A long overdue update on donations/expenses/financial status of the site:
- Inflows: Again Patreon donations dipped a bit: the most recent two months are at a net of $41.57 per month. We did have a one-time donation of $50 through Paypal since the last update.
- Outflows: Digital Ocean raised hosting prices in July of 2022, and are now running at $67.73 per month.
- Combined, we’re obviously running at a deficit each month. But that doesn’t mean the site is in imminent danger of shutting down, because up until about mid 2022, donations were greater than expenditures. So we built up a cushion.
Currently, that cushion (i.e., cumulative inflows minus cumulative outflows) is $2,547.16. So how long does that support this site? It depends what assumptions you make:
- An optimistic view is that current monthly donations stay the same and current hosting fees stay the same. The current deficit of $26.16/month is covered for 8 years, which I think would take us into AOC’s second term as POTUS.
- A more pessimistic view is that monthly donations drop off and hosting fees stay the same. If I had to cover monthly hosting fees strictly from the cushion (with no ongoing donations but also no increase in hosting fees), we’re still good for 3 years.
So there appears to be plenty of runway in front of us. I should also note that when I casually say in posts that I pay the bills for this place, that’s only true in the technical sense that my credit card is being charged. But in substance, the users who have donated over the last several years are the ones paying the bills. I’ve donated a little, but I’m only a small part of that. So thanks to everyone for keeping this place running.
Now, there has been one major change since the last update, and it’s one that I alluded to in the post that I’m replying to:
In June 2022, I withdrew the entire balance from the UP Patreon account to my Paypal account ($3,362.10, after a 0.25 processing fee). The short story is that I had run up almost $700 in credit card payments for hosting fees that I hadn’t been reimbursed for yet. And, as noted above, Patreon did not allow partial withdrawals.
So even though it felt somewhat icky, I withdrew that full amount. As a result, rather than UP owing me money, I now owe UP money. Here’s what the current situation looks like:
Total UP balance: $2,547.16
Current Patreon balance: $338.29
Amount that I owe to UP: $2,208.87
Over time, the amount that I owe to UP will naturally decrease as I continue to pay the hosting fees each month. And the balance in the Patreon account will continue to increase with any ongoing donations. If this doesn’t feel right to anyone, I’m happy to turn over the Patreon account and transfer that $2,208.87 to a new treasurer who will then be responsible for the hosting fees.
Looking forward, the hosting fees are just on autopay on my credit card, and I’m obviously committed to continue making those payments because I’ve already been reimbursed for them in advance. So if there’s anyone that had a question about this site staying alive for the near future, I hope this puts any concern to rest.
