Our Independence 2026 Drive has slowed a bit, but readers like Charlie are still going out of their way to keep distro reviews, app coverage, and independent FOSS reporting alive here at FOSS Force.
It’s been a little over two weeks since we started our FOSS Force Independence 2026 Drive. When we started, we really didn’t know what to expect since we’d only done one other fundraiser, and that was something like a decade ago. We had no idea how long it would take to reach the drive’s overall goal, so we started with a one-month target and decided to see how that goes.
We knew going in that we needed to raise $12,000 — enough to pay our writers for a year to continue writing about the same amount as they’re writing now. We’d like to give them more work, and to pay them more than we’re paying them now, but that can come later…
Right now, the goal is to raise and put 12 grand in the bank so we will have time to finish putting together our sponsorship program to sustain the site and make it grow.
What Does $12 Thousand Mean?
$12K means that between now and next March, Larry Cafiero can continue to take his popular in-depth looks at Linux distros each week, Jack Wallen can keep on telling us about open source Linux apps he tries on for size, and Marco Fioretti can keep checking in with a European perspective on free tech. Me? For the time being, I’ll keep on writing for free. We can worry about getting me paid later.
When we first started the drive, it was going pretty good. It was obvious from the start that we weren’t likely to raise our entire $12,000 goal in the month we allotted, but we did raise our first $1,300 or so in 10 days, which meant we’d hit somewhere around 11% of our total goal reasonably quickly. Not bad. That still gives me confidence that we’re going to do this.
When we hit that number about the middle of last week, I posted about it on Bluesky, Mastodon, LinkedIn, Facebook, and (don’t judge me) X. I told you that we’re doing great, and put out our second little mini goal to reach $2,000 by Monday, or in about four days. It didn’t happen. In actuality, we’ve raised about $100 since then — $50 on our GoFundMe campaign, and $50 through snail mail.
Meet Charlie, Our Dedicated Funder
The person who mailed in a donation — first name Charlie — showed great dedication. He attempted to make a donation through GoFundMe, but he’s visually impaired and had trouble getting through GoFundMe’s captcha. For most people, I figure, that would’ve been the end of it. He tried, GoFundMe threw up an accessibility issue, so screw it. Not Charlie. Instead, he went to the “Contact Us” link on FOSS Force, and sent a message telling us of his problem and wondering if there was another way he could get a contribution to us.
I supplied him with some alternative donation methods, which included sending us a check if he lived in the US, or paying by credit card via PayPal if not. A day or so later, he sent an email to let us know the check was in the mail. I answered that email with a thank you, adding, “To me, it’s very special that you went to the extra effort to get a donation to us. I appreciate that, and I appreciate you.”
His check — actually a bank money order — arrived in the mail on Monday.
His dedication and his perseverance inspired me. It also convinced me to not let the last few days with relatively few donations get me down. There are other Charlies out there who also appreciate the type of journalism we practice here at FOSS Force. Maybe you’re one of them.
How Much Should I Give?
I’ve just set a new mini goal, which is exactly the same as the last mini goal, we’re just moving the timeline forward. The first $1,000 that you already helped us raise is paying our writers for February. The next $1,000 will pay them through the end of March, putting us a month ahead instead of continuing to scramble. So, our new mini goal is to get the total amount donated towards our $12,000 goal up to over $2,000 by the end of the day on next Monday, March 9.
Wanna help? Give what you can, whether it’s $10, $25, $100 or more. Every $5 donation takes us closer to our goal.
Remember, when you go to make your donation you will be given the option to make a one-time donation, which will be greatly appreciated, or you can make your donation monthly, to help us stay funded in the future. Either way, I thank you.
Also, I would appreciate it if you post this article to your social networks, to let others know about FOSS Force and our fundraising drive.
I thank you.
Christine Hall has been a journalist since 1971. In 2001, she began writing a weekly consumer computer column and started covering Linux and FOSS in 2002 after making the switch to GNU/Linux. Follow her on Twitter: @BrideOfLinux
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