# Most ethical way of support _Help · started by Rudi Mentaire on Fri, Jul 17, 2026 1:38 AM_ --- ## Original post **Rudi Mentaire** · Fri, Jul 17, 2026 1:38 AM Hi again, in the other thread I had started a few days ago ("noob questions") I raised the question of support of reticulum. I now found this page: https://reticulum.network/donate.html I don't think I want to use liberapay and ko-fi because I would need to use paypal or stripe and that doesn't feel acceptable: I don't want to give US companies data and/or money. It feels like supporting an autocrat because...it is. I want to avoid that wherever possible. So it has to be one of the listed crypto currencies. What is the most ethical way of supporting? Is there something that doesn't involve nonfree software and bad people making profit? And where mining doesn't emit a huge amount of CO2? What do you prefer? My hope is that a good answer could also motivate others to support reticulum. The answer should not involve using paypal or credit cards. I have a German bank account. --- ## Reply 1 **Anonymous** · Fri, Jul 17, 2026 9:06 AM Nope, there aren't. I suppose you could contact Mark directly but I vaguely remember reading a thread about not accepting bank transfers. Cryptocurrency really is the best way since the financial world is so centered around the US. --- ## Reply 2 **Rudi Mentaire** · Sat, Jul 18, 2026 3:31 AM Ok. Then I will probably use Monero with featherwallet. Looks acceptable to me. I don't want to annoy Mark with questions. --- ## Reply 3 **Mark** · Sat, Jul 18, 2026 9:37 AM I can't really say much about what is most ethical or not, as that will depend on your individual moral framework, but at least I can say that I personally prefer the Monero option. That being said, any of them is fine for me really, even though the credit-card based ones do take a noticable fee (due to the credit card processor - not the sites themself). I very much appreciate (and sorely need) the donations, so anything I get, I am immensely thankful for. While it really does irk me a bit to ask for help, I'll take this opportunity to provide an update on the financial situation around Reticulum: Currently, I receive a total of around $800 a month in donations across all donation paths. On the one hand, I think that's pretty amazing for an open source project, and I am so incredibly thankful for every last cent of that! Without it, none of this would be possible, at all. All of you who donate, you make this possible. But in this (very) money-based reality we're living in, and with prices on absolutely everything increasing, it's incredibly difficult to survive on $800 a month. I have no other sources of income, and my means are stretched insanely thin by now, to the point of getting into territory I'd classify as slightly irresponsible and potentially dangerous. If I am to continue providing what I have provided for a long time now, I need to *actually be alive*. I've already created a living situation for myself that is as low-cost as humanly possible, slashed every possible expense, and foregone many conveniences most people would count as basic necessities. I really can't stretch things much further than this. I take all of this *very* seriously, much more than most people realize, probably, to the point where protecting Reticulum has some *very* real consequences for me. Here's an example: I have an auto-immmune condition where my body attacks its own connective tissue - yes, that's incredibly painful, all the time. I cannot afford proper healthcare for that, so pain it is. Bummer - but I *chose* that since the alternative would mean working a well-paid job, and not having time to responsibly maintain, monitor and develop Reticulum. Maintaining Reticulum, and all the auxillary projects such as LXMF, LXST, and so on, *is* a full-time job. There's no way around that. I'm on call 24/7, and as quite a few of you know, when the shit hits the fan, the solution drops within 12 hours usually. That's **only** possible because someone is watching with a hawk-eye, and has the knowledge skill and persistence to *do the right thing* in tricky situations. I always have, and will continue to reject venture capital and other forms of control in the guise of monetary relief, so Reticulum can stay freely available and independent from external interests, and continue to be guided only by what serves the goals of the project itself best. So far, I've also rejected all kinds of offers to work on other projects, for various companies or to sell exclusive licensing for the technologies I've created. But man, I can't escape the fact that it's pretty bittersweet to look at my $800 wage for what is more than a full-time job, every time I reject an offer that would raise my income by an order of magnitude, and make my health and living situation much easier and better. --- ## Reply 4 **Anonymous** · Sat, Jul 18, 2026 2:11 PM If someone is motivated to write futo, they give out microgrants 1000-5000$ once for projects they deem valuable. Its basically just a donation, and probably they mention it on their website. Doesnt solve anything really, but maybe a bit of breathing room? https://futo.tech/grants --- ## Reply 5 **Anonymous** · Sat, Jul 18, 2026 6:14 PM **Anonymous** wrote: > If someone is motivated to write futo, they give out microgrants 1000-5000$ once for projects they deem valuable. Its basically just a donation, and probably they mention it on their website. Doesnt solve anything really, but maybe a bit of breathing room? > > https://futo.tech/grants Mark sent messages about grants https://rns.recipes/forum/general/breakout-grant-for-resilient-communication-infrastructure#:~:text=someone%20truly%20%22doesn%27t but that does look better if you ask me --- ## Reply 6 **Mark** · Sat, Jul 18, 2026 10:12 PM Futo is one of the few organizations/grants I'd have no problem receiving donations from. And in my current situation, 1000-5000$ as a one-timer would give a lot of breathing room and make a big difference. --- ## Reply 7 **Rudi Mentaire** · Sun, Jul 19, 2026 2:16 AM Hello Mark. Yes, I want to avoid credit cards. But anyway, these are details. To everybody else: I think we should not only wait for somebody writing to Futo. I expect that lots of people here earn much much more than 800$ per month (not everybody, of course). We heard this is about health and basic needs. So it seems that everybody who can afford to give something and values Mark's projects should please consider to set up a regular donation now. Where "now" doesn't mean "yes sure good idea, maybe later" but rather something closer to "ehh, ok... already doing it." --- ## Reply 8 **Anonymous** · Sun, Jul 19, 2026 10:36 AM I didn't know how bad the situation is (800€ a month?! funkin hell..). Smalish monthly donation is set up*. > While it really does irk me a bit to ask for help Asking people to lend a hand is a good thing. People are glad to help, but they first need to know that their help is needed. I don't know if it's also your reason, but for a long time I had an idealized understanding of community and that help and kindness should be offered unsolicited. Yeah fuck that, that's not how things work, stuff like needs should be communicated. That's not begging, that's how a healthy community functions. In the context of online community, I think the Tarn brothers of Dwarf Fortress had a reasonable way. They just posted what came in and how things are in general once a month. Very lowkey, not in a "DONATE NOW!" way, more like making their general situation somewhat transparent, so people can more easyly decide if they want to help out with a few bugs. *I can now legally use lc, right?! Woohoo! --- ## Reply 9 **Anonymous** · Sun, Jul 19, 2026 7:58 PM *Adams Brothers, Tarn is one of them. --- ## Reply 10 **Puint** · Sun, Jul 19, 2026 10:16 PM Reading about the situation that Mark is in worries and also saddens me. On one hand 800€ might actually not be too bad for an (imho, still) rather smallish project, but on the other hand I think it is rather unusual that something like this is done as a full-time job with no other compensation. So I think it is a bit of an unusual situation. Anyway, I can't imagine what needs to be done to be living off of that amount, but I also think it absolutely shouldn't be this way. I firmly believe personal health and well-being should be a priority for everyone, and that obviously includes Mark. To echo another poster here. Asking for help is a good thing. If no one is aware, no one can really support in any way. I think this is on you to decide though, Mark, if you want to make this ask for help more public or not. Here and elsewhere. This may sound overblown from some rando in a forum, but personally I deem Reticulum really needed and necessary for the current reality we live in. I'd almost go as far as: "mankind needs it". And I reckon a lot of people here probably think the same or similar. We want Reticulum to succeed and spread and strive. And the same goes for its creator. So, chances are, some more people are willing to chip in, I certainly am.(*1) But what I also want to say is that I don't think anyone in their right mind should expect a de-facto 24/7 on-duty, an/or the aforementioned usual 12 hour response time. I mean, yes, I get it, it is about security and responsibility, but that is just too much weight for one pair of shoulders? The FUTO grant idea certainly sounds nice as a one-off bandaid, but even if it works out (..btw. someone actively applying for Reticulum right now?) it still is one-time. So, what would be ideas to make this situation better mid to long-term? I also don't really know, to be honest. The only ideas are: - opening up to more less ideal (but a lot more popular) forms of donations/sponsoring? E.g. everyone knows Patreon at this point. No one outside open source knows about liberapay I'd say. Or Github Sponsors...but again, currently impossible... - A crowdfunding campaign maybe? That could work, but would (imo) need a lot more publicity and mobilization of the community and work upfront to be really successful. - I personally am a sucker for merch, haha, so I would definitely wear an official Reticulum/LXMF/LXST shirt or hoodie, but that won't fix much monetarily and is attached to setup and more work. When it comes to grants. Apart from FUTO there is probably no chance for a grant from the "usual" sources, due to the current licence I think? That is, if Mark would even chose to accept it. So, what else is there? > But man, I can't escape the fact that it's pretty bittersweet to look at my $800 wage for what is more than a full-time job, every time I reject an offer that would raise my income by an order of magnitude, and make my health and living situation much easier and better. Maybe a controversial question, but do you think you may come to a point where you deem Reticulum's state "finished" (or lets say "stable") enough" to "only" maintain and develop it further on the side? Idk, it sounds counter-intuitive from what I've written above, but from a purely personal level(!) I'd almost want to say "yeah, get a job with an order of magnitude more income and look after your health and living situation" (*1 = I have an absolute tech blindspot when it comes to crypto currency stuff, so I first need to look into that.) --- ## Reply 11 **joakim** · Sun, Jul 19, 2026 11:56 PM We all want Reticulum to succeed, but not at the price of your health and wellbeing, which should always come first. I agree with what previous posters have said, asking for help is good. Subscription donations make people feel good about helping projects they care about. I think it wouldn't hurt to briefly explain the situation and ask for support in more prominent places like readme files and release notes. A lot of people want to see Reticulum do well in the world, and a prerequisite for that is that *you* are well. --- ## Reply 12 **Rudi Mentaire** · Mon, Jul 20, 2026 12:51 AM Let's be fair: the "donate now, please" was by me (and maybe an unpolished way of pushing the point). If you had read what Mark had written in the past, the mentioned problems are not such a big suprise (my impression). The request for financial support is also not new. Such kind of situations worsen slowly. And I also know that lots of people want to help but just don't find the time etc. so I just wanted this get more attention. I apologize if my direct and sometimes clumsy language has led Mark to be perceived negatively. English is not my mother language. --- ## Reply 13 **Puint** · Mon, Jul 20, 2026 10:12 PM Ok, so no one answered my question about if anyone is already in contact with FUTO. Can I assume that no one is? I have no problem contacting them, which should basically just be an email, but it would _probably_ better and with a higher chance of success if Mark did that directly, as maintainer of Reticulum. (However, if for some reason that is not possible I'd probably take may chance at it...) [edit] Ok, I think I need to chill out a bit more lol, it's just been a day... --- ## Reply 14 **Anonymous** · Tue, Jul 21, 2026 10:14 AM **Puint** wrote: > Ok, so no one answered my question about if anyone is already in contact with FUTO. Can I assume that no one is? > I have no problem contacting them, which should basically just be an email, but it would _probably_ better and with a higher chance of success if Mark did that directly, as maintainer of Reticulum. (However, if for some reason that is not possible I'd probably take may chance at it...) > > [edit] > Ok, I think I need to chill out a bit more lol, it's just been a day... Lol, yes. But also those things tend to just quietly vanish, so its good to ask again. If you have the time and energy, please do it, it will not hurt if there are multiple mails coming in I am sure. --- ## Reply 15 **Mark** · Thu, Jul 23, 2026 1:22 PM Thanks a lot for the donation Anon! If many people just give small monthly donations, that's actually one of the most sustainable and solid ways to support the project. Not that I don't appreciate the big ones as well, of course! Everything helps! And since this thread, I've gotten a few of both types, so thank you so much everyone! And thanks for bringing up this thread! | *I can now legally use lc, right?! Woohoo!* Lol, yes, indeed you can :) No more wrath of Zeus for you! Regarding asking for help, you're right, that's a good way of looking at it. I'm going to try getting better at that. Good comparison with the Adam's brothers, actually that is a very good way to go about it. Those guys are awesome. Reminds me that I want to play DF again - haven't even tried the new version, only played it way back when it was ASCII only. Or maybe I shouldn't, that game is an absolute time-sink, lol :) Might steal all the focus from RNS ;) --- ## Reply 16 **x0thrm** · Thu, Jul 23, 2026 1:42 PM Opensats may be worth sending an application to. They support a number of libre communications projects (Wireguard, GrapheneOS, Tor Project). https://opensats.org --- ## Reply 17 **SevenFourTwo** · Thu, Jul 23, 2026 6:22 PM **x0thrm** wrote: > Opensats may be worth sending an application to. They support a number of libre communications projects (Wireguard, GrapheneOS, Tor Project). > > https://opensats.org They appear to primarily support Bitcoin tools but probably worth a try ---