📢📢📢 Fundraiser Update 3: With your help, we’re charting a way forward November 16, 2022 12:30 PM   Subscribe

We’ve blown past our Survive target thanks to you, and are well on our way to being able to 🌱Revive🌱 Metafilter! As we enter the final week of the Metafilter Fundraiser 2022, here’s what you can do to help push the site over the finish line.

New recurring contributions since the start of the fundraiser: $10,060.25
New one-time contributions since the start of the fundraiser: $64,594.89

“crouton

The cumulative contributions form the core of Metafilter’s monthly revenue. One-time contributions amounting to three months of basic operating expenses (the Thrive target of $60,000) will be saved separately in case of sudden, urgent expenses. The remainder, after making any pending payments, will be added to the site’s current account.

Mefites have pulled the site out of its financial hole and set it well on the road to financial stability.

Though the urgency isn’t as acute as it was, we ask you to make one final push for the site. Right now, the site is only inches away from the Revive scenario, and here’s what you can do to get us over the finish line:


📢 Help fund Metafilter:
  • If you’re considering making a recurring contribution, or wondering if you should increase the amount, please do so. We’re only $2,000* per month from our Revive target. Reaching it will put us in a really good place to grow. Click here to Help Fund Metafilter.
  • If you already have a recurring contribution set up, double check that it’s still recurring (via PayPal or Stripe)
  • It’s now possible for US Mefites to make one-time contributions using Venmo. Send your contribution over to @metafilter.
  • As always, you can make a one-time donation on the funding page, via Stripe, PayPal, or check.

📢 Take part in the inaugural Metafilter Events

It kicks off on 22 November and we’ve got a lineup of amazing speakers. Here’s a sneak preview:
  • Week 1: Let’s make stuff. Learn how to build a business plan in an interactive workshop, and hear all about the promises, pitfalls, and future of using artificial intelligence to create text-to-image artwork.
  • Week 2: Books and fiction week! Learn how book marketing and promotion works, understand horror fiction, and explore book history.
  • Week 3: De-stress yourself before the holidays with creative workshops, learning about the science of wellbeing, a session on the gamification of everyday life with Metafilter’s own Adrian Hon, and a host of fascinating events around social justice, policy and research.
  • Week 4: Is Metafilter week! Meet the Steering Committee and the GBIPOC Board, get to know jessamyn and the admin, tune in to the Metafilter Variety Show and finish up with Metafilter Trivia Night!
We're offering a mix of paid and free events, with options to buy bundled passes. There will be an opportunity to sponsor tickets for other Mefites to the paid events. Details on speakers, tickets, timings and more forthcoming.

If you’re keen on presenting or sharing interesting topics or skills - let us know! It’s not too late to drop us a note, and we’d love to make this an ongoing thing in 2023.


📢 Go Black Friday shopping with the AskMe Black Friday Shopping Guide

Over the past few weeks, our dedicated affiliate program volunteer team has been tapping the expertise of AskMetafilter to shortlist some of the best gift items out there. Keep an eye out for the definitive AskMe Black Friday Shopping Guide for 2022, launching on 24 November.

📢 US pet owners, open your shopping carts!
In addition to the Black Friday initiative, our volunteer team has been reviving and setting up affiliate links to help create new revenue streams. We’re happy to announce the first of these!

Metafilter is now a Chewy.com affiliate and earns a percentage of all your qualified purchases at no additional cost to you if you shop at Chewy and use this link!


📢 Use your contacts!
  • Publicize Metafilter on social media. It’s how the internet was meant to be, and with Twitter going down, why not invite your friends to join and support the site?
  • We’re planning a big invitation drive in the new year, but even now, if you’re a member, you can invite others to join for free. Give someone the gift of Metafilter!
  • Know a journalist or a newsroom who might be interested in a feel-good story about the online community that just keeps soldiering on? Get in touch!
  • Connect us to potential high-value contributors. We’re actively reaching out to individuals who believe that Metafilter’s vision is the future of the internet, not just its past, and to give it their financial support.

📢 Update on what we’ve been up to:

The Metafilter Auction has been a huge success! We’re still totting up the accounts, taking payments and connecting contributors to bidders, but it looks like the auction has collected more than $5,000 in one-time contributions. Thank you to all those who contributed items and services for sale, those who bid on them, and the volunteers who gave their time and expertise. We’re now planning another round early next year! More details to come.

We’re also planning a sign-up drive to attract new members sometime early next year, encouraging Mefites to invite their friends. In preparation, we’re significantly streamlining the signup process, reviewing the sidebar and top menus to make them easier to navigate, and planning regular welcome threads for new members.

The code working group now has access to the Metafilter codebase, AWS account, and analytics account. We’re setting up a reproducible development environment to test changes to the site without needing access to the database that contains private information. In the meantime, we’ve been making smaller changes to get comfortable with the codebase, like adding a shiny new Steering Committee page, improving copy on the funding page, updating our Amazon affiliate code, and fixing some problems with the gift invitation process.

In the past weeks, we’ve been helped by many excellent volunteers who have come onboard to organize our bookkeeping infrastructure, managing the auction, setting up systems for large contributor outreach, spinning our affiliate link system back up, and doing PR. We’re continuously onboarding new volunteers, and look forward to working with more great volunteers in the future — if you have skills you think can help Metafilter, please fill out the contributor form!

We’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of support we’ve gotten from the community so far, and we’re eager to continue and start to publicize our work towards building a better and more community-driven Metafilter.


📢 Previous Annual Fundraiser 2022 posts from the Steering Committee:
* For the sake of comparability to the goals at the start of the Fundraising Drive, this does not account for savings made after the start of the Fundraising Drive, such as the reduction in AWS costs. If you include those savings, we’re getting very close indeed to Revive.
posted by tavegyl to MetaFilter-Related at 12:30 PM (85 comments total) 69 users marked this as a favorite

Thanks for the update! I am gobsmacked in the best possible way!
posted by Bella Donna at 1:14 PM on November 16, 2022 [7 favorites]


I am so proud of the work everyone has been doing here. If you made a venmo/check donation and I could figure out your username, you have been thanked by me personally. If you made such a donation more than a week ago and have not heard from me, drop me a note so I can thank you.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 1:17 PM on November 16, 2022 [47 favorites]


Thank you for all this good news!

I will grab that Chewy link but also will definitely lose it at some point so if at some point it could become part of the site documentation somewhere, maybe in a "how to support mefi" page, that would be awesome. My cats have a freeze dried chicken treats habit, might as well use it for good.
posted by Stacey at 1:17 PM on November 16, 2022 [26 favorites]


You guys absolutely kick ass. Thank you for the work you're doing.
posted by bondcliff at 1:18 PM on November 16, 2022 [9 favorites]


I have been refreshing MeTa today waiting for the weekly financial update, and happy to see that the crouton conga line continues to grow longer. May that squished crouton at the very end grow to be as tall as their compatriots (and be joined by even more friends!) by next week's update.

Seeing the one-time contributions pot grow from week to week is just whoa!

Question - is the $5k anticipated proceeds of the auction included in the $64k or not?
posted by tinydancer at 1:24 PM on November 16, 2022 [5 favorites]


Some, but not all of the anticipated $5k from the auction are included in the $64k one-time figure — unfortunately we don't know the exact split at the moment, since pulling and compiling the financial data takes quite some time.
posted by wesleyac at 1:30 PM on November 16, 2022 [2 favorites]


Wow. I’m so happy. Can’t express enough thanks and amazement at the hard work of the steering committee and jessamyn to get this done. What a turnaround! So grateful for all the good people who make this site as special as it is.
posted by glaucon at 1:36 PM on November 16, 2022 [2 favorites]


This is great all around!

Does anyone have any idea if Chewy autoship orders can kick back to MetaFilter? I'd love to cancel my autoships there, then sign up for them again under the MetaFilter affiliate code. I'd feel way better about the expensive urinary SO cat food we have to buy if some of it went to the site.
posted by ignignokt at 1:53 PM on November 16, 2022 [8 favorites]


Excellent progress! I finally remembered to increase my (small) monthly donation and spent too much time trying to figure out how to do that on PayPal, before realising I had to cancel it there and then re-create it on the Fund MeFi page :-(
posted by dg at 2:03 PM on November 16, 2022 [3 favorites]


I still think all y'all should start selling checkmarks, but in a variety of colors.

"Other sites only have blue checkmarks but at Metafilter you can buy a checkmark in any color of the rainbow!"

The checkmarks won't actually do anything, of course, but it would be funny.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:06 PM on November 16, 2022 [57 favorites]


Selling checkmarks in every color could conceivably drum up some press for the site, too; maybe we could make them a temporary feature that would disappear after the fundraiser even.
posted by whir at 2:27 PM on November 16, 2022 [17 favorites]


This is so amazing! Pats on the back all around.
posted by unicorn chaser at 2:28 PM on November 16, 2022 [1 favorite]


✅☑️✅☑️✅☑️
posted by box at 2:33 PM on November 16, 2022 [4 favorites]


This is fantastic news - and I have to say, the specifics in the original message (where Survive/Revive/Thrive were first laid out) and the crouton-ometer updates letting us know how we're doing have been very motivating for me personally.

Gigantic thanks to each and every person who has been working so hard to help raise awareness and encourage donations - and also to everyone who donated, or did a little something to support the site as a surviving (and hopefully soon thriving!) thing.
posted by kristi at 2:33 PM on November 16, 2022 [6 favorites]


Will the black Friday askme's international affiliate links to the various internationall Amazon stores.?

I've still not figured out the amazon.uk one.

If I must put pennies into the Bezo's bucket, (and occaionally I must) then I'd like some of them to support Metafilter.
posted by Faintdreams at 2:50 PM on November 16, 2022 [3 favorites]


Very timely: just purchased cat litter and cat food using the new affiliate link. Thanks!
posted by Osrinith at 3:15 PM on November 16, 2022 [1 favorite]


Wonderful news! Huge thanks to the SC, owner, and staff, and to everyone who contributed to help keep this place going. We should keep aiming for that "thrive" goal but I think we can all breathe a bit easier now.

Just wanted to add, whoever on the SC, individual or jointly, who came up with the idea of having clearly-labeled "survive," "revive," and "thrive" goals, that was brilliant and thank you.
posted by biogeo at 3:16 PM on November 16, 2022 [28 favorites]


If anyone still needs an excuse to donate, I'm still offering hyperspecific film recommendations for a $5 donation and an entire slate of six FF movie posts on the theme of your choosing for a $20 donation.

I've done four of the latter so far (you can see the results here) and it has been a blast for me.

I believe I have caught up with everyone, but if I still owe you some FF magic for a donation, hit me up on MeMail and I'll have it before I go to bed tonight.

If we could could up with one or two more themes while the fundraiser is still going that would be cool, but if all of the various fundraising we did on FF already is where it ends, I'm still pretty proud of us.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 3:16 PM on November 16, 2022 [9 favorites]


I gotta say, I feel actual, physical, relief at this news. Thanks to everyone who's donated/donating, and thank you to the SC, jessamyn, staff, and everyone else who's put work into making this place work. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.
posted by mollweide at 3:29 PM on November 16, 2022 [9 favorites]


Hello again, sorry for all the questions.

In the original Fundraiser post, the Survive scenario description says:
There are some additional admin hours that loup puts in outside mod shifts and which currently are not compensated, nor is Jessamyn fully compensated for the admin work she undertakes for the site. These would remain uncompensated in this scenario.

Does the assumption still hold true?

If yes, I think it is important to highlight that since folks could have easily missed it. All the more reason to push for Revive goal, so Metafilter can pay people for their work.
posted by tinydancer at 3:36 PM on November 16, 2022 [9 favorites]


> Does anyone have any idea if Chewy autoship orders can kick back to MetaFilter?

Hi, friendly affiliate helper here 😃 New autoship orders do, at least for the first purchase. I'll have to check about subsequent ones. I don't know the answer to the cancel-and-resub questions here, but I will try and find out! If you happened to be setting up a new subscription anyway though, it definitely couldn't hurt to try!

(Note that prescription purchases are excluded from affiliate earnings. These products have a little prescription icon on them on the chewy site. It doesn't look like the urinary cat food falls into this category, but I wanted to call it out just in case).
posted by cgg at 3:37 PM on November 16, 2022 [7 favorites]


heads-up for new signups: I made a new account (this one) last week or so and the Welcome to Metafilter auto messages still say they come from cortex. Not sure if that's intentional or not but perhaps worth updating?
posted by creatrixtiara at 3:48 PM on November 16, 2022 [8 favorites]


Also are the sponsored posts/let-a-Mefite-write-a-post-for-you thing still A Thing? Coz I'd be down to offer my research rabbithole services
posted by creatrixtiara at 3:54 PM on November 16, 2022 [11 favorites]


Does the assumption still hold true?

I addressed this in another thread somewhat. And it's a little more complex than that, but that's the basic gist and we can talk more about it post-fundraising.

Not sure if that's intentional or not but perhaps worth updating?

It is definitely not intentional. Would you mind forwarding that email (I assume you're talking about email) to admin@mefi.us so we can fix it?
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 3:56 PM on November 16, 2022 [2 favorites]


I would love to crochet some things for future auctions, but I need a few things. 1. A good amount of lead time (especially a better idea of when the next or future auctions will be, rather than “early next year”) 2. Someone to discuss what I should make that will appeal to mefites because I have no clue what people who spend money on handmade things they don’t make themselves actually want 3. An agreement that I won’t pay an absurd amount in shipping because yarn is surprisingly heavy.
posted by Mizu at 4:12 PM on November 16, 2022 [7 favorites]


Best news! I’m glad I could help in some small way with the auction donations. I see so many people really digging into this work and it gives me warm fuzzies.
posted by Devils Rancher at 4:20 PM on November 16, 2022 [3 favorites]


The intro email I got was just "Again, welcome to MeFi!" but the intro MeFiMail I got was indeed from Cortex.
posted by just this guy, you know at 4:20 PM on November 16, 2022 [2 favorites]


This is great news! Thank you to everyone—jessamyn, loup, the SC, and all of the volunteers. These fundraising updates have been amazing. And agreed that the croutonmeter and clear scenarios have been so helpful.
posted by cupcakeninja at 4:31 PM on November 16, 2022 [1 favorite]


Mizu, I may be able to address your auction questions. We heard from other folks that one month's lead time is the ideal amount of time. Will one month work for you? As for what to make, I'd suggest making what makes you happiest and someone will buy it. We also had listings for commissions of knitted things, so that is an option. We had socks and a hat get very excellent bids. Do you make any 3d things like little animals or something - oh my gosh I think those would be very popular. But really, whatever you make will be terrific.

Nothing is decided yet as far as I know, but I believe we are planning for the Spring. Something like the first day of Spring (US centric, sorry) might be a nice idea. I would expect an auction Meta with a call for donations approx 4-5 weeks before the auction start date.

As for shipping, each donor decides if they don't want to cover shipping, or cover partial shipping (only within the US, for instance), or anywhere.
posted by Glinn at 4:40 PM on November 16, 2022 [2 favorites]


Wow, this is another great chapter in what makes Metafilter Metafilter. Once again the community is pulling together to get things done. Fantastic news.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 5:24 PM on November 16, 2022 [5 favorites]


Umm, is Metafilter going to have to pay taxes on the $64,594.89 in one-time contributions that it just received? Is there some way to shelter that money so it's available for future expenses?

(Sorry if I missed previous discussion of corporate structure.)
posted by Winnie the Proust at 5:42 PM on November 16, 2022 [2 favorites]


Woooooooo!
posted by warriorqueen at 6:11 PM on November 16, 2022 [1 favorite]


So glad picking up my dogs' shit and putting it in baggies can support this site now 💙💚
posted by phunniemee at 6:12 PM on November 16, 2022 [10 favorites]


Umm, is Metafilter going to have to pay taxes on the $64,594.89 in one-time contributions that it just received?

In the US a gift to a for-profit corporation or similar organization is considered to be a gift to the shareholders in proportion to their interests (there are some exceptions, like gifts to political organizations, but they don't apply to MetaFilter). In the US a gift to MetaFilter LLC is likely considered to be a gift to Jessamyn West. However, in the US the gift giver, not the gift receiver, is responsible for reporting and paying gift tax (if necessary).

If you give more than $16,000 in cash or assets in 2022 to any one person, you need to file a gift tax return (and as I mentioned above MetaFilter is probably considered a single person for purposes of US gift tax). That doesn’t mean you will necessarily have to pay a gift tax, in fact you almost certainly will not. It just means you need to file IRS Form 709 to disclose the gift. The annual exclusion is per recipient; it isn’t the sum total of all your gifts. That means, for example, that you can give $16,000 to MetaFilter and another $16,000 to a relative in the same year without having to file a gift tax return.

In addition to the $16,000 annual exclusion per recipient you get a multi-million dollar lifetime taxable gifts exclusion (which is the same as your estate tax exclusion, and for 2022 is currently $12.06 million). For example, if you give MetaFilter $20,000 this year, you’ll use up your $16,000 annual exclusion to MetaFilter — so you’ll need to file IRS form 709 with your 2022 taxes, however, you won’t pay a gift tax. The extra $4,000 ($20,000 - $16,000) counts against your $12.06 million lifetime exclusion, but doesn't exceed it. In the unlikely event you exceed the lifetime exclusion you will start paying gift tax. When you die the taxable gifts you gave over your liftetime reduce the maximum amount your estate can transfer to your heirs without paying estate tax. So, for example, if your only gift in excess of the annual exclusion (which is $16,000 for 2022) in your lifetime is a $20,000 gift to MetaFilter, and you die in 2022, your estate will pay estate tax on your assets to the extent that they exceed $12,056,000 ($12.06 million - $4,000).

Note, if any of this sounds like it might affect you, you absolutely should consult with an accountant or tax attorney instead of relying on an internet post.
posted by RichardP at 6:29 PM on November 16, 2022 [31 favorites]


I would absolutely love regular auctions for MetaFilter and suggest a spring and autumn six month cycle, so that people who aren't ready for one can do the next in 6 months, and to give auction volunteers plenty of planning time and breaks inbetween. I can't volunteer for something ongoing but I can take on a time-limited specific auction task and make things for an auction scheduled in advance (who wants quirky local things from Singapore and/or a handbeaded MetaFilter pin?)
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 6:40 PM on November 16, 2022 [9 favorites]


Glinn, thank you for the answers!

A small stuffed animal with a pattern that already exists or similar would be simple enough in a month, but something more involved like a lap blanket or a custom doll with no preexisting pattern would need two or three, ideally. I’m loathe to do commissions of anything that needs sizing, because that has literally never worked out long distance for me, so no hats or mittens or sweaters, but scarves would be okay.

I was thinking maybe a series of some kind of creature in different subsite colors - back in the day, the octopus was sort of being a Mefi thing? But that was maybe quonsar specific? Even further in the dawn of time people here were really into Oolong the pancake bunny but he was his own thing, RUP (rest under pancakes). Maybe just cats, that people can place in their own scanners if desired? I was also thinking, along the subsite color theme, of a series of coasters/mug rugs or cup cozies, as like, subtle merch. The hardest part for either of those would be finding yarn in the right colors. Something I’d need multiple months of lead time and I would realistically want to sell for over $400 would be a custom doll of a Mefi favorite person or character. I don’t know who, but here’s my RBG doll and my magical sister dolls for example. That kind of thing takes a very long time for designing and drafting and so-on, since it’s nearly all one-off. I would love to make another one to support MF but I don’t know if anyone would bid on something that price, and I wouldn’t want to waste my time otherwise when I could make a bunch of stuffed octopuses practically in my sleep.

Anyway, feel free to MeMail me for further discussion or if someone has an idea for things folks would bid on. I am very happy MF’s funding is getting the attention it deserves and would like to be a part of its ongoing support after this big push.
posted by Mizu at 6:49 PM on November 16, 2022 [8 favorites]


Mizu, I’ve spent the last year mailing socks to people around the US, Canada and Europe. One skein of sock yarn (ie, 100 grams) plus a 7x10” envelope and a notecard usually comes out to about 3.75 ounces, and postage is in the $3.75 range. To Canada and the UK the shipping was in the $13-15 range. I hope that helps give a datapoint for postal costs.
posted by Liesl at 7:00 PM on November 16, 2022 [3 favorites]


Ho-lee crapsticks, thank you for this glorious news. I love this site, and I love you all. It seems like there's nothing we can't do if we put our brains, buns, and bucks together.
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 7:19 PM on November 16, 2022 [4 favorites]


RichardP, thank you for that extensive answer. It didn’t occur to me that these contributions could be considered gifts for tax purposes rather than straight up revenue.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 7:20 PM on November 16, 2022 [4 favorites]


It didn’t occur to me that these contributions could be considered gifts for tax purposes rather than straight up revenue.

Under US federal tax law, gross income includes all income from any source, unless it's excluded from gross income by law. So it is entirely reasonable to think that MetaFilter would need to treat these contributions as taxable income. Fortunately, gifts are excluded from gross income — with the primary caveat that a contribution can only be considered to be a gift if it is given out of generosity and without the expectation of anything in return.

For MetaFilter it gets a bit tricky since MetaFilter's payment processors (PayPal, Venmo, etc.) and other income sources will likely report all of the distributions to MetaFilter on 1099s, with no distinction between sources that are taxable (ad revenue, perhaps the $5 sign-up fee, etc.) and those that are not (contributions received via crowdfunding without the expectation of the exchange of goods or services). MetaFilter probably can exclude the gifts from its taxable income, but since this will likely cause MetaFIlter's income to significantly differ from the reported income on the 1099s sent to the IRS, the IRS may contact MetaFilter for more information. At this point MetaFilter may find it necessary to explain why the crowdfunded contributions were excluded from MetaFilter's taxable income. The IRS recommends that the recipient of a crowdfunding campaign keep complete and accurate records of all facts and circumstances surrounding the fundraising and disposition of funds for at least three years.

So MetaFilter doesn't need to pay taxes on actual gifts from contributors, but I suppose it is possible that whoever does the accounting/taxes for MetaFilter might decide to nevertheless report it all as taxable income if they determine that the costs associated with the recordkeeping needed to legitimately not include these gifts in MetaFilter's taxable income exceed the amount of taxes that would be saved. posted by RichardP at 9:06 PM on November 16, 2022 [16 favorites]


The code working group now has access to the Metafilter codebase, AWS account, and analytics account. We’re setting up a reproducible development environment to test changes to the site without needing access to the database that contains private information.

There's so much good news here, but this ^ is a great and important development!

Thanks everyone, and in particular to the Steering Committee who have done some amazing work here.
posted by pianissimo at 9:42 PM on November 16, 2022 [7 favorites]


creatrixtiara... I'm so glad you're back :')
posted by aielen at 10:45 PM on November 16, 2022 [8 favorites]


Absolutely delighted at how the community has pulled together and the sterling work the SC is doing. Growing monthly contributions by $10k is amazing and I'm sure there's plenty more that can grow as the tech volunteers are able to tweak things on the site.

I'm looking forward to doing my bit with the gamification event next month, and donating to the next auction!

Finally, the level of transparency displayed by the SC bodes very well for the future in building confidence and making the site more sustainable in the years to come – not just for financials but in the code. What an incredible foundation they're building!
posted by adrianhon at 2:20 AM on November 17, 2022 [14 favorites]


This update makes me so happy! I'm definitely looking forward to the online events coming up!
posted by gakiko at 4:03 AM on November 17, 2022


So glad I could contribute to the auction and end up raising a good chunk of change for MetaFilter. Already slotting the next donated item into the build list.
posted by DaveP at 4:51 AM on November 17, 2022 [4 favorites]


Many many thanks to DaveP and everyone else who donated items for the auction and/or services as well as the other work that has been done. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
posted by Bella Donna at 5:39 AM on November 17, 2022 [2 favorites]


Doubled my monthly contribution.
posted by joannemerriam at 6:08 AM on November 17, 2022 [9 favorites]


MetaFilter probably can exclude the gifts from its taxable income, but since this will likely cause MetaFIlter's income to significantly differ from the reported income on the 1099s sent to the IRS, the IRS may contact MetaFilter for more information.

If Metafilter intends contributions beyond the $5 signup fee to be considered gifts, it feels like the contribution form should include a statement to that effect, with an indication that the contributor is responsible for any required gift tax payments.

This approach seems worthwhile (save a lot of money on taxes), but also something that Jessamyn and/or a member of the SC should discuss with an accountant. A metatalk thread probably isn't the place to get all the details right.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:49 AM on November 17, 2022


with an indication that the contributor is responsible for any required gift tax payments.

Unless a person donates more than 16K, if I am reading this all correctly, no one has to file a gift tax return or pay gift tax. MetaFilter will need to pay taxes. We have been keeping very good records, at least recently. We have an accountant helping the SC and a tax guy lined up to do the site's taxes. We will be taking taxes seriously. MeFi has slowly been losing money the past few years, so it will be an adjustment but one I believe we are prepared for. If people want to help the SC and staff prepare the information that is going to the tax preparer, please chime in on the volunteer form.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 7:14 AM on November 17, 2022 [14 favorites]


Wow, y'all have been busy! Three months' basic operating expenses! Enough money to worry about taxes! That is a relief, and a fantastic milestone. Also excited for the future events/activity. (And the Chewy's affiliate link, which seems both timely and appropriate.)
posted by mersen at 7:31 AM on November 17, 2022 [4 favorites]


A check is in the mail! Congrats on all the fundraising success.
posted by pjsky at 7:52 AM on November 17, 2022 [3 favorites]


dorothyisunderwood sponsored another FF themed day, this one on weird Christmas movies.

Check it out at #illbeweirdforchristmas.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 7:53 AM on November 17, 2022 [10 favorites]


It fills me with joy to watch this community pull together to help the site recover financially, in ways that preserve its identity. This is how it should be done. Thank you all.
posted by eirias at 8:00 AM on November 17, 2022 [6 favorites]


You've all been awesome, thank you to everyone who has pitched in. It's been really inspiring to catch up on all the goings on!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:23 AM on November 17, 2022 [4 favorites]


I've been lurking for a very long time, but Mefi has had an outsized impact in forming the way I think about things. Upped my monthly contribution.
posted by poq at 9:36 AM on November 17, 2022 [23 favorites]


And as of this writing, I see from the footer at the bottom of this page that we are now less than 100 contributions away from reaching 8000 members who fund MetaFilter.
posted by hangashore at 11:48 AM on November 17, 2022 [14 favorites]


Mizu, I had similar ideas and questions about contributing crafted items. My projects tend to use premium yarns so materials costs would be a concern in addition to the shipping. I'm happy to donate my time and labor.

In case anyone would like to weigh in on my MF-themed project idea:

A PLATE OF BEAN[ie]S! With Snowflakes Inside (and Outside--it's reversible):
handknit beanie in two colors, reversible, snowflake pattern; choice of yarn/pattern/colors customizable

(The knit/crochet item I make most often is lace shawls and scarves or cowls, and fitted garments more recently, occasionally a stuffed animal etc...but I don't know if those would be feasible or in demand.)
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 3:43 PM on November 17, 2022 [6 favorites]


I'm not buying, I mostly get my gloves on the side of the road, but if y'all are looking for ideas, fingerless gloves might be popular with this crowd. Keeps your hands warm while leaving the fingers free to type.
posted by aniola at 6:08 PM on November 17, 2022 [7 favorites]


Metafilter is now a Chewy.com affiliate and earns a percentage of all your qualified purchases at no additional cost to you if you shop at Chewy and use this link!



You do realize that this now has created a truly novel and self-serving Metafilter opportunity.

Metafilter shirts, bandanas, etc. for dogs, cats, various quadrupeds, and their emotional support ponies!

This is a definite missing demographic in the MeFi apparel sales area. Game on!
posted by dancinglamb at 9:08 PM on November 17, 2022 [6 favorites]


Had I a dog, I would 100% make it wear an Emotional Support Pony bandana in site colours.
posted by tavegyl at 10:49 PM on November 17, 2022 [9 favorites]


I guess Metafilter has a longer runway now than Twitter.
posted by BungaDunga at 10:55 PM on November 17, 2022 [39 favorites]


Y E S
posted by rrrrrrrrrt at 1:06 AM on November 18, 2022 [1 favorite]


This is great news!!! And thanks for venmo. I had a balance hanging out doing nothing.... Now I don't.
posted by chasles at 7:29 AM on November 18, 2022 [1 favorite]


I'm in to knit some socks, I think. I've charted out the MF logo. Maybe Green socks that say "CAN I EAT IT?", or "DTMFA"? Gray socks with "FIAMO" or "Pony Request"? White "professional background" socks?

Material costs (which I would donate, along with my labor) would be about $20 a pair.
posted by BrashTech at 8:10 AM on November 18, 2022 [13 favorites]


This donation drive has finally made me give up my lurking ways, sign up for an account and pitch in.
Thanks to the prolific posters who continue to keep the site going after all these years. And special thanks to the SC who seem to be doing an awesome job.
posted by the_dreamwriter at 1:00 PM on November 18, 2022 [36 favorites]


welcome the_dreamwriter!
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 4:34 PM on November 18, 2022 [2 favorites]


CAT TAX

is a phrase that would be fun on a tiny sweater or some socks or something.
posted by amtho at 4:45 PM on November 18, 2022 [15 favorites]


DirtyOldTown, I could contribute several movies to #illbeweirdforchristmas all by myself. Like SANTA JAWS....
posted by JHarris at 7:27 PM on November 18, 2022 [3 favorites]


“It fills me with joy to watch this community pull together to help the site recover financially, in ways that preserve its identity. This is how it should be done. Thank you all.”

Well said! I agree and feel similarly — all of this taken collectively, and with the evident creativity, expertise, hard-work, cooperation, generosity, and thoughtfulness — this really is the essence of MetaFilter at its best!
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 3:33 PM on November 19, 2022 [2 favorites]


"I had similar ideas and questions about contributing crafted items. My projects tend to use premium yarns so materials costs would be a concern in addition to the shipping. I'm happy to donate my time and labor."

I'm a knitter and love the idea of making something to donate, but realistically I'd never get it finished. Donating supplies to someone who wants to make something for the auction would be a fun way to participate. Not sure how the logistics of that would work for picking out something suitable, but I like the idea of it.
posted by duien at 5:40 PM on November 19, 2022 [4 favorites]


Very pleasantly surprised to see this.
posted by knapah at 9:54 AM on November 20, 2022 [1 favorite]


I've had a very busy week of child birthday planning and grandparent wrangling, but have been reading MeFi as usual in the interstices. Now that the house is quiet I made a 1-time donation in addition to having upped my monthly contribution a week or two ago.

The idea that ~we~ can do it, we can make the site continue to exist in a sustainable way, is surprising (why??) and nourishing to me. Thanks to everyone who's chipped in labor, money, planning, and enthusiasm. I'm so glad to see us taking care of us.
posted by Lawn Beaver at 7:27 AM on November 21, 2022 [9 favorites]


I'm so glad to see us taking care of us.

Quoted for truth, Lawn Beaver! I just read that and got teary. I was so very afraid that we were going to lose this online home. Many of us have lost a lot in our lives already. The thought of losing MetaFilter as well was just deeply troubling. I am so proud of us. Thank you for your contributions!
posted by Bella Donna at 12:20 AM on November 22, 2022 [7 favorites]


I don't understand how to read the status.

Do the croutons represent recurring donations or one-time donation?

Is the amount indicated for recurring donations per month or year, or what.
posted by NotLost at 9:41 AM on November 22, 2022


NotLost: pretty sure that’s recurring donations per month, based on other info that’s been shared recently.
posted by syzygy at 10:53 AM on November 22, 2022 [1 favorite]


The crouton meter depicts recurring monthly donations.
posted by JHarris at 5:10 AM on November 23, 2022


Hello! There have been a lot of MeTa post about topics adjacent to the Fundraiser, such as the Events, since this post originally went up on 11/16. I was wondering if there would be a Week Four (really, Week Five at this point) post to let us know how the fundraising efforts have gone.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 12:04 PM on November 28, 2022 [6 favorites]


Yeah, it has been a while. Let me poke the rest of the group.
posted by JHarris at 12:49 AM on November 29, 2022 [2 favorites]


The Pluto Gangsta: I was wondering if there would be a Week Four (really, Week Five at this point) post to let us know how the fundraising efforts have gone.

(Steering Committee member here) We've been a bit delayed because of a mix of factors: Thanksgiving in the US, with non-US SC members (such as myself) having other commitments coming up at the same time, and Events setup which has been a time-consuming matter for several SC members. Additionally, we're waiting for some figures to be confirmed before the update goes up.

Even if this update gets postponed to oblivion (which we definitely don't currently intend!) we are planning a more in-depth wrap-up update to close off this fundraising drive. So the figures will come, one way or another - but later than we had planned for which I apologise.
posted by tavegyl at 1:31 AM on November 29, 2022 [12 favorites]


Hey are we at revive yet? What's happening?
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 7:35 PM on December 1, 2022 [5 favorites]


Just got a tax check, donated some to MeFi. Thanks to all the MeFites who make all the content, the mods, volunteers, and Jessamyn for making it work.
posted by theora55 at 6:04 PM on December 2, 2022 [3 favorites]


Could we add the new affiliate link(s) to the How to Fund Metafilter page? I'd love to be able to find them easily there. Thanks!
posted by redfoxtail at 5:47 AM on December 4, 2022 [1 favorite]


Hello again! It's been 12 days since the last message from mods or the Steering Committee, and if I'm counting correctly this MeTa will close in the next few days, so I wanted to check in again to ask if the Fundraising update would come before everyone gets busy preparing for Christmas, Hannukah, etc.

If you're delaying with the intention to add information about the money raised through the Events, I would ask that you not do that: I would want to hear how the fundraiser did on it's own, especially whether the amount in monthly contributions has reached or exceeded the Survive target.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:11 AM on December 11, 2022


Pardon me, that should read "reached or exceeded the Revive target."
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:46 AM on December 11, 2022 [1 favorite]


The Pluto Gangsta -
Thanks for checking about this.
The update has been delayed not because of an intention to add information about Events, but because we've needed more clarity/confirmation on some figures. Obtaining definite/consistent weekly figures has been challenging because there have not been strong/automated accounting structures in place from the time the fundraising commenced (which we are still working with the admin to implement), and also because of the complex streams from which funds come.

We want to be sure that the figures in the final fundraiser update are as accurate and truthful as possible. We are still in the process of double-checking, reconciling and confirming these numbers with the admin, and that is why we have not yet reported on the fundraising drive overall. We know this is not ideal and it's not how we hoped to do this. Hopefully next year's fundraising accounting will be easier to manage, with more visible and automated information available/accessible and thus more clarity.

I can say with certainty that monthly contributions have reached and exceeded Survive; we are still determining whether this is true for Revive.
posted by aielen at 1:05 PM on December 11, 2022 [7 favorites]


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