In this season of good will please consider becoming an OffG patron…
Merry Christmas, happy holidays and yuletide blessings to all our readers.
This holiday season we are asking anyone who thinks OffG is worth $1.00 per month to pledge that amount to us on Patreon or PayPal.
Despite the claims of Propornot (yes, we are on their list) – we aren’t a Kremlin-funded disinfo operation. NO big bucks come our way at all. Everyone here, editors and Admins, are volunteers, doing what we do because we believe in it. Our only external source of funding is the support of our community. And, like most alternative news sites, we are being hit by the increased censorship on Google and social media.
At the moment, particularly since we had to abandon our Paypal account, we don’t get enough income to cover our running costs, let alone allow us to develop the site as we’d like to do. We don’t want to put up paywalls or charge a subscription, because we want our content to get out to as many people as possible.
If only 5% of our 16,000+ followers pledged us $1.00 per month we would not only be able to continue our current output, we’d be able to develop the site as we would like to do and as our readers have suggested. If you come here regularly and/or value the work we do please consider this very small mark of appreciation.
Peace and happiness to you all.
UPDATE: People have been asking us for a way to make one-off donations, so we have reintroduced our PayPal button here. As you may remember PayPal restricted our account some time back, which is why we switched to Patreon. We have regained access now, and will receive any money you send, so if this is your preferred system, please feel free!
Thanks again.
SUPPORT OFFGUARDIAN
If you enjoy OffG's content, please help us make our monthly fund-raising goal and keep the site alive.
For other ways to donate, including direct-transfer bank details click HERE.
Happy New Year to all at OffG and thank you very much for your work and commitment.
Happy New year to all readers and contributors as well. We need to support those outlets we believe in and that are trying their best to wade through the reams of propaganda and challenge the narrative and that allow us free space to comment and discuss openly. $1 a month is very little for the quality of output and freedom of expression allowed here.
Thank you very much Manda, and the same to you 🙂
In light of the many requests for a way to make one-off donations we have reintroduced our PayPal button. As you may remember PayPal restricted our account some time back, which is why we switched to Patreon. We have regained access now, and will receive any money you send, so if this is your preferred system, please feel free!
Tried to donate but found it impossible to complete the crap demanded by Patreon.
If I could manage it anyone can!
Guys – I think you should be wary of commenters who a) discourage people from donating to you and b) pop up out of nowhere to ask for information about you so they can donate to you directly! I don’t want to smear anyone, and I’m sure it’s just coincidence, but I can’t help noticing two of these types commenting here start their comment with exactly the same phrase – “wiling to contribute, but…”
What are the odds of two different people using this exact phrase in one thread on one day?
Sorry if I am being paranoid.
I think its pretty innocent, least I hope it is – as you know Off-G types can usually start a debate in an empty room.
As one of the posters who started my comment with “wiling to contribute, but…” assume you are referring to me. It’s good to be vigilant but with respect, your wording is a bit over the top.
Just to point out:
– I haven’t popped up out of no where & a quick check would confirm I have posted comments several times.
j jones is my name & admin have my first name. If there was anything dodgy going on, is it likely I would use my real names?
All I was doing was asking for an alternative payment method in sterling. Please read it again – it shouldn’t have been smeared! No where in my post is there any wording that discourages you or anyone else from donating. Admin have now provided an alternative method which I’ll use in the next week.
Done – a very small contribution toward one of the best news sources out there.
FFS, they’re asking for a quid a month for all this content and you’re whinging about the donation method??? Really? REALLY?
Are you for real? What people object to is funding the types of entity that Off-Guardian often rails against. In the U.K. the creator will receive only just over 79% of any donation taking into account the 20% vat that the U.K. Government (BTW no VAT is charged on newspapers) takes off the top as legislated by the EU, plus 5% that Patreon creams off.
By contrast ‘Gocardless.com’ (https://gocardless.com/pricing) charge 1% to set up a Direct Debit which means that potentially in this case Off-Guardian would receive up to 99% of any payment. At least one creator with an alternative YouTube news channel lost access to money deposited in his PayPal account by supporters; the last thing I want to see is money I have donated ending up in the pockets of the likes of those who appear on the Forbes Midas list.
We have had problems with PayPal as well.
GoCardless charges a huge monthly fee for anything but basic access.
I’m sorry I cannot see things from your perspective, particularly in relation to why you would need more than basic access. I can see from looking at GoCardless have some T&C’s that could in future perhaps be a problem https://gocardless.com/legal/restrictions/
Nevertheless I am not happy to become embroiled in Patreon’s data gathering systems which they lay out in detail on their website. Therefore OffGuardian please provide a means to fund you directly into a bank account or a P.O. Box number or address to post a physical cheque to you at.
Oh yeah – if I was an editor at OffG I’d absolutely give my address and bank account info to an anonymous commenter who turns up along with two other anonymous commenters to post almost identical comments, deter people from using patreon and make weirdly entitled demands for additional info on me and my colleagues.
Yes Really. What is wrong with alternatives?
Can you suggest any good alternatives?
The point is, that is the only available way to pay atm so regardless of your quibbles if you wish to support it, this is the method being asked for at present. Did you not pay VAT on the device you are reading OG on? Or have you got some sort of ethical quandary with Patreon? To repeat, it’s a quid a month, are you so sure of your spending power that you can be sure that every single penny you spend is going exactly where you want it to? Give me a break.
Send me your BACS details. How is that?
Yah, I have been asking for a method of making a donation before and got no response. There must be a simple acceptable way to make ad hoc donations surely?
You have literally never posted here before – unless you were using a different email, name and IP address
You need to check your records
and here is the email dated 8/11/17 that got no reply
Donations
Dear Ed,
my previous donation was via PayPal. You (not you personally) then announced that PayPal was a problem and set up Patreon. This system does not allow one off payments in support, but hey, does now allow Patreon payments via PayPal!
I support your initiatives and want to contribute such support by way of a one off fiscal donation.
How can I do this?
Butties
I’m afraid we have no record of this email. Our PayPal is functioning again, and we can receive funds through it. But we are obviously wary about possible future issues.
Ok I will forward it again. Maybe your emails are being phished! There does seem a degree of paranoia about this festive season as expressed by MLS above.
No need to send it again. You can use PayPal for a one-off donation, though I’d be wary of setting up anything longterm with them
Patreon add 20%vat to donations which is why I have stopped using them. Provide a method where you get most of my donation and I will donate.
Even at 20% we do still get ‘most’ of the donation!
There are limited alternatives out there for us. And 80% is a LOT better than nothing when you are struggling to keep this place running.
Willing to contribute, but I would prefer not to use Paypal, Patreon etc as a means to do so. I anticipate that monies lodged in the usual online accounts may eventually be subject to forfeiture. Please provide another means to support you all and preferably in sterling.
Give me an address & I’ll mail in some $$. Don’t use Patreon for a variety of reasons.
Greg Bacon
Willing to contribute but is it possible to arrange a donation method other than by $?
If possible, would prefer to make an annual donation by cheque but other method would be fine but in sterling please.
Thank you for all you do to reveal truth – it’s much appreciated.
Same to you folks.
Keep safe and equanimous.