Success, Infrastructure, and Support

For a short period today this site was down, the account suspended by our hosts at A Small Orange. The suspension wasn’t because I had done anything wrong, or because ASO (or anyone else) had nefarious intentions, but because The Wild Hunt is just getting too large to operate comfortably on the shared server hosting model most smaller sites run on. The ever-growing stream of traffic triggered an automatic shut-down so that we wouldn’t also bring several other sites down. I was lucky, because someone inside A Small Orange (Jen, who used to run Drak.net) called me personally, helped get the site back up, and suggested options to help keep it up.

Unfortunately, those options aren’t cheap. The Wild Hunt is now at a point where dedicated server space is needed to avoid future shut-downs. That means a very substantial chunk of change had to leave my reserves today, about triple what I normally pay per year to host this site. That cost may inflate if the account level I’m moving to isn’t sufficient. I have no qualms about doing this, I think what I do here is important, and from the conversations I have with individuals at festivals and conventions, so do many of you. However, it does raise questions about support and sustainability, and I’d like to briefly discuss them with you.

The Wild Hunt isn’t the first web site to run into these issues, several years ago The Witches’ Voice ran into very similar problems and luckily found the community ready to step up, producing waves of sponsors that keep things running to this day. What my experience today taught me is that The Wild Hunt is at the cusp of a wave of Pagan media that will soon get large enough to need support beyond what their personal incomes can provide. It is part of the reason why I started a yearly pledge drive, to build an infrastructure of support that can grow into a model other sites and services can someday emulate. Though this process is just beginning, I’m encouraged that so many of you are willing to fiscally support Pagan media services, and I’m given great hope that we can collectively build a new media foundation that endures.

The money donated to The Wild Hunt not only pays for this site, it also helps defray costs when I travel to events like PantheaCon (which will be generating several stories for this site), and makes my life dedicated to Pagan journalism somewhat sustainable. However, as costs rise, so will support if I’m going to keep The Wild Hunt open, ad-free, and independent. So If you missed out on donating during the Winter Pledge Drive, or would like to chip in towards my new hosting bill, now’s the time.

You can either make a one-time donation:


Or commit to making a small monthly donation:

 

Monthly Donation
Option 1 : $5.00USD – monthly Option 2 : $10.00USD – monthly Option 3 : $15.00USD – monthly Option 4 : $20.00USD – monthly

In addition, if you are a part of a Pagan organization, and would like to become an underwriter of this site, joining groups like CUUPs, Solar Cross, The Brotherhood of the Phoenix, and others, please contact me for details.

As much as the events of this day have been surprising, the silver lining to it is that it was caused by a Pagan news site experiencing ongoing growth and success. That in of itself points to a bright future. I hope you’ll join me in helping to build one that’s sustainable.

Final Winter Pledge Drive Update

Today’s the last day of the Wild Hunt’s second annual Winter Pledge Drive. I’d like to again give my deepest thanks and gratitude to all of my readers for showing that they value Pagan journalism and are willing to support a non-commercial donation-centered model. One thing I’ve learned from this drive is that the Wild Hunt community is becoming an increasingly global one, with donations coming in not only from across the United States, but from Canada, England, Scotland, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, and several other locales. As we move into the future, my hope is to partner The Wild Hunt with other initiatives like the Pagan Newswire Collective and bring an increasingly global perspective, encouraging the flowering of Pagan journalism in any country, state, or city in which we live and gather.

I’d also like to take a moment and give special thanks to the three new Pagan organizations that have chosen to provide underwriting support of The Wild Hunt this year. They are BBI Media, publishers of Sage Woman and Witches & Pagans, Mill Creek Seminary, a resource for professional Pagan religious information, training, services, and counseling, and The Brotherhood of the Phoenix, a neo-pagan order for Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender men who love men. Their listings will be appearing soon on our Affiliates page, along with our other supporting organizations.

As I’ve said before, The Wild Hunt isn’t just some guy and his blog, it’s a community of people. A community of support, debate, and information-gathering that is nurturing a long-term investment in the future of Pagan news. My goal is to not only make Pagan journalism my full-time job, but to eventually make it possible for other people to follow in my footsteps. All of you have helped to make that future possible.

Monthly Donation
Option 1 : $5.00USD – monthly
Option 2 : $10.00USD – monthly
Option 3 : $15.00USD – monthly
Option 4 : $20.00USD – monthly


There will be future pledge drives, and this blog will try to develop over time a robust non-commercial funding method that can be adopted and emulated by other Pagan media outlets. Thanks to you, the The Wild Hunt will always remain open, reader-supported, and non-commercial. Thank you.

It’s still not too late to donate! If you’ve been meaning to participate in the Winter Pledge Drive now’s your chance! You can either make a one-time donation, or you can commit to a monthly subscription fee. In addition, you’ll be able to access donation-information year-round at this site.


Thank you again for supporting The Wild Hunt!

Winter Pledge Drive Reminder

Once again, thank you to everyone who has donated so far in our Winter Pledge Drive. Your support is essential in keeping this site open, ad-free, and updated daily. As we head into the drive’s final days, I’d like to post a reminder for those who haven’t given yet, and share some quotes from Wild Hunt supporters.


“We have developed ourselves in nearly every aspect of media, and I for one love and appreciate this facet of living the Pagan life. But by far my favorite is The Wild Hunt. I have said it many times and will continue to say it: It is the pinnacle of professional Pagan journalism. It is the CNN of Paganism. Jason provides an invaluable resource to our community, and as a community we have an obligation to support and sustain these resources if we have any hopes for the future of Paganism.

Last year I donated to The Wild Hunt Pledge Drive, and challenged my readers to do the same. This year I have upped the ante and and my organization has the honor of becoming and affiliate underwriter for The Wild Hunt. Again I challenge you to do the same, make a donation, support a valuable member of our community, support the the invaluable service he provides to us all.”Joseph Merlin Nichter, chaplain, founder of the Mill Creek Tradition and Seminary.

Monthly Donation
Option 1 : $5.00USD – monthly
Option 2 : $10.00USD – monthly
Option 3 : $15.00USD – monthly
Option 4 : $20.00USD – monthly


“The reason there is so little exemplary new media journalism that reaches the bar set by The Wild Hunt is that few can afford to put as much work into it on a daily basis like Jason does and yet earn so little for their efforts. This is our opportunity to show that we want quality reporting and we’re willing to pay for it – I hope many take it! There is so little good reporting to be found anywhere these days, I am so grateful for The Wild Hunt and I am willing to put my money where my mouth is. This is real and powerful work that Jason is doing, he deserve to earn a living doing it and if we all do our little part to support his work it is very possible. What we invest in we manifest. Awesome work, Jason. I’ve just become a monthly donor.”J. Hannah

If you’re a regular reader of The Wild Hunt, if you find yourself forwarding the stories, or sharing them on the various social networking sites, please consider donating this year. Even if it’s only a few dollars, a little bit from a lot of people truly does make a big, big difference. My life is dedicated to reporting on our interconnected communities, and I can only keep doing that with your support. If you’ve given already, thank you! Please help spread the word by writing about the drive on your blog, journal, Twitter, or Facebook account.

Winter Pledge Drive Update

“The Wild Hunt is a vital service to the Pagan community and is supported entirely by reader donations. If you value The Wild Hunt and having access to a daily Pagan news update, then please consider making a donation. I make a monthly pledge because I feel The Wild Hunt is an important part of modern Paganism. I hope you feel the same!”Star Foster, Pagan Portal Manager, Patheos.com

To everyone who has given so far during my second annual Winter Pledge Drive, I want to thank you for your generosity and for sharing my vision of a Pagan new-media model that can eventually grow to support not just The Wild Hunt, but a variety of media and journalism projects originating from within the modern Pagan movement. To all my wonderful readers who haven’t had the opportunity or time to donate to this effort yet, please consider taking a few minutes before this week is done to become part of a growing community of support for quality Pagan news and commentary. Ask yourself, if The Wild Hunt was a magazine or newspaper, what would I pay to have access to it year-round?

“Is the Wild Hunt important? YES. And so is our responsibility to support the Pagan Press.”Peter Dybing, National First Officer, Covenant of the Goddess

I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank everyone on Twitter and Facebook who have helped spread the word about the pledge drive, and shared why they think The Wild Hunt is worth supporting.

Your voice is being heard! The drive lasts until Sunday, so please keeping spreading the word! Again, thank you to all the individuals who have given so far. No matter what the size of your donation, know that it is appreciated. I’d also like to recognize and thank all the groups, like Silver Cauldron Coven in Maine, who have pooled money together and chipped in to this effort. Finally, I’d like to mention our amazing underwriters, Pagan organizations that have dedicated themselves to nurturing Pagan journalism. Thanks to all of you.

So please support The Wild Hunt this week, and keep our site full-access, non-commercial, and updated daily. Donate once, in any amount, or, if you prefer, commit to a small monthly subscription to keep us going throughout the year.

Monthly Donation
Option 1 : $5.00USD – monthly
Option 2 : $10.00USD – monthly
Option 3 : $15.00USD – monthly
Option 4 : $20.00USD – monthly