We want to remain independent
What do wikipedia, mozilla and WECHANGE have in common? We provide online services to everyone without any compensation. No advertising, no data sales, no subscriptions. Why do we do this? Because we want to give everyone free access to resources.
Why do we still ask for a user fee? Because a secure and stable infrastructure costs money. Few would expect a free haircut at the hairdresser. Some even give a tip. We often behave differently on the Internet because transactions are more anonymous. But there are people behind software too. At WECHANGE it is a small, decentralized team with an office in Berlin. Hey, it's us! Our goal is for our platform wechange.de to be supported by its users and to be able to develop independently of third-party funding. To make this more transparent for you, we break down our costs.
1. Existential costs: Without the amount, nothing can be done. This includes operating and hosting costs, personnel costs and administration. We are currently unable to cover this amount through your contributions. Here, wechange eG contributes money on a monthly basis, which in turn is missing elsewhere (for example in the form of salaries for new developers with whom we can make wechange.de more accessible more quickly). These costs currently amount to €5,220 net per month
2. Costs for the further development of the platform: A good platform needs not only care and maintenance, but also further development. We want to remove barriers, make wechange.de more user-friendly and work in a resource-efficient manner. For further development we need a net amount of €1,800 per month, which mainly comes from personnel costs.
3. Creation of reserves: Every organization should build up reserves in order to have a buffer in times of crisis or for larger investments. The larger this buffer, the more resilient the organization is. With a large buffer, we are able to act more freely and implement projects more quickly. We currently charge the usual €5 per share - but we are happy about every euro that can go into our protective layer. As a cooperative, we do not work for profit and wechange eG is 100% owned by its members, so personal enrichment is out of the question!
What is the current status?
Currently (November 16, 2023), only around 700 users pay a monthly fee, although 10,000 people are active on our platform every month. Our community comprises a total of 60,000 people. This means that just over 1% of total users and 7% of very active users are currently paying. These users contribute a monthly amount of around €4,000, which is really strong! At this point, we would like to thank everyone who has supported wechange.de for so long.
However, this amount does not even cover our living costs.
That's why we need more people to pay a monthly contribution. We are missing:
481 Users who 7 € pay or
1.123 Users who 3 € pay or
3.370 Users who 1 € pay.
Many hands make light work!
If you make a contribution now, we will be one step closer to our goal. Please make a monthly contribution for your use of wechange.de, if possible.
We believe in the support of our community - after all, we are all CHANGEMAKERS, right? So let's make a change!
Graphics: WECHANGE