Hey tinkerers,Time for an honest conversation about something that's been on my mind: how we fund TinkerAtlas and what that means for the future of this community.The Monthly Stress Nobody Talks AboutRunning a platform like TinkerAtlas comes with recurring costs that arrive like clockwork every month. Servers. Database. Cache. Email systems. Development tools. The bills don't care if it's been a slow month for donations or if I've been heads down building new features instead of writing funding appeals.Every month, I find myself watching the funding tracker and doing mental math. Will we hit the goal? Do I need to write another article asking for help? Can I afford to keep the development tools that make building this platform actually feasible?That uncertainty takes a toll. Not just financially, but in terms of where my energy goes. Time spent worrying about whether TinkerAtlas survives another month is time not spent making TinkerAtlas better.Why Recurring Support Changes EverythingHere's the thing about one-time donations: they're wonderful and genuinely appreciated, but they're unpredictable. A great month can be followed by a quiet one, and I have no way of knowing what's coming.Recurring support through Patreon or Ko-Fi memberships is different. When someone commits to a monthly contribution, it creates something I can actually plan around. Even small recurring amounts add up to predictability, and predictability means I can stop scrambling and start focusing on what matters.With stable recurring funding, I can spend my time building the features you've been asking for. I can work on growing the community, reaching out to manufacturers about review units, improving the platform, and actually moving TinkerAtlas forward instead of constantly fighting to keep it alive.What TinkerAtlas Actually CostsI try to be transparent about the finances, so here's the breakdown of what keeps TinkerAtlas running each month:The baseline costs cover servers, database, cache, and email. That's roughly $100 just to keep the lights on and the platform functional. Beyond that, there's another $200 for the development tools I need to actually build and improve TinkerAtlas. Without those tools, development slows to a crawl, bugs take longer to fix, and new features get pushed further into the future.That's $300 a month minimum to keep TinkerAtlas running and improving. Every month.The Reality of Building ThisI've been working on TinkerAtlas more than full time for about six months now. Early mornings, late nights, weekends. It's been all-consuming in the best way because I genuinely believe in what we're building here. A real home for makers that isn't controlled by algorithms deciding who sees what.Here's the part that's harder to talk about: I'm doing all of this without income from the site. My personal finances are limited, and when monthly support doesn't cover the costs, I've been covering the gap out of pocket. That's not sustainable anymore. There's simply no room in my budget to keep subsidizing the platform.I'm not looking for sympathy. I chose this path because I believe in it. But I also need to be honest about where things stand. The more stable our funding becomes, the more I can focus entirely on making TinkerAtlas the best it can be for this community.How You Can HelpIf you've been getting value from TinkerAtlas, here's how you can support the platform:Recurring Support (Most Impactful)Patreon and Ko-Fi memberships are the most helpful because they create the predictability that lets me plan and focus. Even a few dollars a month makes a real difference when it's consistent.Patreon: patreon.com/makervikingKo-Fi Monthly: ko-fi.com/tinkeratlasOne-Time SupportIf recurring isn't in the cards right now, one-time contributions through PayPal or Ko-Fi tips still help tremendously, especially when the monthly goal is close.Ko-Fi One-Time: ko-fi.com/tinkeratlas PayPal: paypal.me/makervikingNon-Financial SupportCan't contribute financially? That's completely okay. Share your projects, invite other makers, report bugs, spread the word. An active, growing community is valuable too.What's Coming NextDevelopment hasn't stopped while I've been thinking about sustainability. We've got new features in the works, improvements planned, and ideas that I'm excited to build. Check out the article I posted yesterday, about what I've worked on for the last month) The Printer Maintenance Tracker integration is moving forward. Daily challenges is almost done. The events calendar for Streams, Meetups, Video Premieres, and Events was launched last month, still a couple of fixes needed but it's . There's more on the roadmap that I can't wait to share.Every bit of recurring support means more time building those features and less time worrying about whether we'll be here next month.The Bottom LineTinkerAtlas exists because makers deserve a dedicated space that puts community first. Not algorithms, not monetized engagement, no