GiveBackStack Directory! Get Listed!
Do You Donate All or a Portion of Paid Subscriptions to Charitable Causes?
Do you donate all or a portion of paid subscriptions to charitable causes? If yes, this post is for you! If you’re looking to support Substack publications that donate all or a portion of subscriptions, this post is also for you! I’m collaborating with other Substackers to create a GiveBackStack Directory, which will live as a free section on my RainMakers & ChangeMakers publication.
If you would like to be listed, read on for the definition (below) of a GiveBackStac and please complete this Google Form.
Why Another Directory?
In July 2024, I turned on paid subscriptions for both of my Substacks (RainMakers & ChangeMakers and The Creative Convergence) to pool funds in support of community development organizations I write about in Africa. I personally give to these organizations regularly, but thought there might be a way to leverage Substack’s paid subscription feature to bring more funds to the table to support their amazing work.
I wanted to find other people doing the same thing, so I put out a call on Notes and got some responses!
Turns out there is indeed a small community of Substack writers doing the same thing. And, while they don’t number in the dozens, we might be one dozen and that’s worth recognizing through a GiveBackStack Directory.
GiveBackStack Definition
A GiveBackStack is a Substack publication that donates all OR a portion of paid subscriptions to a community or charitable cause. A GiveBackStack also clearly states the cause, frequency, and kind of donation and provides some form of written accountability on a regular basis to its subscribers.
The important concepts here are:
there is an identified community or charitable cause(s) with reference to recipient organization(s) identified by the writer;
a description of how net paid subscriptions will be distributed and at what frequency; and,
there is a statement that commits to regular and written accountability to maintain trust. On this last point of regular written accountability: I included this in the definition because while I don’t think this will happen on Substack, I want to avoid including any Substacks in this Directory run by people who turn on paid subscriptions for what they say is a charitable cause just to get more paid subscribers, but then turn around and pocket the money for themselves.
A note on Substacks with paid subscriptions benefiting the author/writer: Most people on Substack who turn on paid subscriptions do so to support their own livelihoods. It’s a wonderful thing! I support many writers myself on Substack by being a paid subscriber. The GiveBackStack concept and directory is by no means intended to slight those who don’t give a portion of their net proceeds to charitable causes. Not all of us can nor do all of us want to and that’s okay! Both kinds of Substacks - the kind that generate funds to support the writer and the kind that generate funds for others - and every other combination that exists in between are all valuable in their own right.
Are you a GiveBackStack? Get listed!
If you would like to be listed here on the GiveBackStack Directory hosted for free by
of and RainMakers & ChangeMakers please complete this Google Form.View the GiveBackStack Directory!
It’s in its nascent form but we have a few that have already signed up. You can see the listing here. Let’s make it grow!
Do you have feedback on the GiveBackStack concept?
While working on this idea there have been a few questions from Substackers about what constitutes a GiveBackStack.
Other Ways That Paid Subscriptions Are Being Used to Create a Supportive Substack Circular Economy
There is another way that Substack writers are leveraging paid subscriptions to help others. Some take all or a portion of their paid subscriptions and intentionally use the proceeds to fund paid subscriptions to other Substacks in the spirit of lifting up others on the platform who wouldn’t otherwise be heard. For instance, some Substacks use paid subscription income to purchase paid subscriptions to other Substack publications writers who have fewer than 100 subscribers or are led/written by people of color. Others have an issue or interest that they are trying to elevate. For instance, ZineStack (which will be a Hub for finding analog Zine makers in a digital age - launching soon!) from
will support a “circular Substack economy” where community dollars are reinvested in paid subscriptions and purchases from other Zine creators. Please leave a comment if you are also paying forward your subscriptions for a particular cause.
Love this! As a patient advocate who donates a portion of paid subscriptions to the Lyme community during Lyme Awareness month, I’m so happy to see others donating to a variety of charitable organizations.
Emily! This is terrific! I use paid subs at my main Stack, Quiet Reading, partly to fund paid subs at other Stacks. It strikes me this may be common. I wrote about this in a relevant post about a year ago, "The Substack Tithe / When and how to pay it forward": https://tarapenry.substack.com/p/the-substack-tithe.
I'm not currently channeling subscription funds to an outside charity, though I've done so in the past and am glad to know of your directory. Even if it stays small, it's still a good idea to showcase this feature.