Listeners to the last episode of the podcast (#53) will notice a link on the episode page to support the podcast (and, in reality, the work of all my sites) with donations. You can listen to the end of the podcast where Trey and I talk about the rationale for setting up donations, but I’ll share some thoughts here.
Like the Go Fund Me campaign for completing the divine council bibliography (which is approaching the 2/3 point already), taking donations on any of my sites is a first. I’ve resisted doing something like that since I began blogging (seven years or so ago). I’m at the point, though, where I need help to get projects done and other work associated with my sites. Even though people like Trey and Mr. Tudor have stepped up to produce the podcast and transcripts without being paid, I want to remunerate them in some way in the future. The same goes for Joe Fioramonti, the designer who revamped my homepage a while back, and still voluntarily maintains and troubleshoots it.And it goes without saying that the bibliography project, as massive as it is, couldn’t happen without being able to pay people. I can’t expect people to volunteer dozens or hundreds of hours. The Go Fund Me campaign showed me that if I can raise money, I can hire people and things can get done. Since I’m blessed to have a good job that I love, income for the podcast (and this unusual ministry that has evolved from my websites, novels, interviews, etc.) means one to me: TIME. If I can pay people to take things off my plate, I want to do that.
I mentioned in earlier posts that I have lists of projects I’d like to get done. Some are lengthy research tasks that will contribute to books. Others have more immediate deliverables that can be shared as soon as they’re done. I just want to pay people for the effort.
By way of example, since the bibliography project is going so well and there was a funding surplus, I’ve asked someone else in the Naked Bible audience who is a native German speaker to translate (verbally, in MP3 files) the major scholarly work (in German, obviously) on Jewish angelology up to the rabbinic period. Doing something like that would take me a year. It’s far easier for a native speaker. I’ll say more about that project when it’s running. When he’s done, I’ll post the MP3 files for everyone. I’m hoping to have those by year’s end (I told him it’s no rush).
Ultimately, my goal is to be able to hire a FT research assistant (or two PTs). The podcast is a start. There’s another item in the works that may make this possible as well, but I can’t discuss that at this point. As people donate, things will take shape.
