Will You Help Us Help You?
I have started and re-started and re-started this post 38 times.
I tried opening with a joke.
I tried opening with a metaphor.
I tried opening with a quote about art.
Nothing felt right.
So now I’m opening with telling you how much I’m struggling to write this post, which should give you an accurate sense of the fear/anxiety/general barfiness going on in my brain and stomach today.
(I hope you weren’t eating just now.)
There is no easy way to talk about finances, so I’m going to cut right to the chase and tell you something bizarre. A few months ago, I turned down a lot of money. And it’s not because I have a lot of money lying around (I don't).
I turned down a lot of money because the people offering it to me wanted to put ads all over Coffee + Crumbs. And when I say “all over Coffee + Crumbs” I mean they wanted to place ads in the middle of our essays. Picture me describing this opportunity to my husband while dramatically miming a dagger to my heart, because that is how strongly I feel about maintaining the integrity of this space.
In a noisy Internet world full of ads and quizzes and click-bait articles, not to mention the political rants on Facebook (OMG make it stop), I'm feeling more desperate than ever to keep Coffee + Crumbs a quiet place for moms. I want you to come to our corner of the Internet and feel like you can put your feet up and stay awhile. I want you to feel rest here. I want you to feel positivity and hope and light here. I want you to feel friendship and community here. I want you to want to be here.
This is the truth: I have not regretted turning down that money once.
This is also the truth: I am incredibly passionate about the work that Coffee + Crumbs is doing, but I am also feeling—to be blunt and transparent here—financially stuck.
Behind the scenes of C+C is an entire team of mothers working diligently for little to no pay. We have some ideas on how to change that in 2017 through some new creative offerings and products, but in the meantime, we are stepping out in a big act of faith today.
(I'm sure you know where I'm going with this.)
It is with huge butterflies in our stomachs and all the humility we can muster that we are asking if you, our wonderful readers, would be willing to pitch in a few dollars each month to support the mission of Coffee + Crumbs.
We’ve created a Patreon account with the option to give $1, $5, or $10 a month. If you love the work that Coffee + Crumbs is already doing—the blog, the podcast, the newsletter—your pledges will help us continue this work as well as contribute to some of our bigger dreams for the future.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your continued support and encouragement as we grow and stretch. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again: this is 100% my dream job. I wake up every morning grateful for this space, for this work, and for every single one of you. Thank you for being here.
P.s. We've set a pretty lofty first goal, but if everyone who reads Coffee + Crumbs on a regular basis gave just $1/month, we'd reach that goal right away. If you can only swing a dollar a month and think that's an insignificant amount, believe me when I say: it isn't. And we're super grateful.