsored Posts.
Some specific prompts:
- Any general fundraising ideas would be great, along the lines of fun activities that can accompany the drive to encourage participation
- Merch slogan / phrase ideas – what would you like to see on some MeFi merch?
- Requests for contributors for in-kind / non-financial ways. Are you able to contribute something to the fundraising drive? Perhaps you are up for running a theme posting week, are willing to donate a cool piece of art, or can offer a service as a reward for a raffle? Let us know!
Even if you've shared ideas about fundraising and merch before, please post them again here. And don't forget to hop over to MetaTalk to read about what else we've been up to.
Thanks so much!
I'm not sure this ties into this specific fundraising drive, but I wonder about turning the greying of MeFi's user base into an asset- encouraging people to remember MeFi in their wills, much the same as you would your Alma Mater.
(Also, like a college, perhaps MeFi annuities would be another idea, but I imagine the legal/regulatory and logistical hurdles of that might be too complicated.)
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 3:45 PM on October 3, 2022 [10 favorites]
(Also, like a college, perhaps MeFi annuities would be another idea, but I imagine the legal/regulatory and logistical hurdles of that might be too complicated.)
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 3:45 PM on October 3, 2022 [10 favorites]
MeFi cookbook has been mentioned a few times in various contexts... and the community cookbook has a long history as a fundraiser!
posted by spamandkimchi at 3:45 PM on October 3, 2022 [11 favorites]
posted by spamandkimchi at 3:45 PM on October 3, 2022 [11 favorites]
There are lots of smart people on here with tons of fun knowledge. How about some fund-raising lectures or talks? Have someone do an hour zoom talk and ask attendees for a small donation when signing up for the talk ($2 per person? $5?) and hock the merch at it as well!
Speed talks may be less intimidating -- 5-10 minutes on a topic, then have folks vote on a favorite talk at the end!
posted by chiefthe at 3:46 PM on October 3, 2022 [33 favorites]
Speed talks may be less intimidating -- 5-10 minutes on a topic, then have folks vote on a favorite talk at the end!
posted by chiefthe at 3:46 PM on October 3, 2022 [33 favorites]
Oh and re: merch, my treehugging self would love some smaller footprint options for merch. More stickers at the very least. Perhaps a mini notebook (made of recycled paper). My love of buying tees has been squashed by the reality of water-intensive cotton production.
posted by spamandkimchi at 3:48 PM on October 3, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by spamandkimchi at 3:48 PM on October 3, 2022 [6 favorites]
I second the Zoom talk idea, I think that’s a great one
posted by warriorqueen at 3:55 PM on October 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by warriorqueen at 3:55 PM on October 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
I love that there isn't merch. I've read too many articles on fast fashion and how it just ends up in poorly-managed landfills or ends up at sea. And so much more.
I bet a community cookbook would have heavy momentum.
posted by aniola at 3:57 PM on October 3, 2022 [6 favorites]
I bet a community cookbook would have heavy momentum.
posted by aniola at 3:57 PM on October 3, 2022 [6 favorites]
I suggest a poster of all the MeFi pets (but not really all of them but maybe 100 of them) (and also their names should be included). Of course, I would not know how to decide if too many people sent photos. I could probably do this and have done something similar. (Very old art, and admittedly I only sold a handful of these posters but the idea is still solid!) The printing wasn't cheap though (I would have to check but a good sized poster (36"?) could be about $20 on nice paper). Maybe a $50 MetaPets (Metafremds?) poster would be pretty great. Maybe some version for a less expensive option, too.
I would donate and maybe purchase art. (Auction?)
posted by Glinn at 4:07 PM on October 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
I would donate and maybe purchase art. (Auction?)
posted by Glinn at 4:07 PM on October 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
the community cookbook should be called "Can I Eat It?"
posted by glonous keming at 4:12 PM on October 3, 2022 [65 favorites]
posted by glonous keming at 4:12 PM on October 3, 2022 [65 favorites]
So, this isn't fundraising per se, but is related to raising funds. Here's the deal. We all hate them when we browse the web, but affiliate marketing via links is huge. Maybe not as huge as it once was (pre-covid before amazon slashed their rates) but there's still a ton of money to be made, or it wouldn't be so prevelent. And not just via Amazon - there are a ton of affiliate partners out there.
Metafilter already does this on a small scale with custom code that turns any Amazon US link into their affiliate link. I'd personally buy just about anything needed based on a mefite recommendation at this point, and I don't think I'm alone here. I'd love to be able to take those recommendations and see Metafilter get kickbacks from the sales in some way. Way back when mathowie recommended Zenni for online glasses, and I still purchase from them based on that initial recommendation. MF should have gotten a cut of my purchases, dangit!
So with that in mind, I'd love to see a "metafilter recommends" page setup and showcased with all of our recommendations with affiliate links found and included so that 2-10%+ spent goes to Metafilter's coffers. Perhaps multiple pages, based on topic. Maybe folks could ask a new series of ask mefi questions to get some content. These pages could be evergreen, always available. I think there's one that sorta does this with Amazon links buried in mefi labs, but it's just that... buried. Lets dig it up and make it spiffy!
There's some challenges here obviously - there's work that needs to be done, not everything recommended will have an affiliate, and there are programs to sign up for and payment info to enter and minimum balances to reach... but if done properly it could be worthwhile.
Anyway, my 2c. Been looking for the right venue to suggest it, I guess this is close enough. I am limited in time, but I have quite a bit of knowledge in this space and if it can help, I'm happy to consult and maybe, possibly even help build.
posted by cgg at 4:15 PM on October 3, 2022 [13 favorites]
Metafilter already does this on a small scale with custom code that turns any Amazon US link into their affiliate link. I'd personally buy just about anything needed based on a mefite recommendation at this point, and I don't think I'm alone here. I'd love to be able to take those recommendations and see Metafilter get kickbacks from the sales in some way. Way back when mathowie recommended Zenni for online glasses, and I still purchase from them based on that initial recommendation. MF should have gotten a cut of my purchases, dangit!
So with that in mind, I'd love to see a "metafilter recommends" page setup and showcased with all of our recommendations with affiliate links found and included so that 2-10%+ spent goes to Metafilter's coffers. Perhaps multiple pages, based on topic. Maybe folks could ask a new series of ask mefi questions to get some content. These pages could be evergreen, always available. I think there's one that sorta does this with Amazon links buried in mefi labs, but it's just that... buried. Lets dig it up and make it spiffy!
There's some challenges here obviously - there's work that needs to be done, not everything recommended will have an affiliate, and there are programs to sign up for and payment info to enter and minimum balances to reach... but if done properly it could be worthwhile.
Anyway, my 2c. Been looking for the right venue to suggest it, I guess this is close enough. I am limited in time, but I have quite a bit of knowledge in this space and if it can help, I'm happy to consult and maybe, possibly even help build.
posted by cgg at 4:15 PM on October 3, 2022 [13 favorites]
Related to the talks and the cookbook, I feel like metafilter members could put together a really interesting zine!
Write an article on your favourite thing? Area of knowledge? Could release it as digital to keep the costs down or pre-order for a physical copy.
posted by platypus of the universe at 4:22 PM on October 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
Write an article on your favourite thing? Area of knowledge? Could release it as digital to keep the costs down or pre-order for a physical copy.
posted by platypus of the universe at 4:22 PM on October 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
Ethereum is on proof of stake now, so how about accepting crypto donations or even issuing an NFT?
It can be as tongue in cheek as you like, and there will be some folks, including in places around the world, that want/prefer to donate this way.
I’m happy to signpost folks to resources and to share the campaign if folks think this is a good idea. (It’s fine if folks think this isn’t on brand, I know crypto is at least as ethically fraught as the petrodollar, but if replies can keep a gentle tone it would help me minimise the risk of RSD making it tough for me to work this busy week!)
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 4:29 PM on October 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
It can be as tongue in cheek as you like, and there will be some folks, including in places around the world, that want/prefer to donate this way.
I’m happy to signpost folks to resources and to share the campaign if folks think this is a good idea. (It’s fine if folks think this isn’t on brand, I know crypto is at least as ethically fraught as the petrodollar, but if replies can keep a gentle tone it would help me minimise the risk of RSD making it tough for me to work this busy week!)
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 4:29 PM on October 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
Also, how about poem on demand? I’d be happy to write poems in exchange for people donating and I bet many others would too.
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 4:30 PM on October 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 4:30 PM on October 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
This is already nearly a thing. Like, where you can enter into an auction for art done by (one specific) metafilter user and if you win the auction you donate the money. I mean it says you donate the money to a charity of your choosing but if metafilter ever unincorporates, well then!
posted by aniola at 4:32 PM on October 3, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by aniola at 4:32 PM on October 3, 2022 [7 favorites]
I would be happy to buy a jigsaw puzzle of a collage of metafilter pets.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 4:47 PM on October 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Winnie the Proust at 4:47 PM on October 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
Another vote for community cookbook!
posted by Medieval Maven at 5:10 PM on October 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Medieval Maven at 5:10 PM on October 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
In a past merch-brainstorming thread I said I'd be interested in Ask/Guess swag: magnets, pins, stickers, etc. that read Ask one way and Guess when flipped over.
I've since mocked up a design, here. (Rough, not at all final.) I also ran it by tangerine*, who was on board with it!
If others are into this, I'd love to help make it happen--though I know it's more in the "nice to have" community-spirit category than something that would make any real money for administrative expenses. I also want to echo spamandkimchi's suggestion for smaller-footprint production and options.
*tangerine is the mefite who coined the Ask/Guess framework that's been so enlightening and handy for so many of us.
posted by miles per flower at 5:45 PM on October 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
I've since mocked up a design, here. (Rough, not at all final.) I also ran it by tangerine*, who was on board with it!
If others are into this, I'd love to help make it happen--though I know it's more in the "nice to have" community-spirit category than something that would make any real money for administrative expenses. I also want to echo spamandkimchi's suggestion for smaller-footprint production and options.
*tangerine is the mefite who coined the Ask/Guess framework that's been so enlightening and handy for so many of us.
posted by miles per flower at 5:45 PM on October 3, 2022 [1 favorite]
Public Radio periodically sets aside normal programming and fills its schedule with fundraising appeals.
The Sierra Club and Audubon send me information about events, outings, and issues, but I also get a lot of emails from them asking for money.
Metafilter should just straight out ask for money more often. Many people will give money if you just ask them. And they don't necessarily want swag.
I love the way meta posts have started showing up in the green and the blue. I don't go to the gray that often, and it's nice to see the meta-conversations brought to me.
Do the same thing with fundraising.
For example, once a month have a Giving Tuesday (or Wednesday or Thursday). A suitably witty post in the Green or Blue (or both) saying, in effect, "Today is a good day to give Metafilter some money. Come on in and discuss, and even better, click the button and give. Or even better than that, become a sustainer (monthly automatic contributions)."
Set goals. "Our goal today is to have 100 people make a contribution." Periodically post an update to the thread saying how many contributions have come in so far. Make a game. Encourage people to participate, to help push us over the goal.
Making contributions visible will help everyone remember that the site needs us if it's going to keep on going. Don't guess, ask. If you ask, people will give.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:37 PM on October 3, 2022 [15 favorites]
The Sierra Club and Audubon send me information about events, outings, and issues, but I also get a lot of emails from them asking for money.
Metafilter should just straight out ask for money more often. Many people will give money if you just ask them. And they don't necessarily want swag.
I love the way meta posts have started showing up in the green and the blue. I don't go to the gray that often, and it's nice to see the meta-conversations brought to me.
Do the same thing with fundraising.
For example, once a month have a Giving Tuesday (or Wednesday or Thursday). A suitably witty post in the Green or Blue (or both) saying, in effect, "Today is a good day to give Metafilter some money. Come on in and discuss, and even better, click the button and give. Or even better than that, become a sustainer (monthly automatic contributions)."
Set goals. "Our goal today is to have 100 people make a contribution." Periodically post an update to the thread saying how many contributions have come in so far. Make a game. Encourage people to participate, to help push us over the goal.
Making contributions visible will help everyone remember that the site needs us if it's going to keep on going. Don't guess, ask. If you ask, people will give.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:37 PM on October 3, 2022 [15 favorites]
Re: NFTs/crypto: whatever amount of money you think the site would make by using these as a fundraiser, I will happily pledge some/all (not sure how many zeroes we're talking here, but I'm guessing "all") of it if we can never mention this idea again.
posted by Mayor West at 6:40 PM on October 3, 2022 [17 favorites]
posted by Mayor West at 6:40 PM on October 3, 2022 [17 favorites]
Every once in a while I have some reason to use the contact form. When that happens, I get an email back from one of the mods. And it is always so weird to have "Metafilter" show up in my inbox. It's weird, because it just doesn't happen that much. All sorts of social networks send me emails I don't want (here's looking at you Quora, and Facebook, and Twitter, &etc). But Metafilter doesn't do that.
I don't think we want that sort of content. I wouldn't argue for it, anyway.
But what about reminder emails. "Hey, Metafilter's still here. Remember us? Come back." Should the site send a simple outreach email to people who used to participate a lot, but haven't posted or commented in a long time?
posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:41 PM on October 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
I don't think we want that sort of content. I wouldn't argue for it, anyway.
But what about reminder emails. "Hey, Metafilter's still here. Remember us? Come back." Should the site send a simple outreach email to people who used to participate a lot, but haven't posted or commented in a long time?
posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:41 PM on October 3, 2022 [2 favorites]
the community cookbook should be called "Can I Eat It?"
Genius.
I'd recommend focusing on digital offerings, in general. During lockdown, I hosted a Zoom pub quiz that was a lot of fun and raised good money for my organization. It was also a lot of work! But it doesn't leave any waste behind, so to speak.
Obviously we're quite a ways past lockdown now, but I think such a thing would still be popular among MeFites, given our nerdy bent. And it's also a way for members to bring in friends, relatives, etc. to join their teams —and perhaps even join MetaFilter.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 6:43 PM on October 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
Genius.
I'd recommend focusing on digital offerings, in general. During lockdown, I hosted a Zoom pub quiz that was a lot of fun and raised good money for my organization. It was also a lot of work! But it doesn't leave any waste behind, so to speak.
Obviously we're quite a ways past lockdown now, but I think such a thing would still be popular among MeFites, given our nerdy bent. And it's also a way for members to bring in friends, relatives, etc. to join their teams —and perhaps even join MetaFilter.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 6:43 PM on October 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
Agree that the fundraising bar at the top, similar to the one that announced the steering committee candidates should be activated on a roughly similar cadence to the public radio drives, 3-4x a year, 7-10 days a time.
Metafilter coordinated paid DnD campaign and/or Among Us Meetups online? online escape room or some other community mixer/pechakucha community talk kinda thing? Online masquerade party so that we can all wear masks together and be assigned to zoom breakout rooms? is that lame? My point is, I would RSVP to some weird online event for $10-20, if it was for metafilter, and i might learn something or make a new friend.
Agree with Winnie the Proust that it's a good idea to do a 2x annual membership re-activation email would be good and probably welcome for people that used to be active and fell off. perhaps with a link to the most popular posts/asks of the year to remind them why they liked this place enough to pay the signup fee in the first place.
posted by wowenthusiast at 7:00 PM on October 3, 2022 [4 favorites]
Metafilter coordinated paid DnD campaign and/or Among Us Meetups online? online escape room or some other community mixer/pechakucha community talk kinda thing? Online masquerade party so that we can all wear masks together and be assigned to zoom breakout rooms? is that lame? My point is, I would RSVP to some weird online event for $10-20, if it was for metafilter, and i might learn something or make a new friend.
Agree with Winnie the Proust that it's a good idea to do a 2x annual membership re-activation email would be good and probably welcome for people that used to be active and fell off. perhaps with a link to the most popular posts/asks of the year to remind them why they liked this place enough to pay the signup fee in the first place.
posted by wowenthusiast at 7:00 PM on October 3, 2022 [4 favorites]
Just ask me for money and make it easy to give it. Like if metafilter accepted Venmo.
Sorry to be so suburban mom on y’all. My life is too busy and Marie kondo and whatever.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:46 PM on October 3, 2022 [9 favorites]
Sorry to be so suburban mom on y’all. My life is too busy and Marie kondo and whatever.
posted by St. Peepsburg at 7:46 PM on October 3, 2022 [9 favorites]
$X donation during a donation drive gets you some number of giveaway AskMe questions that you can send to non-members to use. Bonus benefit of getting more people onto the site, some of whom might even stick around.
posted by trig at 9:13 PM on October 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by trig at 9:13 PM on October 3, 2022 [5 favorites]
I would be far more likely to donate if I could use Venmo or Cashapp or Apple Pay. Signing up for another payment service and having to get my credit card out is a surprisingly huge barrier (as my online shopping habits can attest).
posted by MadamM at 9:31 PM on October 3, 2022 [7 favorites]
posted by MadamM at 9:31 PM on October 3, 2022 [7 favorites]
virtual dunk tank for mods but with Nickelodeon slime
posted by Jacqueline at 9:34 PM on October 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by Jacqueline at 9:34 PM on October 3, 2022 [3 favorites]
I would be far more likely to donate if I could use Venmo or Cashapp or Apple Pay
Just to note: with the exception of the last, the first two don't operate outside of USA (or at least where I'm in). Being able to send some money monthly on Paypal has been great - but uh also btw, Paypal is banned in Indonesia (idek why).
I got no real ideas atm but I thought I'd chime in here on that. Virtual events seem fun - I'll try to attend if it works out in timing, but don't worry, go ahead with majority availability.
posted by cendawanita at 9:50 PM on October 3, 2022
Just to note: with the exception of the last, the first two don't operate outside of USA (or at least where I'm in). Being able to send some money monthly on Paypal has been great - but uh also btw, Paypal is banned in Indonesia (idek why).
I got no real ideas atm but I thought I'd chime in here on that. Virtual events seem fun - I'll try to attend if it works out in timing, but don't worry, go ahead with majority availability.
posted by cendawanita at 9:50 PM on October 3, 2022
I think scheduled regular (maybe 2x yr like ao3) fundraising drives sound good, w/ banners on the site and an email to members would be a good start. You could ask people for one time gifts or to consider raising their monthly gift. For that I might consider making a streamlined page to give $$ as the current page has a lot of stuff on it before you get to the part to put in info to give. If it's possible to add some of the apps people suggest for payment I'd do that too - especially if they can do international payments. I know paypal has some restrictions on friends and family payments from individuals to businesses if the transactions are international.
Would it be possible to do gift memberships outright? Like if you pay X$ and send it to your friend's email they can be a member?
I'd try to think about what could be done regularly and not require too much from the volunteers to manage wrt to benefits / fulfillment of orders. Obviously some things are going to be good for community building or attracting new members as well as possibly raising funds.
I like that there are merch shops for people who want to buy it and maybe make a little bit of money.
posted by oneear at 9:59 PM on October 3, 2022
Would it be possible to do gift memberships outright? Like if you pay X$ and send it to your friend's email they can be a member?
I'd try to think about what could be done regularly and not require too much from the volunteers to manage wrt to benefits / fulfillment of orders. Obviously some things are going to be good for community building or attracting new members as well as possibly raising funds.
I like that there are merch shops for people who want to buy it and maybe make a little bit of money.
posted by oneear at 9:59 PM on October 3, 2022
- Metafilter should just straight out ask for money more often. Many people will give money if you just ask them. And they don't necessarily want swag.
- Just ask me for money and make it easy to give it
I've been trying to think of something clever and unique to bring money in, but I think this is at least part of the answer - it's simple, free (more or less) and doesn't set up any kind of weird expectations. Just ask. Maybe remind people when they make a post or ask a question that the community relies on funding from members to operate and here's how you can help?
it would be easier to answer this question if we had some idea of what amount is needed overall or some idea of what targets might exist (eg 'if we get $x, we can do y' where y is something we don't currently do).
posted by dg at 10:16 PM on October 3, 2022 [7 favorites]
- Just ask me for money and make it easy to give it
I've been trying to think of something clever and unique to bring money in, but I think this is at least part of the answer - it's simple, free (more or less) and doesn't set up any kind of weird expectations. Just ask. Maybe remind people when they make a post or ask a question that the community relies on funding from members to operate and here's how you can help?
it would be easier to answer this question if we had some idea of what amount is needed overall or some idea of what targets might exist (eg 'if we get $x, we can do y' where y is something we don't currently do).
posted by dg at 10:16 PM on October 3, 2022 [7 favorites]
In response to the generous and kind offer above, I’m up for it, feel free to write me a note! Loop in someone from the steering committee if that’s suitable. I do need to be spoken to gently in any such discussion as an access issue, but the site's survival is paramount.
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 3:40 AM on October 4, 2022
posted by The Last Sockpuppet at 3:40 AM on October 4, 2022
There are lots of smart people on here with tons of fun knowledge. How about some fund-raising lectures or talks? Have someone do an hour zoom talk and ask attendees for a small donation when signing up for the talk ($2 per person? $5?) and hock the merch at it as well!
This is a fantastic idea. I would volunteer to present and could see myself being a regular viewer.
To succeed, I think you'd have to steal a page from the podcast playbook and get like a dozen of these lined up beforehand. Then schedule them like clockwork on the same day/time for three months.
posted by jeremias at 5:27 AM on October 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
This is a fantastic idea. I would volunteer to present and could see myself being a regular viewer.
To succeed, I think you'd have to steal a page from the podcast playbook and get like a dozen of these lined up beforehand. Then schedule them like clockwork on the same day/time for three months.
posted by jeremias at 5:27 AM on October 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
I don't want, and would not buy a tshirt. This isn't a judgment, just a data point.
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:48 AM on October 4, 2022
posted by tiny frying pan at 5:48 AM on October 4, 2022
I also would donate and purchase art. All you would have to do is give me a place to upload a photo of the piece, and the address of the person who bought or won it. I'd pay for the shipping. I like the auction or pay-what-you-want model for this.
posted by evilmomlady at 5:49 AM on October 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by evilmomlady at 5:49 AM on October 4, 2022 [1 favorite]
Physical merchandise is generally a no-go for me, because the shipping costs and VAT/customs fees rigmarole are just too daunting. The only things I buy from outside the UK now are books (which are zero-rated for VAT). So I might go for a physical recipe book shipped from the US, but nothing else.
A recipe book PDF would work though. Or a crowdsourced travel guide? There are plenty of "What is there to do / see / eat in..." questions recent enough to be useful; perhaps it would be nice to get them compiled into one offline resource?
And if any UK-based MeFites wanted to offer art for sale, I'd be interested.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 5:53 AM on October 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
A recipe book PDF would work though. Or a crowdsourced travel guide? There are plenty of "What is there to do / see / eat in..." questions recent enough to be useful; perhaps it would be nice to get them compiled into one offline resource?
And if any UK-based MeFites wanted to offer art for sale, I'd be interested.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 5:53 AM on October 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
Also, I really loved Jessamyn's sponsored post and would 100% do that again.
posted by evilmomlady at 5:54 AM on October 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
posted by evilmomlady at 5:54 AM on October 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
Merch and stuff is fun and great, but I think we need to have more people donating each month.
I'd do something like Marvel's no-prizes, where in exchange for subscribing to MeFi, you get something of zero cost (and mass) but of immense value.
I'd make the '★ I help fund MetaFilter!' thing highly visible to yourself, on your front page, so you get a warm fuzzy every time you use the site. Maybe a corner box.
Any other idea to make it more attractive to donate periodically would be great.
posted by signal at 7:51 AM on October 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
I'd do something like Marvel's no-prizes, where in exchange for subscribing to MeFi, you get something of zero cost (and mass) but of immense value.
I'd make the '★ I help fund MetaFilter!' thing highly visible to yourself, on your front page, so you get a warm fuzzy every time you use the site. Maybe a corner box.
Any other idea to make it more attractive to donate periodically would be great.
posted by signal at 7:51 AM on October 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
I wouldn't be opposed to a (low) monthly or annual subscription rate. It would have the same anti-spam effect as the current $5 charge but generate predictable cash flow for the site. $12/year feels just about right to me.
(I really think finding ways to get recurring revenue vs. one-off events is going to make a lot of problems go away — and echoing some other people in saying that I personally don't want to buy merch)
posted by svolix at 11:07 AM on October 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
(I really think finding ways to get recurring revenue vs. one-off events is going to make a lot of problems go away — and echoing some other people in saying that I personally don't want to buy merch)
posted by svolix at 11:07 AM on October 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
I would be happy to receive an email telling me how much time I've spent on the site and asking if I'd like to increase my donation.
I'd love to have micro transactions as well
posted by rebent at 1:38 PM on October 4, 2022
I'd love to have micro transactions as well
posted by rebent at 1:38 PM on October 4, 2022
My city (LA) doesn't have much of an MetaIRL presence, and I've wished at times we could get one kickstarted. Would there be value in having some kind of IRL fundraiser in cities with MeFi presence?
posted by kensington314 at 2:31 PM on October 4, 2022
posted by kensington314 at 2:31 PM on October 4, 2022
Response by poster: Hi! Please keep the suggestions coming - it's thrilling to see!
How much do we need?
Without going deeply into profit/loss, expenses, etc (the Steering Committee is just in the discovery phase ourselves), we'd like to raise money to build and shore up savings. Someday hosting costs might go up or ad revenue might drop and we'd like to see mod coverage kept the same.
Also, some of these ponies (old-school MetaFilter talk for feature/upgrade requests) we're corralling can be fed and groomed by unpaid volunteers. However, is that a model that's always going to be available to us or that we're always going to be happy with? We're trying to get our arms around that too.
How much would you pay?
I'd like to know how much you'd pay for some of these ideas that are being pitched. How much would you pay for a sweet little homespun looking Community Cookbook? How much would you pay to sit in a Zoom session with a MeFi expert? How much would you pay to have my dog on a poster? Or, if you're a person who wouldn't buy merch, what do you think is a fair monthly/yearly donation ask?
If you have an idea and you're reluctant to post it here, drop the Steering Committee an email at metafiltersc@gmail.com or if you want to be almost completely anonymous MeMail me and I'll take it to the SC.
I'm not going to mark any of these as Best Answer because every idea and every ounce of input or feedback we receive is equally appreciated.
posted by kimberussell at 2:35 PM on October 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
How much do we need?
Without going deeply into profit/loss, expenses, etc (the Steering Committee is just in the discovery phase ourselves), we'd like to raise money to build and shore up savings. Someday hosting costs might go up or ad revenue might drop and we'd like to see mod coverage kept the same.
Also, some of these ponies (old-school MetaFilter talk for feature/upgrade requests) we're corralling can be fed and groomed by unpaid volunteers. However, is that a model that's always going to be available to us or that we're always going to be happy with? We're trying to get our arms around that too.
How much would you pay?
I'd like to know how much you'd pay for some of these ideas that are being pitched. How much would you pay for a sweet little homespun looking Community Cookbook? How much would you pay to sit in a Zoom session with a MeFi expert? How much would you pay to have my dog on a poster? Or, if you're a person who wouldn't buy merch, what do you think is a fair monthly/yearly donation ask?
If you have an idea and you're reluctant to post it here, drop the Steering Committee an email at metafiltersc@gmail.com or if you want to be almost completely anonymous MeMail me and I'll take it to the SC.
I'm not going to mark any of these as Best Answer because every idea and every ounce of input or feedback we receive is equally appreciated.
posted by kimberussell at 2:35 PM on October 4, 2022 [3 favorites]
I recently reupped my monthly donation because I came back from a self-imposed MeFi hiatus. So in one sense, simply focusing on this community and making the site a better place was all it took.
That said: I don't think that fun stuff like fundraising drives would make me increase my donation, and while I probably do want a new FIAMO T shirt I don't think I would buy a ton of other merch. What would make me increase my donation is being able to see MeFi's fundraising goals. I'd want to know how many donors and/or how many dollars the site needs to make to sustain itself or reach stretch goals, and I'd want to see the gap between there and here. I understand why the Steering Committee doesn't want to make P&Ls public, so a compromise idea would be to set publicly visible targets for individual initiatives.
Sorry, I know this is kind of a wet-blanket answer.
posted by capricorn at 5:30 PM on October 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
That said: I don't think that fun stuff like fundraising drives would make me increase my donation, and while I probably do want a new FIAMO T shirt I don't think I would buy a ton of other merch. What would make me increase my donation is being able to see MeFi's fundraising goals. I'd want to know how many donors and/or how many dollars the site needs to make to sustain itself or reach stretch goals, and I'd want to see the gap between there and here. I understand why the Steering Committee doesn't want to make P&Ls public, so a compromise idea would be to set publicly visible targets for individual initiatives.
Sorry, I know this is kind of a wet-blanket answer.
posted by capricorn at 5:30 PM on October 4, 2022 [4 favorites]
How much would you pay?
0. This is a good question! And it brings up an interesting question, DEIB (diversity/equity/inclusion/belonging) in the context of participating in the fundraiser. I have no answers here. Hopefully someone can expand on this.
1. I think a physical cookbook would be a bad idea for environmental reasons. And possibly ethical reasons depending on the manufacturing process (which I know little about). A fundraiser cookbook is something everyone will be excited about and cookbook-buying people will buy, maybe to give as a gift, and in 3 years someone will be doing a run to the thrift store, and that will be its most permanent home for the next 20 years (with visits to little free libraries and other such places) until it is no longer full of trendy dishes, at which point someone will take it upon themselves to do us all a favor and throw it out. I vote e-cookbook if anything, but I still wouldn't buy it.
2. The only thing in this entire ask-me, if any, that I would be likely to part with dollars for would be a sponsored post from someone whose posts I would be excited to read. I paid ... whatever the going rate was for that last time. And sponsored posts are a little weird because they're, well, sponsored.
3. I think capricorn is right. Fully open budgets are becoming trendy. I suspect a 100% open budget, projections, and other forms of hyper-transparency would go a long way with this crowd, no schwag required. For an analogy, look at the mortgage-lending process. Look at the grant-giving process. Those in large part about answering the question "why should I loan/give this money to you?" And that is answered in large part by the experience of using metafilter but I think there's room to answer that question more completely.
(An aside: Or maybe it's all in the framing. Whatever you do, Wikipedia's "nobody dooooough-naaaates" ad in particular is an example of what not to do. It can be read as: "nobody else does it so you don't have to either" - there's probably a term for that in psychology or something.)
X. [X denotes that this is a tangential fantasy pony that's not really related to my numbered list!] I want a pony. I know we already have a million subsites and some of them hardly get used, but I really want a dedicated food & recipes subsite. Post recipes, post food articles, ask questions about food. Everything food. I think it would get used more than most of the existing subsites.
posted by aniola at 6:01 PM on October 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
0. This is a good question! And it brings up an interesting question, DEIB (diversity/equity/inclusion/belonging) in the context of participating in the fundraiser. I have no answers here. Hopefully someone can expand on this.
1. I think a physical cookbook would be a bad idea for environmental reasons. And possibly ethical reasons depending on the manufacturing process (which I know little about). A fundraiser cookbook is something everyone will be excited about and cookbook-buying people will buy, maybe to give as a gift, and in 3 years someone will be doing a run to the thrift store, and that will be its most permanent home for the next 20 years (with visits to little free libraries and other such places) until it is no longer full of trendy dishes, at which point someone will take it upon themselves to do us all a favor and throw it out. I vote e-cookbook if anything, but I still wouldn't buy it.
2. The only thing in this entire ask-me, if any, that I would be likely to part with dollars for would be a sponsored post from someone whose posts I would be excited to read. I paid ... whatever the going rate was for that last time. And sponsored posts are a little weird because they're, well, sponsored.
3. I think capricorn is right. Fully open budgets are becoming trendy. I suspect a 100% open budget, projections, and other forms of hyper-transparency would go a long way with this crowd, no schwag required. For an analogy, look at the mortgage-lending process. Look at the grant-giving process. Those in large part about answering the question "why should I loan/give this money to you?" And that is answered in large part by the experience of using metafilter but I think there's room to answer that question more completely.
(An aside: Or maybe it's all in the framing. Whatever you do, Wikipedia's "nobody dooooough-naaaates" ad in particular is an example of what not to do. It can be read as: "nobody else does it so you don't have to either" - there's probably a term for that in psychology or something.)
X. [X denotes that this is a tangential fantasy pony that's not really related to my numbered list!] I want a pony. I know we already have a million subsites and some of them hardly get used, but I really want a dedicated food & recipes subsite. Post recipes, post food articles, ask questions about food. Everything food. I think it would get used more than most of the existing subsites.
posted by aniola at 6:01 PM on October 4, 2022 [2 favorites]
I am extremely enthusiastic about virtual events! I would pay money for a JackBox game night, DnD campaign, trivia, escape room, whatever. This is a great idea. Has the massive benefit of if people enjoy it they’ll keep it going themselves and allowing this to feel more like a community where people hang out with each other. It’s also something that has dropped off in the last year and many many people in my high risk groups are looking for people still hosting these kinds of events. It would be a good outreach opportunity for a bunch of people who are finding a gap in their life that metafilter could fill. People who aren’t already members aren’t likely to buy a t-shirt, but I know of several hundred people who are actively looking for somewhere to give money to for virtual hangout events. Especially during this time of year when people start really feeling the isolation from holidays there’s a big need and desire for community and OMG this is such a wonderful idea that I flagged the comments that brought it up as fantastic. This is a sustainable way of bringing in people and money.
posted by Bottlecap at 9:07 PM on October 4, 2022 [5 favorites]
posted by Bottlecap at 9:07 PM on October 4, 2022 [5 favorites]
I’d pay $30 ish for a physical cookbook because there are some flipping awesome cooks in this place-and I might pay the same for a “First, be smart from the very beginning” t shirt.
posted by purenitrous at 9:34 PM on October 4, 2022
posted by purenitrous at 9:34 PM on October 4, 2022
I hesitate to post this, seeing so many interesting ideas upthread. When I think of fundraising, though, I think of donations to tax-exempt organizations. I’d rather receive a possible income tax deduction for a contribution than merchandise. Similarly, I wouldn’t be likely to bequeath assets to a for-profit entity. All of which is to (grudgingly) bring up one of my old annoyances, which is, can the Steering Committee explore the option of converting MetaFilter to a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization? I heard extensively that it wasn’t possible in the past but I wonder if the shift in ownership might prompt a reexamination of this issue.
posted by cheapskatebay at 3:50 AM on October 5, 2022 [6 favorites]
posted by cheapskatebay at 3:50 AM on October 5, 2022 [6 favorites]
I think the arguments against a physical cookbook are actually pretty good arguments in favor of a physical cookbook. As the cookbook goes through its lifecycle, at resale shops, little free libraries etc, each new reader who picks up the cookbook learns of the existence of MeFi and becomes a potential new user. I'm not suggesting this is How We Solve A Dwindling User Base, but every bit helps.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 11:30 AM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 11:30 AM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
If it helps, I don't think of money I spend on Metafilter as a "donation." There are plenty of models for paying money to support or participate in for-profit ventures - online journalism sites, Patreon, Kickstarter, Substack, etc. A monthly contribution is a subscription, like you'd set up for Netflix or whatever, except it's completely optional and pay-what-you-want. A Metafilter shirt is a lot like licensed team apparel for sports fans, which is all over the place.
As for specific money-making ideas: I would love to see sponsored posts, in the "Jessamyn makes a post for you on your chosen topic" sense, not in the "Corporation pays to shill its product in an advertorial" sense.
If we are going to get into the idea of fundraising for specific initiatives (new subsites for example, or new features), then I would like to see the decision process for what initiatives we focus on to be separate from the fundraising process if possible.
posted by expialidocious at 12:36 PM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
As for specific money-making ideas: I would love to see sponsored posts, in the "Jessamyn makes a post for you on your chosen topic" sense, not in the "Corporation pays to shill its product in an advertorial" sense.
If we are going to get into the idea of fundraising for specific initiatives (new subsites for example, or new features), then I would like to see the decision process for what initiatives we focus on to be separate from the fundraising process if possible.
posted by expialidocious at 12:36 PM on October 5, 2022 [1 favorite]
A while back my "I love being a woman, except for the misogyny, dehumanization, and lack of pockets" line (from this 2018 discussion on the blue) wound up on a Teespring shirt. If the phrase could work for fundraising merchandise (tote bag?), MetaFilter can use it.
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:55 PM on October 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:55 PM on October 5, 2022 [2 favorites]
If we're doing T-Shirts, I'd suggest:
Metafilter: I'm not the product, I'm the customer.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 1:24 PM on October 5, 2022 [3 favorites]
Metafilter: I'm not the product, I'm the customer.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 1:24 PM on October 5, 2022 [3 favorites]
A couple other random thoughts:
I never look at the side bar or banners. I literally don't see things that appear in those locations, despite coming to the site several times a day. That's why I've been so impressed having these messages from the mods show up as FPPs in AskMe and on the blue. I actually see them. It's the same reason that Facebook and Twitter and Instagram put ads directly in your feed. Because that's where people look.
So if we have a monthly "giving day" when we remind people to donate and support the site, it should be an FPP and not a banner or a button in the side bar.
Also, I would pay extra to be able to add tags to other people's posts.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 2:43 PM on October 5, 2022 [3 favorites]
I never look at the side bar or banners. I literally don't see things that appear in those locations, despite coming to the site several times a day. That's why I've been so impressed having these messages from the mods show up as FPPs in AskMe and on the blue. I actually see them. It's the same reason that Facebook and Twitter and Instagram put ads directly in your feed. Because that's where people look.
So if we have a monthly "giving day" when we remind people to donate and support the site, it should be an FPP and not a banner or a button in the side bar.
Also, I would pay extra to be able to add tags to other people's posts.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 2:43 PM on October 5, 2022 [3 favorites]
Love so many of these suggestions. I'd pay extra for private tags on users because I cannot always remember why someone is my (muse) or whatever. I do not think these should be public though so maybe that's a ton of work, who knows, I Am Not A Programmer.
posted by tiny frying pan at 3:11 PM on October 5, 2022
posted by tiny frying pan at 3:11 PM on October 5, 2022
How much would you pay?
Why not ask people, at the time you get their credit card info?
I just registered for an online conference* that I think does this really well -- and the model applies particularly well to some of the proposed online events where the marginal cost of adding an additional person is ~zero. (It could also apply to merch, so long as you set the floor right.)
Their payment page was something like:
Select one:
* $64 -- pay for yourself; this covers what it costs us to run the conference
* $32 -- choose this if $64 is a lot of money for you
* $0 (or $16, I don't remember) -- we want to be accessible
* $128 -- pay for somebody else too!
* $256
(*) !!con -- a conference about the joy, surprise, and excitement of computing. It is fantastic.
posted by Metasyntactic at 11:36 PM on October 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
Why not ask people, at the time you get their credit card info?
I just registered for an online conference* that I think does this really well -- and the model applies particularly well to some of the proposed online events where the marginal cost of adding an additional person is ~zero. (It could also apply to merch, so long as you set the floor right.)
Their payment page was something like:
Select one:
* $64 -- pay for yourself; this covers what it costs us to run the conference
* $32 -- choose this if $64 is a lot of money for you
* $0 (or $16, I don't remember) -- we want to be accessible
* $128 -- pay for somebody else too!
* $256
(*) !!con -- a conference about the joy, surprise, and excitement of computing. It is fantastic.
posted by Metasyntactic at 11:36 PM on October 5, 2022 [4 favorites]
Also, Glinn, I love your style! I'd forgotten that TheSlumberingHerd was a mefite -- as soon as I clicked your link it was super familiar!! I spent a long time looking at your brightly colored + patterned whimsical creatures a few years ago.
Not that you'd have any shortage of volunteers, but I'd happily send pictures of the two furballs who think they rule my apartment.
posted by Metasyntactic at 11:50 PM on October 5, 2022
Not that you'd have any shortage of volunteers, but I'd happily send pictures of the two furballs who think they rule my apartment.
posted by Metasyntactic at 11:50 PM on October 5, 2022
How about a calendar, with pictures of the pets of mefites?
posted by Pronoiac at 3:41 AM on October 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Pronoiac at 3:41 AM on October 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
What would be an appropriate donation rate for help writing, formatting, and framing a post to get people to rtfa and not start the thread off with a derail? I would pay $10 dollars for a mod double check of just about everything I post, I'm so bad at it!!! And then maybe a tip jar to watch the first few comments to get the conversations kicked off well?
posted by rebent at 1:38 PM on October 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by rebent at 1:38 PM on October 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
Here's an idea:
Metafilter gift basket
On pre-planned days through November, ask metafilter threads are posted to suggest gifts on various themes (cookbook and gadget combos, lgbtq teen combos, etc.). Metafilter affiliate links for all the links. Top suggestions are bundled into a blog post on black Friday.
In fact... Heck, I'd be happy to volunteer to help implement this idea. Sounds fun.
posted by rebent at 1:44 PM on October 6, 2022
Metafilter gift basket
On pre-planned days through November, ask metafilter threads are posted to suggest gifts on various themes (cookbook and gadget combos, lgbtq teen combos, etc.). Metafilter affiliate links for all the links. Top suggestions are bundled into a blog post on black Friday.
In fact... Heck, I'd be happy to volunteer to help implement this idea. Sounds fun.
posted by rebent at 1:44 PM on October 6, 2022
I think the site should run an email fundraising program. Don't have to be—shouldn't be—incessant asks like the sort political campaigns put out. Just every once in a while, with a nice, clear, easy opt out. The lift would be very low and the returns potentially very good.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 9:54 PM on October 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 9:54 PM on October 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by latkes at 2:47 PM on October 3, 2022 [1 favorite]