Member Avatar for Dani

I am trying to encourage members to donate by purchasing a member sponsorship for $5/month. It entitles the member to a bunch of nifty features IMO such as access to a behind the scenes forum and a sponsor badge.

It seems that the tried and true method to get donations is to offer an advertising-free site to them. Is that really the ONLY way to go?

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Dani AI

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opened this thread asking whether offering an ad-free experience is the only way to turn goodwill into paid sponsorship. Replies from and rightly flag client-side ad blocking, while and point out members will pay only when they get something they can’t easily find elsewhere. and also highlight genuine affordability limits. The central gap in the thread is practical, non-UI ideas you can build and measure quickly.

Instead of relying mainly on visuals that adblockers can hide, focus on deliverables and services: scheduled mentoring or code-review slots, downloadable starter kits or curated tool bundles, a simple paid listings board for freelance gigs/projects, live workshops or recorded mini-courses, and micro-tipping/one-off support credits. Those are tangible, hard-to-replicate perks that justify recurring or one-off payments and appeal to members even when budgets are tight.

Practical launch tips: pick two defensible benefits (one low-cost entry-level option and one higher-value offer), integrate a payment provider (Stripe, PayPal, or Patreon) so you don’t touch raw card data, and gate access server-side so adblock cannot bypass it. Offer a trial or one-off purchase to reduce friction, show exactly how funds are used, and publish simple social proof (number of supporters, short testimonials). Track conversions and churn, A/B test landing copy and price points, and be explicit about refunds/cancellations.

A simple three-step rollout: 1) implement one concrete benefit and a low-entry support tier; 2) set up payments and server-side access control; 3) announce with outcomes-focused messaging that highlights what supporters get, not just that they’re supporting the site. That approach addresses the adblock and affordability concerns raised here while creating a measurable path to recurring revenue.

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Member Avatar for roryt

You can see on a different thread, that i think you posted in that many of us look at an advertisement free internet thanks to adblock with ff. Knowing this community they are all very clever so I don't think they will fall for that one. Maybe something like an advertisement of their own website on the forum. Just an idea. Or maybe access to a special chat service...

Member Avatar for BamaStangGuy

It does help to pitch the sponsorship part to them if they get to browse the site ad-free. I offer this to my members.

Member Avatar for RickDev

The big thing is to offer something that members would not find for free on another site. I recently removed all but a small ad area on the front page of my forum for all members. Traffic not being that big the site was not winning any awards on money generation :)

I have seen the sponsor badge on some sites as well as the ability to change their forum title. If you are generating some cash from ads, or have a lot of ads, then you can try the non-ad route that comes with a paid membership. Maybe even throw in an email address if your hosting company provide you will free email accounts for your domain.

Member Avatar for jbennet

ive been meaning to become a sponsor but have no money :(
sorry guys i have been trying to get a job...

Member Avatar for roryt

I would become a sponsor too but I will be honest now:

I don't have money to through away so it is hard for me to justify spending money on something that gets me very little extra than I am now. However, I do understand it is hard to think of these things and I know that this site is definately a worthy cause so maybe in a few years time when I might have a bit more cash.

Member Avatar for aniseed

I don't know if this is related but there's an add-on for FF which allows customizing the site look-n-feel. It can be easily used to create a custom browsing profile and block ads from a site.

Member Avatar for roryt

You can see on a different thread, that i think you posted in that many of us look at an advertisement free internet thanks to adblock with ff.

I don't know if this is related but there's an add-on for FF which allows customizing the site look-n-feel. It can be easily used to create a custom browsing profile and block ads from a site.

I already mentioned that so please read the full thread before posting. But yes it is a very useful tool and is actually one of the reasons i wouldn't become a sponsor if it was just ad free.

Member Avatar for aniseed

I already mentioned that so please read the full thread before posting. But yes it is a very useful tool and is actually one of the reasons i wouldn't become a sponsor if it was just ad free.

I read your full post and I mentioned that one because you could change the whole look and feel of a site; not just removing the ads. It's much more handy and fun to play with. Some of the forums do need better colors. :D

Member Avatar for >shadow<

The advertisements dont really bother me. I would become a sponsor but like most have said. we are all broke because we are too busy buying gadgets :)

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