As happens with most fundraisers at AVFM, it also comes with some legitimate questions about transparency of finances. In order to issue an official statement on this I thought the bulletin section would be a good place to do it.
The question has been posed in some forums, and I paraphrase a few people here, “Why should I donate if I don’t know exactly how the money is spent?”
My answer to that is that I respect whatever decision you want to make.
AVFM is not a charitable institution and the financial records are not a matter of public record, nor will they be.
I am happy to disclose that our expenses are significant. From dedicated servers to legal expenses to image rights to extensive licensing for web technologies, subscriptions to internet media platforms, travel and expenses for activism, and other numerous expenses, the coffers are always at or near empty with the start of each fundraiser.
Does this include paying me? In a word, yes. Donations are used to meet my personal living expenses (with the help of a supportive partner), especially as I have not yet figured out a way to do this 14-16 hours a day and also hold a full time job. That arrangement has yet to earn me minimum wage for my efforts, but of course my personal financial gain has never been the objective here. If it was, I would not be an MHRA.
I could still open books, if I wanted to generate countless more comments, nit picking, demands, crits etc. from the peanut gallery and from trolls. No thank you. Honestly, I get enough of that every time I make a decision or even when I utter a phrase off the cuff – whenever I do or don’t do something the way someone else would.
Everyone has the work of AVFM right out there in front of them to see 24/7, and they can base their decision to donate on whether they think our efforts are worth it. It is clear enough to me at this point that this arrangement is acceptable to AVFM supporters.
I appreciate all donors, and I begrudge no one for not donating. And that is the official word, for those interested. Please feel free to link to this post. Thank you.
