I’ve teased an announcement for a little while now, and today is the day. I have some exciting news, and I want you, my subscribers to hear about it. I have decided … to continue writing Political Charge for the foreseeable future!
Simply put, these last four years plus the 2020 election has made it plainly clear to me, as I’m sure it has for you, that we cannot disengage politically now that we’ve taken back the White House. The immediate danger is over, but our democracy feels even more fragile than ever.
My mission here at Political Charge is to inspire voters to take political action. Some who find my blog end up taking action for the very first time. Others start to take action outside of election cycles. And still others have needed that pick-me-up from time to time to keep up the energy and motivation to keep pushing for change. I want to continue to inspire new activists to get involved and keep everyone else informed about where our efforts can have real impact.
Which brings me to the second half of my announcement.
Over the years, I’ve had many subscribers ask how they can help and I’ve always said just sharing my posts is the best way to help. Sharing my posts is still a great way to help, but as the blog has grown to well over 4,000 subscribers, I am also now looking at some hard costs that I need help with. So today, I am launching a Patreon page! If you’ve enjoyed the blog in the past, and would like to contribute to its future, I hope you’ll consider becoming a patron.
Now, nothing will change with the blog itself. I will continue to publish as I always have, and there will never be a paywall. All of my posts — past and future — will continue to be free and accessible to anyone.
I did a short announcement video, that explains what I want to accomplish with Patreon. For those of you who’ve never seen me before (only my Instagram followers really ever see me on a regular basis), this is me! (Click HERE if the video doesn’t autoplay.)
The information I’m referencing in the video (like full transparency on what the costs for my blog are) is all on my Patreon page, which I hope you’ll check out today.
How it works in a nutshell
Patreon is essentially where writers, artists, etc. can create their own mini-membership communities to support the work that they’re creating. One of the inspirations for the name and idea comes from the Renaissance, where artists like Leonardi da Vinci would have patrons who supported him as he created his masterpieces.
Updated for this current century, you can join my Patreon community for as little as $3/mo. There is no long-term commitment, and you can change the amount or cancel your membership at any time. You can check out all the details HERE.
What will my patrons get?
If you join my Patreon community, you’ll get my exclusive, behind-the-scenes looks at the blog. You’ll be the first to know what kinds of posts I’m working on, getting updates on how the blog is doing, and I plan to ask you for feedback as I mull over new ideas and projects for the blog. I really like the idea of having an ongoing conversation with the people most invested in Political Charge.
I’m also totally open to updating the rewards to suit my patrons. Please don’t hesitate to recommend something you’d like me to consider.
I’ve also got a couple of goals lined up, which you can see at my Patreon page. First, I’ll be thanking all of the patrons who help me hit my first goal by naming them in a blog post (with their permission, of course). Then, the next goal that I really want to achieve is to grow the community to the point where I can finally get rid of the ads on my blog. Right now, that income pays for the website hosting and domain costs, but I think they’re an eyesore. I’m excited to partner with you to jettison them from my site!
Thank you!
If you like what I’m doing here at Political Charge and feel it is worth a little bit of money each month, I hope you will consider becoming a patron. And if you don’t, that’s ok. Really! You can always support me by sharing my Patreon page or my posts on your social media channels.
I am so thankful to everyone who takes the time to read and share Political Charge. I will keep on doing what I do and finding new and fresh ways to strengthen our democracy through activism!
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Categories: Uncategorized
So glad you will continue on. You have been a consistent trusted resource for me personally, and I have shared many of your posts with others. We will definitely continue to need your voice going forward.
Thank you so much, Joanne. Thank you for sharing my posts! I really, really do appreciate that!
So glad you’re continuing! Just because we got the White House back doesn’t mean the job is finished. I too, was motivated to get involved because of the destruction I saw the current president doing to our democracy. Just because he’s gone, there’s still the Republican Party to deal with. I don’t see them ever coming back down to reality anytime soon. So, glad you’re still in the game. You do awesome work, and good luck on the new Patreon endeavor! I have no doubt you will be successful.
Thanks so much!! Yes, we have work to do and I’m happy we’ll be in the fight together over the long haul!
👍👍
Thank you for continuing to be of service. I always read what you create.
Thank you, Toni!