Briarpatch Sustainers

In Spring 2010, Briarpatch launched an innovative campaign to revolutionize the magazine’s funding model. Faced with a formidable financial crisis resulting from federal cuts to funding and rising costs of production, Briarpatch staff, volunteers and readers took quick, concerted action. True to its 37-year legacy, the Briarpatch community rose to the challenge of unfriendly political and economic forces through the wildly successful Deeper Roots campaign, now called Sustainers.

Drawing inspiration from the community-supported agriculture movement, the Sustainers campaign calls on readers to help strengthen Briarpatch‘s financial resiliency through regular donations to the magazine. In exchange for a monthly donation of $5 or more, Sustaining Subscribers receive an automatically renewing subscription, their name printed in every issue of the magazine, and an annual newsletter to our community of Sustainers.

At the end of its first year, the Deeper Roots campaign had brought in almost $16,000 in extra annual revenue from almost 100 readers who started or increased their monthly donations through the campaign. We now have roughly 250 Sustainers giving a total of almost $45,000 per year — fully one third of our entire annual revenue! It’s an average of just $15/month or $0.50/day per Sustainer — not a whole lot for each individual, but it’s making a major difference to Briarpatch‘s bottom line and facilitating the continued existence of strong, community-supported, accountable and independent media.

Start today!

Monthly donation amount:

Get in touch by calling 1-866-431-5777, or emailing publisher [AT] briarpatchmagazine.com for monthly donation alternatives including direct withdrawal from your bank account or credit card processing through our office.

Tomorrow’s rebels, rabble-rousers, and radicals will thank you for your support today.