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The original was posted on /r/opensource by /u/Original_Garbage8557 on 2025-05-12 10:55:07+00:00.
Hey everyone,
I just wanted to take a moment to express my deep appreciation for all the open-source developers out there. Over the years, I’ve come to rely on so many amazing tools, libraries, and applications—many of which are completely free and maintained by people who are generously giving their time, skill, and energy to make technology better for everyone.
Whether it’s a command-line tool that saves me hours, a beautiful UI library that simplifies development, or a rock-solid backend framework that powers a personal project, I know none of this would be possible without the incredible open-source community. I couldn’t even imagine what my life would be like if they didn’t exist.
That said, I’ve been thinking more seriously about giving back in some way. I know some projects have donation links or sponsors on GitHub, but it’s not always clear how to contribute financially in a meaningful way. So I wanted to ask:
What’s the best way to support open-source developers financially?
Are there general platforms or funds that distribute support fairly? Should I focus on specific maintainers or projects I use the most?
Also, if you’re an open-source contributor reading this—thank you. Seriously. Your work has helped me (and millions of others) more than you probably realize.
Looking forward to hearing how others are approaching this, and maybe getting some concrete ways to help.
Thanks again.