Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: Why Everyone Should Share Their Wish Lists

How we all can benefit from Honesty, paid labor, and connection through contribution on the internet

Venmo, PayPal, patreon, wishlists— there are so many ways for us to encourage our followers to support our work financially without subscriptions, fees, or daunting memberships.

We, as children of the internet, have been convinced of certain rules about money— how money changes hands through the “social” industry that is The Internet. Rules like:

1. Porn and ads make money.

2. Information is now free. People aren’t willing to pay as much for words.

3. Clicks and shares are a form of payment, in that they measure success of content. There is no other viable way to measure engagement.

There’s more. We may not notice it, but the rules of the internet also blend with classist rules of etiquette. They blend together towards the goal of increasing the wealth of a certain few, by closing doors on everyone else.

Here’s just one example.

Growing up, I was taught that it’s not polite, acceptable, or noble to ask for things. If you ask for help, you are weak, a “charity-case,” and people won’t respect you.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who was taught to think this way.

But we, as children of the internet, have slowly started disobeying those rules. We may not fully recognize it yet, but we are changing things.

How?

By being honest.

Lately, I’ve noticed, especially among activists, that people are linking to “wish lists” on their social media platforms and on their websites— wish lists that are filled with materials they need to do their work. They invite and sometimes demand that their followers contribute to their work by either paying them through Venmo, Paypal, or patreon or by purchasing materials from their wish list.

WE SHOULD ALL BE DOING THIS. We should all be paying those we follow whose work we love. We should all be encouraging our own followers to pay us. We should all be putting our money where our mouths are.

Some of you might be scared by this. It’s challenging to know how to be honest with your needs, especially with people you don’t really know. Also, times are tough. I know I can’t afford to be paying subscription fees for everyone I follow.

So I’ve started paying what I can. $2 here. $5 there. I got scared, when I first did this. I thought, “They’re going to think I don’t respect them enough to pay more.” or “They’re going to think I’m cheap.” or “They’re going to demand more.”

But I was wrong. On all parts.

Every little bit helps. $2 may sound like “nothing.” But it isn’t. $2 is an extra large gas station coffee. $2 is a bag of chips. $2 can go further to help someone through the day than you might think.

Not to mention that it adds up. As we all show up, the people whose resources we use, whose words we digest and share, whose ideas help us grow— those people can continue their work, can feel the love of their followers, and can sleep better at night. It matters. #NoFreeLabor.

I want to take a second to explore this phrase, this idea: No Free Labor. This hashtag has been all over social media, predominantly in discussions of the exploitation of Black and Latinx folks— exploitation in the typical work place AND in areas of educating White people on racism.

Let’s take an example, just so you fully see what I mean.

Hypothetical (but also happens every day): A White person messages a Black activist on Instagram and asks a question like, “Do you know of any books I can read about anti-racism?” The Black activist shares the resources they have. The White person walks away with useful knowledge. The Black activist just did free labor for that White person. If the White person then paid the activist, which is what should happen, then the activist is being appreciated, acknowledged, and properly thanked for their work. It’s quite simple, yet the exploitation continues.

Another example, this time regarding #NoFreeLabor within academia and “working your way up.”

Hypothetical (but again happens every day): A recent graduate from university is offered an unpaid position at a company where they will be expected to work just as much as those who are paid, if not more. In exchange for the work, they are offered “exposure” or “connections.” This is a form of exploitation that many of us, especially young people, know well. We have rents to pay, groceries to buy, and people to take care of (including ourselves) and yet we are told to be grateful for unpaid labor that allows us to “work our way up.”

I’d also like to speak on this from personal experience. I am White, therefore my privilege has protected me from racial exploitation. Also, because I am White, I am protected from certain elements of classist exploitation. But I am a writer, and within the writing industry, there is a prolific expectation of free labor.

When giving advice to new writers (especially those of us who are unpublished), I see all too often the words: Write free articles for a website or blog to get your work and name “out there.”

Writers are told from Day 1 that they are expected to do a lot of writing for free, and that’s just the way it is. But it doesn’t have to be.

This may be what is expected of writers, but it doesn’t make it right. I don’t think we should be encouraging writers— or anyone— to do something for free to gain experience, name recognition, knowledge, connections, etc. If our work is good enough to be posted on a website or published in a book, then we should be paid for it.

The origins of #NoFreeLabor are grounded in racial and classist politics. The lessons learned from those conversations can branch out further into other topics. Like how we treat resources on the internet.

We have grown to expect free things online. We demand answers to questions, resources to learn from, facts and figures. But then we don’t pay those thinkers, those do-ers, those great minds who provide them. We just take. And we’ve been taught that’s okay by internet culture.

But it isn’t okay, and we should encourage each other not just to contribute more (in whatever small ways we can), but we should also encourage each other to be honest about our needs. If we hide what we need, then no one will give it to us. If we are open about it, point people in the right direction, then we stand a better chance of being shown support that actually sustains us.

I think we should all post Venmo/Paypal/Patreon accounts and wish lists on our platforms. Even if you don’t want to demand it from people, even if you don’t want to seem like you are “begging” (again, classist BS), you should at least post some method for people to support your work.

Why?

Because it gives people the opportunity to take action, to get involved with your work, to feel like they are connected to you and your voice. It invests people in you, in ways that clicks and views and shares might not.

If you are contributing to the collective knowledge on the internet— by writing, by producing, by speaking, by educating, by creating, by sharing personal experiences— this is labor. We all deserve payment for our labors. It may not be much. It may not happen right away. But if people are following you, if people are engaging with your words and ideas, if people are in love with what you do and who you are, then let them pay you— somehow.

How can you let people pay you? There are all sorts of creative ways, if you aren’t comfortable with Venmo/Paypal/Patreon…

1. Wish lists: Like I said earlier, wish lists are a great way to have your supporters directly provide whatever resources you need to work. If you are a writer, link to a Thriftbooks or B&N wish list (I know you have one.) If you are a painter, link to a wish list that contains supplies you need or want to work with. If you are an activist and you have a specific project you are working on, link to a wish list that contains resources you need for your project.

2. Affiliate Commissions: If you have products or companies that you absolutely love and want to support, see if there is a way for you to get an affiliate commission. This is basically a system where you promote something you love, and when that something sells, you receive a percentage of the profit. The logic here is that if people are going to buy things anyway, then you aren’t asking them for anything special, and yet you receive money from it. The one example I have seen of this lately is The Stacks podcast, but they also utilize other systems of support too.

3. Ko-Fi: This program is a way to gently ask for support on your website “for the price of a coffee.” This method helps some people feel better about asking for support, because the requested amount is smaller and less daunting for people to accept.

There are other ways to get paid for your work, I am sure. If you know more, definitely shoot me an email and share, if you want!

What’s the goal here? Like ultimately what good does it do for us to start moving in this direction?

If the internet evolves towards this ideal, then maybe some of the noise, some of the exploitation, some of the greed and shady deals made between tech companies and the rest of the world, some of that bullshit could be pushed out. If we put our money where our mouths are, then the right voices can shine through.

Below, I’ve linked to several activists, thinkers, and writers that have shown me this theory in practice. If you like their work, their ideas, their perspective, check out how they ask you to support them. Try it. Even if it’s just once. I bet you’ll enjoy it.

Rachel Cargle: Writer/Lecturer. Building an intellectual legacy through research, essays, public teaching, & critical discourse. Columbia University, Harpers Bazaar.

Ericka Hart, M.Ed.: Sex educator, Racial/Social/Gender Justice Disruptor, Writer, Breast Cancer Survivor, Model, podcast: Hoodrat to Headwrap.

Swankk e. Smalls: [she, her]: artist. advocate. abolitionist. producer + creative director.

thediversereader: Exploring People Of Color literature.

Decolonize: [he/him], twitter: @DEC0L0NIZE #sobersincebirth #savvytraveler educator + @parkourcoachkevin, founder of the @veganhiphopmovement

alifeofqueer (in their website, they have an option to “buy me a coffee” if you like their work): Recommending LGBTQ books all the damn time.

rachelsvaughn: applying my only filter to these shitty photos of books. you’re welcome.

freshlookonbooks (example of affiliate commission): 27 year old wife,teacher,learner,coffee drinker,dog lover. When I was 11 I prayed for a Hogwarts letter and named my fictional pet owl (Ravnel).

nowhitesaviors: We never said “no white people”. We just know you shouldn’t be the hero of the story. If you’re not uncomfortable, you’re not listening.

iamrachelricketts: (she/her), racial justice activist, healer, writer + speaker, intersectional spirituality for facing the tough sh*t, Support to end racist patriarchy.

There are many, many more, I am sure. This was just a list of people I follow on Instagram that I saw doing this.

What to do now? What’s the “action item"?

Keep the cycle going! Share with others and make sure you post a wish list/payment method on your website. But also make sure you start paying people yourself.

And then— the next step? Take it beyond the internet. If you are in a position of power at a company or university, don’t ask people to do free labor. Ask your friends or colleagues about the work they do for free, and see if there is something they do that you would like to support. Change the norm. Respect people’s time and pay them. PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS.

And, yeah, just in case you are wondering, I’ve posted my own wish list on this website. If you want to support me, check out how right here.