Raising Funds for Online Journals
Great, you’ve decided to start an online journal. You’ve got the subject matter sorted and you certainly have a passion for the material; but to get started you are going to have to find a way to raise the money you need. Online journals have become very popular in recent years, there are many dedicated Internet publications and most major print publications will have an online version as well. While it is true that the costs of running an Internet journal may be quite low compared to running a hard copy journal, there can still be significant initial costs involved. There are many different ways that you can raise the funding for your journal, in either an offline or online environment.
To get started raising funds as quickly as possible you may need a little help. You could employ the services of a professional fundraising company, but for a small journal this is not normally going to be a cost effective solution. There are also many great books and e-books out there that have great advice on how to make the most from your fundraising ideas. Some of these books can save you a lot of time and hassle by providing you with the information that you may need right from the start. While I would definitely recommend the use of some of these books, what I am going to do here is mention a few of the more well known fundraising ideas, especially as they relate to the setting up of your online journal.
An online journal could either be a relatively inexpensive project for you, or a very expensive one. It all depends on the scope of your original idea and what kind of market you are trying to attract. A small niche journal where you do all of the writing yourself is hardly going to cost you anything but time and effort. Whereas a large professional publication with a high quality staff of writers and marketing personnel could cost you a packet. You need to know exactly what kind of journal you want right from the very beginning as this will also impact the way that you can raise funding for it.
Many countries offer a grant system for publications that add to the cultural and artistic value of a nation, your journal may fit in with these ideals or it may not. There is also the tried and tested method of getting friends and family to invest or donate the needed costs. If your journal is a community based and non-profit publication you will have a lot more options for fundraising. People like to help out worthy causes, and if you can demonstrate that you are giving value back to a community then it’s just a matter of finding and asking the right people for donations or investment.
As you are already involved in the world of the Internet, you may find that online fundraising suits your needs. This is becoming a very popular way of raising money in recent years. It can be a headache at times when trying to find ideas for fundraising, but if you already have the vision for your online journal it shouldn’t be too hard to find the right people and organisations to help you bring this vision into reality.