We're at 47%. The Clock Is Ticking
By MakerViking
Published
Updated
6 min read
Category: Announcements
TinkerAtlas is at 47% of the February funding goal with 14 days left. Server costs are covered, but the $200 for development tools is completely unfunded. All contributions came on day one and it's been silent since. Here's where things stand and how you can help.
<p class="mb 2" I'm going to keep this one short and honest. No feature roundup, no "look what I built this week." This is purely about funding, because TinkerAtlas needs help right now.</p <p class="mb 2" We're at 47% of the February funding goal. 14 days left, and that number hasn't moved in days.</p <p class="mb 2" Here's what happened: the funding period opened, and on day one, a few generous people stepped up. That first day was great. Contributions came in, the progress bar moved, and for a moment it felt like we might actually close the gap this month.</p <p class="mb 2" Then it went quiet. Completely quiet.</p <p class="mb 2" I'm not going to pretend that doesn't get to me. I check the numbers more often than I should. I do the math in my head. I think about what happens if we don't hit the target. The stress is real, and it doesn't help that I've been here before, watching the days tick by while the funding bar stays frozen.</p <h2 class="font bold" What 47% Actually Means</h2 <p class="mb 2" The monthly cost to keep TinkerAtlas running and developing is $375. That breaks down into $175 for servers, database, cache, and email services, and $200 for the development tools I need to actually build and improve the platform.</p <p class="mb 2" Right now, the server costs are covered. That's the good news, and I'm grateful for it. But the $200 for development tools? That's still completely unfunded this month.</p <p class="mb 2" Without those tools, development doesn't just slow down. It stops. These are the tools that let me catch and fix bugs, test changes without breaking the live site, and build features at a pace that actually makes progress. Without them development basically stops. That's not an exaggeration. It is what happens if we don't get to the goal.</p <p class="mb 2" The $200 gap is the difference between TinkerAtlas moving forward and TinkerAtlas standing still.</p <h2 class="font bold" The Part That's Hard to Talk About</h2 <p class="mb 2" I work on TinkerAtlas every single day. Way more than full time. Building features, fixing bugs, managing the community, talking with potential partners, planning what comes next. All of it, every day.</p <p class="mb 2" I do all of this without taking any income from the platform. Not a cent.</p <p class="mb 2" And here's the part I need to be completely transparent about: I can't cover the $200 shortfall myself. It's not a matter of tightening the belt for a month. My personal finances are already in the negative every month. There is no buffer. There hasn't been a buffer for a long time. I've covered shortfalls out of pocket before when I could stretch things, but that's not possible anymore. The money simply isn't there.</p <p class="mb 2" I chose to build TinkerAtlas because I believe in it. I chose to pour my time into it because I believe in this growing community of 359 makers who have made it their home. But choosing something doesn't make the financial reality disappear. The tools don't care about passion projects. They cost what they cost, every month.</p <p class="mb 2" When the funding stalls like this, the stress isn't just about the number on the bar. It's about wondering how long I can keep going like this. It's about staring at that 47% day after day while I keep building anyway, trying not to let the silence eat at me.</p <p class="mb 2" I'm still building. Every day. But I'd be lying if I said this wasn't weighing on me. those of you who knows me knows how much I the stress gets to me.</p <h2 class="font bold" How You Can Help</h2 <p class="mb 2" If TinkerAtlas has been valuable to you, if the community, the project tools, the maker spotlights, or just having a space that isn't driven by algorithms means something, here's how to help close that $200 gap.</p <p class="mb 2" <strong TinkerAtlas+</strong is the most impactful way to support, especially as a monthly or yearly subscription. It's $9.99/month or $99/year, and it directly funds ongoing development. You also get real features for it: extended posts up to 1,000 characters, up to 10 images per post, 1,000 characters for your bio, a 25% XP boost, streak protection, 90 day analytics, and a custom profile banner and more to come.</p <p class="mb 2" Here's something I want to be honest about: we currently have zero monthly or yearly TinkerAtlas+ subscribers. Not one. Five incredible people have purchased lifetime memberships since we launched the subscription system, and I'm forever grateful for that. Those purchases helped enormously in the months they came in. But lifetime purchases don't cover ongoing monthly costs. What TinkerAtlas needs right now, what would actually solve the monthly stress cycle, is recurring subscribers. Even a handful of monthly TinkerAtlas+ members would fundamentally change the situation. It would mean knowing the tools are funded before the month even starts, instead of watching the bar and hoping. <a target=" blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text blue 600 hover:text blue 800 dark:text blue 400 dark:hover:text blue 200 underline cursor pointer transition colors" href="https://tinkeratlas.com/pricing" Check out TinkerAtlas+ here!</a </p <p class="mb 2" <strong Ko fi</strong works for both recurring monthly support and one time tips. If you prefer that platform, it's just as helpful. <a target=" blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text blue 600 hover:text blue 800 dark:text blue 400 dark:hover:text blue 200 underline cursor pointer transition colors" href="http://ko fi.com/makerviking" ko fi.com/makerviking</a </p <p class="mb 2" <strong PayPal</strong is there for direct one time contributions. Sometimes a one time boost is what gets us over the line. <a target=" blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text blue 600 hover:text blue 800 dark:text blue 400 dark:hover:text blue 200 underline cursor pointer transition colors underline offset 2 decoration 1 decoration current/40 hover:decoration current focus:decoration current" href="https://paypal.me/makerviking" paypal.me/makerviking</a </p <p class="mb 2" And if none of these are possible right now, that's genuinely okay. Sharing your projects, inviting other makers, spreading the word about TinkerAtlas, join me when I stream working on Tinkeratlas on <a target=" blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text blue 600 hover:text blue 800 dark:text blue 400 dark:hover:text blue 200 underline cursor pointer transition colors" href="https://twitch.tv/makerviking" Twitch</a , all of that helps build the community that makes this worth fighting for.</p <h2 class="font bold" Come Hang Out</h2 <p class="mb 2" On a lighter note, I've been streaming TinkerAtlas development live. If you want to see how the sausage gets made, come hang out on Twitch. You can watch me build features, squash bugs, and occasionally talk to myself while debugging. We've also got Desklings running, which turns the coding sessions into a little isometric office simulation, and the print game for some fun on the side. It's a good time, and I'd genuinely appreciate the company.</p <p class="mb 2" <a target=" blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="text blue 600 hover:text blue 800 dark:text blue 400 dark:hover:text blue 200 underline cursor pointer transition colors underline offset 2 decoration 1 decoration current/40 hover:decoration current focus:decoration current" href="https://twitch.tv/makerviking" twitch.tv/makerviking</a </p <h2 class="font bold" The Real Ask</h2 <p class="mb 2" I want to thank the people who have supported TinkerAtlas along the way. Some of you have contributed multiple times through different channels, and that hasn't gone unnoticed. It means more than I can properly express.</p <p class="mb 2" But we're at 47% with 14 days left. The $200 for development tools is completely unfunded. I can't cover the gap myself. And the only thing that truly solves this, not just for February but for every month going forward, is recurring support.</p <p class="mb 2" If you've been thinking about subscribing to TinkerAtlas+ but haven't gotten around to it, this is the moment. If a one time contribution through Ko fi or PayPal is more your speed, that helps close the gap right now. Whatever you can do, whenever you can do it, it matters.</p <p class="mb 2" Let's close this gap. TinkerAtlas is worth it. This community is worth it.</p <p class="mb 2" Thomas (MakerViking)</p
