“I Love What you do!” doesn’t pay the bills

I — Sentiments are nice but…

As usual, this started as a twitter thread… but here it is expanded and cleaned up a bit.

It’s nice to hear what I do is meaningful for folks. However, that doesn’t always translate to support, which means $ nine times out of ten. I get asked so many times why I’m not going/INDG isn’t present at to X,Y or F event. The answer? Money, plain and simple! Event attendance isn’t cheap. Unless I’m a guest or invited to speak? That’s anywhere from $50-$200+ for some events just to get in the door.

Most things happen on the West Coast. Which means extra days for me,which means extra cost. GDC, PAX West are some examples. If I’m not speaking st GDC? I can’t go as a pass is close to $2K; before travel costs. PAX badges aren’t super expensive but a week in Seattle (remember those extra days of travel) is expensive AF. International travel & events are a whole other level of unaffordable. Also, I need a business reason to attend & use funds from @INeedDivGms to go.

Simply put? I can’t go to conventions just to go. I can’t afford it out of my own pocket. I couldn’t when I had a regular day job either. GHC was an exception because I got a ride & hotel was relatively cheap. INDG barely makes it fiscally. We (meaning me) will have to cut back on a lot of things just due to expenses vs incoming $.

Hell, to be real? I wonder if INDG will still be around by the end of 2019. Mostly because the verbal and $$ support are far apart. I can only do so much with hope and few resources. So that’s part of the inspiration for this post on why saying I love what you do doesn’t pay the bills.

II — Let’s talk needs

To really function, not worry about $ and be able to hire a PT assistant? I should be bringing in about $3500 a month. Ideally on Patreon since other gigs are ad hoc. Why that much you might ask? Well my rent is $1,005 a month. So there’s almost a 1/3rd gone immediately. Utilities (excluding internet as it’s a biz expense) are another $300-$400 pending electric & cooking gas + mobile phone.

I gotta eat and groceries aren’t free. Another $350-$450 a month on groceries. Transit is pay as I go…but up to $100 a month. Doesn’t leave much does it? Oh yeah I’ve got a cat who likes to eat. Add another $100 or so a month. So you see how that all adds up quickly. Right now I’m under $2K a month that comes to me. Gross Patreon take is over $2K but those fees y’all.

It is what it is, but expenses mount and that’s before any kind of emergency, health care or dental. Now let’s discuss @INeedDivGms where we’re just over $1500 a month. Which goes quickly when you factor in related travel, business level internet costs and maintenance costs for online spaces we maintain.

Ideally I’d love to be at $5K so we could rent an office/co-work space, be able to give more funding to people who want to attend events, give money to our GDC Scholarship recipients, etc. Maybe, just maybe I’d like to have a local event we put on but that’s so much $$!! Or better sponsor existing events. Long & short it takes money to make money. But some folks think Non-Profits can run on hope, air & well wishes. They can’t.

A suggested bit of reading on this topic. “We Need to stop Treating NonProfits the Way Society Treats Poor People” If I had to shutter INDG tomorrow I know people would be like why?! Because money or lack thereof that’s why. (I’m not, just using it as an example). So ideally that’s the need I and INDG has. Putting it out there for good.

Support I Need Diverse Games on Patreon: patreon.com/ineeddivgms

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