Launching into our 5th Year at 80% funded!
We set a goal of $3000
You got us to $2387!
At the time of print, our 5th Year Subscription Campaign sat at a pretty 79.5% funded.
The midst of a global pandemic is the worst time to try and raise funds, but we are so thankful for those of you who stepped up and gave generously. This means that, as we enter our fifth year of publication, our annual operation costs are close to covered. To say this is a relief is a gross understatement.
Blank Spaces has been a self-funded endeavour since its birth. To call it a burden would not be accurate, as it’s been a complete joy and immense opportunity for personal growth — but there comes a time when, in order to guarantee growth, you have to reassess. A business that pays for itself sounds like a beautiful model (and it is!) but it’s exactly the same as living pay cheque to pay cheque: you can’t achieve those big goals (pay off the mortgage, take a year off for travel, etc.) if you’re worried about covering the grocery bill.
There is danger in contentment. Complacency can set in and ten years later you’re still where you started. Today, we are refusing to be content.
It was a step of faith when we decided to launch this new website before the campaign closed, but you rose to the task and we now know that new expense is already covered!
On September 1, 2020, we officially entered our fifth year, which means our old campaign is now closed. If you missed the giving window, fear not! We have launched a new ‘Fund our Future’ campaign that follows that exact same model (though we’ve amended our goals slightly). We have loved sending out donation tier rewards and we don’t want to stop!
To maintain our momentum we need 200 new or renewing digital subscribers.
Why digital subscribers and not print? Don’t get us wrong, we adore the print version. We use 80# Matte text (115 GSM) paper that is FSC-certified and acid-free, printed in full colour with a full bleed on HP Indigo digital presses. These commercial presses have been calibrated to provide a high quality output - from crisp text to brilliant graphics. We believe the Blank Spaces print version is of a quality that sets us apart from many other literary magazines. They’re slick and sturdy and of archival quality. Production standards like these come with a high price tag, and because we want Blank Spaces to be as accessible as possible, we keep our cover price as low as we can manage. Essentially this means that, from a bookkeeping perspective, print copies are an in an out. Your purchase covers our cost of printing. That’s it. Digital sales, on the other hand, give us a little breathing room to start dreaming. Not only do they cover things like web hosting, but they allow us to invest in marketing events, advertising, and distribution networks. Without digital subscribers, Blank Spaces can’t grow.
Because we believe in full transparency, and because we’re asking for your help, we feel it’s only fair to give you a true look at what your donation covers.
As a base goal we asked you to help cover our operating costs. That includes shipping, website, customer management software, marketing, banking/transaction fees, and obligations we have to the Canada Library and Archives.
In our last fiscal year (September 1, 2019-August 31, 2020) our actual operating costs came in at:
$3167.00
Since the beginning of Blank Spaces, after digital and merchandise sale income, our publisher (and Editor-in-Chief) has covered the remaining amount out of pocket. Thank you for stepping up during our fundraising campaign so she doesn’t have to worry about that this year!
We wanted to honour those who gave throughout the initial campaign by listing them within the anniversary issue. You can find that list on page 65. To each one of you named in that list: we are enormously grateful. The September issue, and the three that follow, are possible because you showed your support in a tangible, open-handed way.
To add your pennies to the pot, please visit Fund our Future.
We want to keep the momentum going! And we’re not asking for a lot. Just $15 gains you access to the next year of Blank Spaces digital issues, delivered to your inbox on the first of each publication month. Give a little more and we’ll give back a little more. It’s all laid out on the campaign page. See you over there!
