Hong Kong Free Press has raised a record HK$1,822,687 from 2,312 donors during its 2019 Funding Drive.
Our team is enormously grateful and humbled by the generosity of our readers and kind words received during our most successful fundraising drive yet.
The total exceeds the original goal of HK$1.2m by over 40 per cent and means we are able to secure our operations and devote more resources to original reporting. With the extra funds, we also plan to invest more in China reporting with the recruitment of an additional journalist.
- The most common donation was HK$250, meaning our independence and press freedom are secure with support coming from a large pool of readers.
- The largest donation was HK$100,000, and the second largest was HK$70,000.
- The majority of donations came from supporters in Hong Kong, though readers in countries such as Canada, Australia, the UK, US, France, Taiwan, Singapore and mainland China also lent their backing.
- HKFP also saw a 153 per cent surge in HKFP Patron sign-ups. We now have 314 monthly donors – up from 124 on January 1. Sustained support is key to securing our future,
Missed our Funding Drive? Here are 10 ways you can still support Hong Kong Free Press.
Fundraising Events
The final sum includes HK$21,311 raised at our sold-out 2019 fundraising party on June 14. HKFP wishes to extend their warm thanks to psychedelic disco rock superstars Shumking Mansion for donating their superstar time, psychedelic energy and disco rock talents in support of our Funding Drive.
We are also grateful for the kind support of sponsors Young Master Brewery, Wine’n’things and our ever-understanding hosts, The Hive Spring. Many thanks also to the Hong Kong police force for their patience after they briefly joined the festivities in response to a noise complaint.
The grand total also includes money raised from our fundraising stall during this year’s July 1 rally.
Meet HKFP now outside Southorn Playground (Wan Chai MTR Exit B2) – make a cash donation or buy one of our new #PressForFreedom mugs, totes, pens or string backpacks. 💪 https://t.co/biDMrS7Y5Y pic.twitter.com/IHca60KqaA
— Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) July 1, 2019
We raised a record HK$80,488 from supporters donating cash and purchasing HKFP merchandise.
On June 10, we hosted the sold-out Hong Kong premiere of China’s Artful Dissident, which revealed the drama behind satirist Badiucao’s cancelled art HKFP exhibition last year.
Thanks to the generosity of the filmmaker Danny Ben-Moshe and our hosts The Hive Spring, HKFP raised HK$8,860 from ticketing, donations and merchandise sales on the night.
Earlier this year, our columnist Kong Tsung-gan launched a new book about the aftermath of the 2014 Umbrella Movement. The author kindly bore all of the costs involved in the book’s writing and production, donating every cent to HKFP’s Funding Drive.
With a suggested minimum donation of HK$200, many readers made larger donations with the total reaching HK$76,758, as of this week. Fewer than a dozen copies remain on sale for local or international delivery.
HKFP would also like to thank the Fallout Media team for their help with our promotional video, Kevin Campbell and Diffractive for the tech support since 2015, and the Hong Kong Journalists Association for supplying our team with safety gear.
Greater reach and impact
During the political strife of recent weeks, the HKFP team worked overtime to ensure we were on the frontlines of coverage.
Our four members of staff provided non-stop news reports, live streams, social media updates and explainers on the anti-extradition law protests, reaching new readers across the world. Supporters also kindly shared drone footage, 360 camera footage and photography with our platform.
The HKFP team extends heartfelt thanks once again to our generous supporters during this year’s Funding Drive.
Learn more about our achievements in our latest Annual Report and don’t miss our latest Transparency Report, which shows how carefully we spend every cent.
