🪙 The Toonie Club

Graphic introducing Toonie Club featuring a Canadian two-dollar coin with colorful Indigenous art in the center, showing red and orange floral patterns and a traditional inukshuk figure on a green background. The coin is shown against a blurred forest background with white text reading 'Introducing... Toonie Club!' on the right side.
Toonie artwork by English River First Nation artist Megan Currie, Inuvialuk artist Myrna Pokiak, and Métis artist Jennine Krauchi | Source | Background Source

A new approach to creative support: one simple tier, full access for everyone. Inspired by Manuel Moreale's "One a Month" Club, the Toonie Club offers sustainable patronage without complex tiers or exclusive content.

What It Is

The Toonie Club is my answer to the complicated, expensive membership models that dominate creator platforms. Instead of multiple tiers with confusing benefits, there's just one:

  • $2 CAD per month (or pay whatever you want)
  • Full access to everything I create
  • Same benefits across all platforms

No expensive gated content or exclusive perks, and no FOMO. Just simple, sustainable support.

Why "Toonie"?

What is a toonie, anyways? The name comes from the Canadian two-dollar coin—a small, everyday amount that adds up to meaningful support. It's better to give a little to many than a lot to a few.

The Toonie Club follows the principle of traditional gift economies, where communities supported their storytellers, knowledge keepers, and makers. Everyone contributed what they could, and the work benefited everyone.

Member Benefits

1. Recognition and Attribution

  • Your name and link of choice on my site's sidebar
  • Recognition on my GitHub profile README
  • Credit at the end of all my Medium posts
  • Your name in acknowledgements of any future books I publish

2. Monthly Newsletter: The Fireweed Letters

  • Personal updates and behind-the-scenes content
  • Writing prompts and creative challenges
  • Curated links on IndieWeb, writing craft, self-hosting, a11y
  • Indigenous issues, cultural critique, and interesting discoveries

3. Monthly Office Hours

  • Optional 20-minute video call each month
  • Consultation, advice, or open Q&A
  • Whatever I can do to help you!

4. Community Access

  • Exclusive role in my Discord server
  • Access to member-only channels
  • Direct connection with other supporters

5. Digital Archive Access

  • Full access to my 200+ Medium posts
  • Ten years of writing and thinking
  • Complete digital archive

One-Time Donation Perks

If you prefer to support with a one-time donation:

  • $5 CAD: Personal thank-you note via email + good karma!
  • $25 CAD: One-time 45-minute one-on-one video consultation
  • $100 CAD: Lifetime Toonie Club membership (no monthly charge, ever)

Note: The best way for one-time support is through 🛒 Gumroad!

Support Platform Choices

Platform Monthly One-Time Fees Payout Speed Recommendation
Ko-fi ✓ ✓ 0-5% Instant Primary
GitHub Sponsors ✓ ✓ 0% Monthly Developer Focus
Patreon ✓ ✓ 8-12% Monthly Secondary
BMAC ✓ ✓ 5% Instant Secondary
PayPal.me ✗ ✓ 2.9%+$0.30 Instant Direct donations
Crypto ✗ ✓ Variable Manual Tech audience
Gumroad ✗ ✓ 10% Weekly Book sales

Join the Club

Monthly Support

🪙 Join via Ko-fi (Recommended) - Best fees, instant setup

⭐ Join via GitHub Sponsors - Perfect for developers

🎭 Join via Patreon - Traditional platform

One-Time Support

🛒 Buy via Gumroad - Books, products, and donations

☕ Buy Me a Coffee - Quick one-time support

💸 PayPal - Direct donations

What I Won't Offer

To maintain sustainability and keep things simple, I don't provide:

  • Custom work or freelance services
  • Additional bonus/exclusive content beyond the newsletter
  • Complex tier systems or gated content

WYSIWYG, whether you're paying $2 CAD per month or $200 per month.

Important Context

I'm currently in an incredibly privileged position through the Medium Partner Program and don't require financial assistance. I'll continue offering my writing and coding for free indefinitely.

This is an experiment in sustainable creative economics. I'm sharing this journey to inspire other fledgling artists and emerging creators who might want to use this framework for themselves.

More Important Causes

Before supporting me, please consider donating to causes that need it more. I maintain a list of important organizations and causes that deserve your charity first.

The Philosophy

The Toonie Club is based on a simple idea: we're better off when we support each other in small, sustainable ways.

Instead of relying on venture-backed platforms that enshittify over time, we can build direct relationships between creators and supporters. It's not about charity—it's about participating in an economy of care and connection.

When you join the Toonie Club, you're not just supporting my work. You're investing in a model where:

  • Creators can focus on their craft without chasing algorithms
  • Support is predictable and sustainable
  • Everyone gets access to the work regardless of their ability to pay
  • We build alternatives to surveillance capitalism

Ready to join? Start your $2 CAD membership and become part of the community supporting independent creation.

*Questions? Email me or contact me.

↑ TOP