Bitch: A Success Story

It’s a tough world out there for an indie magazine. Print is dying, the economy is getting worse and worse, everything is going corporate. Things may be fine for Vogue and Newsweek, but independent magazines are dropping like flies; last year, the popular indie mag Punk Planet closed its doors. Just last week, it looked like Bitch Magazine, the smart, fun, non-profit feminist pop-culture magazine, was going to follow them. As a non-profit, Bitch depends heavily on reader donations, and they needed to raise $40,000 by October 15 in order to print their next issue- not an easy feat. But publisher Debbie Rasmussen and editorial director Andi Zeisler reached out to readers. A traditional fundraising “thermometer”, in the shape of a wiener dog (get it?), was placed at the top of the Bitch website. They shot a video asking for donations, in which they explain how serious the situation is, but also remain upbeat, making jokes about “helping our wiener grow”. “Wiener people gonna realize that independent magazines need money?” asks Zeisler in the video, causing Rasmussen to burst into laughter.

And it worked. The story quickly made the rounds on the blogosphere. The community responded, and in just three short days, Bitch’s readers had donated $40,000. At last count they’ve reached $55,000- and this during an economic recession.

The whole process has resulted in the operations of the magazine becoming much more transparent to readers. The last issue of the magazine didn’t sell as well as expected, which created the crisis. “Bitch operates without any financial cushion,” says founder Lisa Jervis in a comment on the original “Save Bitch” blog post. “We have always been a hand-to-mouth shoestring organization, making do and doing the best we can with scarce resources.” Many readers who donated expressed concern that there would have to be an emergency fundraiser before each issue to keep the magazine going; Rasmussen responded that as a non-profit, they will always rely on reader donations– “Just, ideally, in a less dramatic way.” Directors and editors have shared their ideas for a multimedia Bitch with readers, and in return readers have provided their critique, feedback, and even some ideas of their own.

Since its first issue, Bitch has been beating the odds with great journalism and a strong community. Only 10% of magazines continue to publish past their first 10 years; Bitch is currently in year 13. This recent fundraising feat just goes to show that readers still need this magazine, and are willing to donate their money to help it out. Rasmussen called the overwhelming reader response "honoring and humbling", but if anything, the fact that Bitch could raise $40,000 in three days is a testament to the quality of the magazine and its importance to readers. In such difficult times, it's inspiring to hear a story like Bitch's.