FROM The Editor/Publisher of the Greater Waukesha Area Pickleball eNewsletter:

I’m not a business professional.

I have no business training.

I am a hospice & palliative care nurse and spend much of my work shift advocating for the comfort and rights of my patients.

I love pickleball. I know pickleball and I live pickleball.

I strongly believe in the health benefits of pickleball.

I love writing, creating, and publishing this eNewsletter every month.

I have no experience raising money.

However, I am suddenly faced with trying to figure out how to come up with additional money to support the continuation of this newsletter.

MailChimp, this eNewsletter’s distribution platform, reported that as of March 2023, they will no longer be a free-service and will begin charging a monthly fee based on the number of subscribers.

The more subscribers, the higher the cost (cost can change each month).

Every month, the number of requests for new subscribers increases for this newsletter (which is great!) but that means the cost to distribute the eNewsletter will continue to increase.

I’ve tried advertising options, without good success.

I’ve tried market affiliate links, without success.

I recently met with the Washington/OZ newsletter publisher, Lisa, as she is in the same dilemma: How to raise money to continue to provide the pickleball newsletter to readers.

Last month, Lisa put a Venmo QRcode on her Washington/OZ newsletter to try to help raise money to cover the costs to continue to distribute the newsletter.

Lisa has decided that she will continue the Wash/OZ newsletter for as many months that the donations will cover.

I want to continue to send this newsletter out to readers in/around Waukesha County each month, but am having the same difficult decision: raise money, pay out of my own pocket, or stop publishing the newsletter.

I’m going to try to raise money through donations and contributions.

If you find yourself looking forward to this Pickleball eNewsletter each month, and are willing, able, and interested in helping to pay for the dues associated with the distribution of this newsletter, please see the Venmo information below OR send me an email and I’ll provide information on how to send a check.

If you PAY, I can STAY.

If you can help pay for monthly fees, I’ll keep providing you information about pickleball all around Waukesha County - and beyond!

Here are other options to help keep the newsletter FREE to the subscribers/readers:

• Do you have a local small business? Low cost advertising is available.

• Are you a local pickleball instructor or paddle rep? Low cost advertising of your business card is available.

• eNewsletter sponsorship opportunity.

• Please consider using the links in the eNewsletter to purchase pickleball-related items (as I can get an, albeit very small, amount of each purchase).

All money received will be used to help keep this newsletter distributed FREE each month.

THANK YOU for considering, THANK YOU for reading, and THANK YOU for your continued support of this eNewsletter! See you on the courts!