How to fund
Freely giving resources does not mean you can't receive any funding for them. Churches have been funded purely through donations for thousands of years.
Setup a donations box
If you give away resources in-person, simply place an empty box nearby to collect cash donations. You may also want to display a page with bank account details for those who don't carry cash on them.
Seek funding from your church
Ask your church or a group of churches to fund a project. If it is missional in nature then the church might consider allocating some of its funds for mission toward it.
Alternatively, they might let you make an appeal to the congregation for funding, and collect payment through their existing system for offerings.
Accept online donations
You can very easily and quickly setup a link to a donation form using a service like PayPal donate. Donors click the link and are taken to a secure payment form, with the funds deposited into your chosen bank account.
For web developers: You can use a service like Stripe for more control over UI and payment options. They also support payment links, though recurring payments require a set amount. You can get around this by writing your own code using their Payment API.
Use a crowdfunding platform
Crowdfunding platforms are popular for raising money for a project. They are more social in nature, often publicly displaying donations and donor names. They are also more goal oriented. This may be suitable for some projects more than others.
An example would be GoFundMe. We don't recommend the popular Patreon platform as they take at least 11% from donations (other platforms are usually 2%-5%).
Use cost-effective distribution
New technology has made it easier and more cost-effective than ever to distribute resources:
- Publish ebooks rather than printed books
- Host conferences online or at a church, rather than an expensive venue
- Pay staff a reasonable stipend rather than industry standard salaries
- Create static apps that don't require an expensive server
Charge for production only
Charge only to cover production expenses but make clear that the actual teaching in your resource is freely given. The best way to do this is by ensuring your resource is public domain and freely available online without any barriers. People who wish to pay for a printed copy can cover the costs of production themselves.
It is best to pass this off to a third-party so that no one mistakes you for profiting off of your teaching. For example, there are print-on-demand services where you can charge only for the cost of printing.
Fund it yourself
There is an unbiblical culture amongst Christian authors of wanting to always cover costs. Some authors give their time but do not want to give any money. Others want to be paid for their time, effectively making money like any other job that pays wages.
This is like saying: "I want to serve God without it costing me anything". Rather, we should be willing to give God our time and our money, regardless if we receive any compensation or not. We should be the first person to want to financially support a project we believe in.
Wait for Jesus
“Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done.