Membership

Founded in 2009, The Rumpus has now reached its teenage years and we’re feeling ALL our angsty growing pains! We want to assert our independence, but we also really NEED a good support system. That’s where RUMPUS MEMBERS come in.

Become a member of The Rumpus and help us reach our 1st goal of 600 Members. By joining, you truly are helping us build a sustainable future AND getting some exclusive content, early access, and sweet deals for yourself.

Need more convincing? If you answer “Yes” to any of the following questions, you should to consider becoming a Rumpus member:

• Do you read The Rumpus and want to keep the site mostly paywall FREE and accessible to all?
• Appreciate independent (non-corporate or backed by a rich benefactor) publishers?
• Believe in paying writers for their WORK?
• Were you filled with existential dread the last time you learned one of your favorite literary publications went under (especially one you’d been planning on someday eventually subscribe, submit, or donate to)?

How does Membership help The Rumpus?

• Goal 1: 600 members: assuming our other programs (Letters in the Mail subscriptions), donations, and merch sales remain stable. This # of active subscribers helps us fill in the revenue vs. expenses gap to cover our bare minimum operating costs (web hosting, tech support, various subscriptions, contributor pay, small stipends for Editor-in-Chief, Store, & Programs managers, etc.). This is where we hope to be as soon as possible!
• Goal 2: 1,000 members: All of the above, PLUS we’ll be able to ensure we can confidently boost our contributor pay from $400 to $1,250/month for as long as we remain at this membership level or higher. This means a guaranteed minimum contributor payment of $50 for the roughly 300 contributors we publish each year. This is where we hope to be by the end of 2025 or sooner.
• Ultimate Goal: 3,000+ members: This is just 2-3% of the visitors who read The Rumpus each month, and would get us to a fully sustainable place. Imagine all of the above, plus being able to pay part-time editors, and the capacity to begin new projects like a Rumpus writing program? A dream!

Until we reach the benchmarks above, we will run fundraisers twice a year (summer and end-of-year) to help fill in the funding gaps! If you’d like to make a one-time or recurring tax-deductible contribution in any amount through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas, ALL contributions help.

How close are we to achieving these goals?

We officially launched on June 1, 2022! We’ll update our progress here periodically and celebrate loudly once we reach our benchmark goals! October 28, 2024 update:522 Rumpus Members, 87% toward our 1st goal!

Already a MEMBER or looking for other ways to support The Rumpus?

• Give a GIFT Membership! Select “This is a GIFT” and enter the email of the person you’d like to give the Membership too! For the Membership + Letters “GIFT” option, also include the recipient’s mailing address.
• Sign up for a Letters in the Mail subscription or buy some merch (mugs, posters, and more!) on our store site.
• Get some limited edition merch (t-shirts & sweatshirts!) on our Bonfire store.
• Make a one-time or recurring tax-deductible contribution in any amount through our fiscal sponsor, Fractured Atlas.

Current Members: We began sending out a twice a month members-only newsletter at the middle and end of every month starting Thursday, June 16th, 2022. Depending on when you signed up, you’ll receive your 1st email within a week or two of joining. Need to update your Membership info (email, payment information, etc.)? Visit the Rumpus store and click on My Account to log in and make any updates you may need.