Important update for subscribers
"I try to update as much as possible. You don't want to be in the past" - Venus Williams
I’m making some changes to my Substack publication and wanted to be clear on how that might affect you.
To date, the majority of the articles I’ve shared have been free to access for everyone, with more in-depth training and templates for paid subscribers only.
Writing and creating content for this Substack publication and the associated YouTube Channel is something I have chosen to do, as a way of sharing the knowledge and skills I’ve built up over almost 18 years of working in the third sector; with charities and community groups, on publicly-funded arts projects, and in running my own social enterprise. My own ethics are rooted in paying it forward and giving back to those trying to make the world a better place. Where I get paid for my training and consultancy work, and as a mentor to many third sector organisations, this publication is my voluntary contribution to expand that beyond those individuals and groups I work with on a one-to-one basis.
However, I get a lot of requests from people wishing to access the paywalled content, but unable to afford a subscription. I’ve had to reassess the time it takes me to process these many requests for a complimentary subscription and to temporarily remove paywalls for those who ask. It has made me realise two things:
Managing requests for access to the material is probably not the best use of my time, and
Restricting access to information I know people genuinely need doesn’t align with the way I want to work
Therefore, over the coming weeks, I will be sharing updated versions of previously paywalled content, making it free for all, and all subscribers will receive full access to two new articles, training or templates each month, removing the need for complimentary subscriptions.
Updated benefits exclusive to paid subscribers are:
Comment and ask questions on posts
Attend live Q&A drop-in sessions
Suggest topics and submit guest posts
I have tried to keep this as affordable as possible at £5 per month, and to give those who need it access to more personalised support and answers to specific questions or issues, plus the ability to contribute to the content itself.
If you are currently a paid subscriber, please make sure you are happy to continue paying on these terms. If you are not, you can change this by going to your Substack profile and then ‘manage subscription’. Full step-by-step instructions here. Or, you can simply reply to this email to let me know, and I can manually amend your subscription from paid to free.
If you find value in my work and these articles, and are able to make a contribution, then becoming a paid subscriber is the best way you can support me, but here are some other things you can do too:
Subscribe to my YouTube channel
Forward a post to someone who may find it helpful
Use or recommend my consultancy services
The publication has been through a number of redesigns since I started it, around 18 months ago. I’ve had several names for it, none of which I’ve loved, and so in consultation with a few trusted opinions, the publication is now called:
Inspiring Positive Impact
I know some of you have been with me since the very beginning, when I was sharing more ‘creative tools for change’, many of you have come here following a training workshop I’ve run for third sector organisations, and some are kindly supporting my writing, regardless of the number of times I change topic!
The following paragraph sums up what you will find here going forward:
Embrace your motivation for positive change, get inspired to pursue meaningful work, and deliver on your social impact vision.
If these topics are not of interest to you, please do not hesitate to unsubscribe (there’s an unsubscribe button at the bottom of every email I send). It is absolutely not my intention to have a huge mailing list of people who are not interested or engaged in what I’m sharing.
Thank you to every single one of you for being here – it really means a lot.
Rachel x