Support our mission
Donate Yearly
Donate Monthly
One-Time Donation
Patreon
Venmo
Folks,
I suffered a pretty crippling panic attack earlier today as I looked at how our reserve fund had crumbled to a mere $639. Crowdfunding is feast-or-famine (sometimes we have a hot story topic and people wanna give money; other times, we strike out). Having a reserve fund helps us ride through the rough times.
Looking at our low balance—what remains of my life savings—I realized that soon our reserve might not even cover basic needs.
I've spent 18 years working as a labor reporter, and it's scary that a grant loss has put me in a crisis right before my 40th birthday. I've been suffering panic attacks regularly and really need your help.
Keeping the reserve fund account with at least $2,000 - $3,000 in gives me some room to breathe and not have to worry about paying bills or emergency expenses.
Earlier this month, I wrote about how Payday learned earlier this year that we had lost 1/3 of its budget due to the Trump cuts. I presented a plan to rebuild revenue by offering media training to unions and community groups.
I've started getting some good sponsorship leads from unions and community groups. I received a small travel grant from SEIU Local 99 to go out to LA (see our story). SMART has pledged to provide a small underwriting check during its next budgeting cycle. I firmly believe that if we can get more union support, we can increase our budget, but it's gonna take time.
If you or your union can connect us to sponsorship, or are interested in hosting a media training seminar, please fill out our form here or email melk@paydayreport.com. Your leads or referrals make a huge difference.
Our fundraising on Bluesky is picking up as my follower count has grown to 5,300, but it hasn't been able to replace what we did on Twitter when I had 25,000 followers there.
Our multimedia editor, Amos Wolf, whom I pay $ 32 an hour, has also helped us expand our video reach on YouTube and Instagram. Amos, who has won local grants for arts and media education, is also helping us search for additional funding, and Im paying him to help write grants.
With more union support, BlueSky growth, and multimedia, I’m confident we can increase revenue and possibly win grants. However, getting there is difficult, and your support makes a difference.
Please donate if you can to help us rebuild our reserve fund, and share our fundraising link with others in your network who may want to help. We will provide updates as we expand our reach.
If your union or group is interested in sponsoring us or signing up for a media training, fill out our form or reach out via email at melk@paydayreport.com. We would love to connect and work together.
We have the power to rebuild labor media; we just need your help.
Melk
Support our mission
Donate Yearly
Donate Monthly
One-Time Donation
Patreon
Venmo
