Keep Me Writing
Hi! Welcome to my funding page on Substack.
I hope to make a difference in the world and in my nation with this publication. More groundedly, I intend to make a difference in the ecoregions that I mostly inhabit, in my own communities and in the lives of others, as well as in my own life. (The About Page for this publication provides insight to this mission.)
Donate
Writes of Regeneration is free to read today. I’m bioregionally-nomadic (and so unhoused right now). This allows me to write nearly full-time. I’ve let go of all permanent paid work in order to focus more on Writes of Regeneration (and on my other passion project, GeoAscent Creative Works). I still do occasional short gigs (when I can get them) to pay my bills and keep myself writing. Sometimes I need help with that.
If you resonate with what you’ve found on this site, and you “fell soul-inspirited”, you could buy me a Dirty Chai Latte or a Golden Lager. (Hey, even a scrappy bioregionally-nomadic drifter can have taste!)
Choose any amount you’d like to donate:
Here are some other options for you to help keep me writing:
Where Does Your Donation Money Really Go?
Okay, I was attempting to be humorous and original with the more traditional “buy me a coffee” donation links. While I truly do enjoy a good Dirty Chai Latte and a good Amber Lager, and might actually use a donation for one or the other or both (or just a black coffee and/or whatever beer is on special), I’m much more likely to use your donation to buy a bus ticket, pay for the hosting of my website (GeoAscent Creative Works) or pay my gym membership.
So, let’s break-down what actually happens to your donation:
Stripe (the provider of the payment gateway between my Substack account and my bank account) takes 2.9 % plus 30 cents. Why the 30 cents and why not just round-up to 3%? Nobody knows.
Substack (the provider of the platform that powers my publication) takes 10% of what’s left. While that may seem a lot, I’m actually very grateful for Substack’s business model here. Without it, I’d need to either use another platform that charges an annual fee upfront (not an option for me) or host my publication myself. While I’m technically capable of doing the latter (including setting-up subscriptions), it would take a lot of time and effort and wouldn’t provide me with Substack’s built-in community. I’m good with Substack taking a 10% share for now (as I’m getting started).
Uncle Sam takes 10% for income tax — not upfront but eventually (Substack sends the report). I’m in the lowest tax bracket so that 10% is not too bad. Also, since I live in Texas, there are no state or municipal income taxes.
If I do actually purchase a coffee or a beer, the barista or bartender will be tipped one dollar (on average).
Let’s Look at an Example
$10.00 (your donation amount)
-$0.59 (Stripe’s cut -- 2.9% + 30 cents)
=$9.41 (balance after Stripe’s cut)
$9.41 (balance after Stripe’s cut)
-0.94 (Substack’s 10%)
=8.47 (balance after Substack’s share)
$8.47 (balance after Substack’s share)
-0.85 (set aside for Uncle Sam)
=7.62 (balance after Uncle Sam’s take)
$7.62 (balance after Uncle Sam’s take)
-1.00 (tip to barista or bartender)
=$6.62 (balance available for my latte or lager)
(Gets sent to my bank account via Stripe.)
Remember, there’s only a small chance that I would truly use the money for a coffee or a beer, but I wanted to use that for an example (because I might very well spend it that way). Anyway, I’ve always wanted to know what percentage of online donations actually make it the the person I’m donating to. I thought you might like to know also. So, there you have it!