We Did It! We Raised $90K! Now We’re Thinking Bigger!

When we launched our biggest ever fundraiser, we told you we wanted our community to do more than just survive; we wanted it to thrive. And then we watched in wonder as you raised $90,000 in less than week. Of course, because you’re you, it wasn’t enough to just help us hit our goal in six days. You commented, tweeted, DM’ed, and emailed us endless messages of love and support along with your generous contributions. Our spirits are soaring! We think you deserve to thrive and you think we deserve to thrive and why have we spent so much time not believing each other? Patriarchy, it’s a hell of a drug.

We hadn’t planned anything beyond our original goal, but your belief in us has taught us a new kind of hope. Today, we’re introducing a fundraising stretch goal of $25,000 intended to help bring our senior staff salaries to a more manageable place. Our senior editors have, as you know, been drastically underpaid for years. Many of us have to hustle on the side to make ends meet, and others of us rely on our partners to compensate for our salaries. But with your help, maybe we, too, can start doing more than just surviving! We’ll be rolling out some new perks along with some fun adventures in the coming days. For now: Thank you. We are truly overwhelmed with gratitude.

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Heather Hogan

Heather Hogan is an Autostraddle senior editor who lives in New York City with her wife, Stacy, and their cackle of rescued pets. She's a member of the Television Critics Association, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, and a Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer critic. You can also find her on Twitter and Instagram.

Heather has written 1718 articles for us.

57 Comments

  1. I seriously watched that triangle donation graph as intently as I watch the electoral college map on Election Day. This is dope. Way to do it for the culture everyone.

  4. Wowowowow! I’m so happy for everyone! This is amazing! I sooooooo wish I could afford to contribute to this fundraiser, but my finances drastically shifted recently and can only maintain A+ membership and no extra. But it warms my heart and makes me so happy to see y’all get what you deserve and be supported by this beautiful generous community! <3

  5. CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU AND US AND EVERYONE!!!! My dad emailed me this morning telling me he was sending me £500 to donate to the fundraiser on his behalf, and I cried at work. Can’t wait to watch you smash this new goal too.

  6. I was sending daily fundraiser updates to my group chat
    So proud of this community.

  8. Wow, 6 DAYS?! I figured this community would come through but I had no idea it would happen so quickly.

    I’m so happy this is already such a success. Onward to great things!

  9. YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES!!!!!!!!!!

    We can have abundance when we shaaaaaarrreeeee!

    YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES!!!!!!!!!!

    (upper class queer over here so so happy other people with access to money are moving it to people and an organization with the power to make incredible community and art and what we really need happen)

  12. Also also also I loooooveeee that the headline has been “We need help!!!” After years of “you need help” advice columns that have made my life so incredible <3. We all need help and we can help each other!

  13. I already spent all of my July paycheck because I don’t understand how money works (ok I do, its just that I bought two gently used couches from a friend who is going to Yale Law in the fall so I am $300 short) so I can’t donate this time around, but I am an A+ member and I love ya’ll!

  14. so overjoyed to see this – y’all give us so much and i’m glad our community can take care of you too 🖤xoxo

  15. Upping my membership level again! In grad school but this community makes me so happy, I’m so glad to contribute in any way I can. Autostraddle makes me feel like I have a home on the internet/wherever I go.

  17. Yay!

    I really wish I was a billionaire because I would be so good at giving all my money away.

  18. Ahh congrats, every penny is well-deserved! So proud of my AS community for stepping up as much as we can.

  19. As a broke college student I could only afford to give 3 bucks after rent, but ya’ll I did . my best :)

  20. YOU DESERVE THIS!!!!!
    So happy I could do my (albeit tiny) part and we could pull through for y’all <3

  22. I’m (im)patiently waiting for my first substantial pay check in a year and when it happens I’m celebrating with a new backpack and a donation to Autostraddle!

  23. Im so fucking happy that staff raises is the next category in the fundraiser. fuck yeah! you all seriously deserve it! con-fucking-grats!

  24. queers supporting queers warms my heart :’)

    Thanks AS staff for doing god’s work for not nearly enough pay!

  25. Congrats to all, you deserve it! I hope the aftermath of this is everything you dream of.

  26. I just saw the email from Vanessa and burst into tears at work. This is heartening at a time when heartening…ness (hmm) is very needed.

  28. It’s going to take a bit longer for me to contribute because it’s credit card only ! I have a prepaid card and I funnel the money only as needed, long story. But I’ll get there ! Maybe for the Stretch-Stretch !!

    Love you all

    • yall are truly amazing. thanks for doing what you doing and making what you’ve made. sending moneys now to keep the internet queer

  29. I just convinced my mother that she should donate to autostraddle as a present for me finishing my PhD! Super excited to see how much we are raising!

  30. Changed my membership to from silver to gold. Bit of a pinch (grad student), but the senior editors deserve to thrive, not just survive.

  32. Waking up to see the stretch goal at 99% is torturous so I donated $18 more to help y’all get paid and to make Riese’s heart play more Debbie Friedman

    • 99%!! Donated again, want to see you go way way beyond that stretch goal. AS is so important and you should be thriving. Don’t wait so long to ask us all again!

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