I'm due to make a post about the instances finances soon. I'll get one posted in the next bit.
I'm still covering costs out of pocket but my goal has been to have this instance fully funded by its members. I want this instance to stay true to its members, the fediverse and be put in a position where it can continue to thrive transparently without me. The admin team has been doing an outstanding job keeping this instance safe and moderated for everyone. I don't thank them enough but they are the true heroes of this instance.
As some may know, I've been working with a local non profit for the past 6 months to have them leveraged in accepting accepting donations for this instance. They have been slow to get things done but its progressing. I may end up doing what I was trying to avoid and create my own non-profit instead if that's what it takes. That direction does have its own challenges and would add additional responsibilities to my plate.
In the meanwhile, while some of the costs of the services have gone up slightly, I get joy knowing that I can continue providing this instance to all of you. I'm OK paying the costs to keeping the lights on until we can transition to donations.
I'm not on your instance and I don't know the link but I 100% agree to your sentiment. I think if we want Lemmy to grow and instances to flourish, we have to also federate the financial burden of hosting it. The admins already spend a lot of their free time on maintenance and content moderation, so those who can afford it should at least throw in some small donations. :)
Yeah, just like multiple small instances are more resilient than one large instance, I think funding from multiple small donors would be more resilient than one large donor.