Support New Tracks Modeling through Patreon

I know many of you have noticed we have gained sufficient YouTube subscribers to monetize our YouTube Channel, New Tracks Modeling.  This allows YouTube to place advertisements on our videos and website so we can earn a little money from YouTube each time a viewer watches any of the advertisements.

We will use these funds to pay the direct costs for New Tracks‘ future shows. Up to this point I have paid these costs out of my own pocket and using the revenue we earned from participating manufacturers in the 2020 New Tracks’ digital Train Show. Unfortunately, this money is depleted and and we need to develop a sustainable independent funding source. This is what we have been working to create.

I believe (hope and pray) the level of viewer support we currently are seeing on YouTube will be able to sustain our show’s direct costs including the website, email, and Zoom capability.  Personnel costs are not included as they are currently donated by our fantastic volunteers who help, develop, promote and produce our shows.

Recently, several regular viewers have asked how they can support the New Tracks community.  To enable direct donations to support the shows, we have also established a Patreon account for New Tracks where viewers can make contributions directly to the show.  Patreon Link.  Our hope is that enthusiasts will become “Patrons” and make contributions to help continue our shows. Because the fund sources are variable, we are setting a goal to exceed our expense needs. Any funds received in excess of those needed to run the show will be dedicated to a New Tracks Mentoring Scholarship program.  This is an exciting new program to help a young model railroader to continue their post high school education in a STEAM program at an institution of higher learning.

We really want New Tracks to do more for modelers and our hobby, so we are developing this new program called “ew Tracks Mentoring Scholarship.  I want to thank Phil Edholm for suggesting this new effort.

The goal of the program is to provide scholarships to students pursuing a STEAM program in an institution of higher learning.  Our 2023 goal is a single $1,000 scholarship, with an intent to grow both the scholarship size and number in subsequent years.  We have established a committee, led by Larry Price, to define the required criteria for recipients of the scholarship. While we will focus on the US and Canada in 2023, the goal is for the program to become international in subsequent years.

I have repeatedly said how much I admire the Walthers Corporation for developing their groundbreaking Scholarship Program.  I believe all modelers should have away to make an impact on the future education of today’s younger modelers. With the New Tracks mentoring Scholarship, there is now a way to contribute to the future of the model railroading hobby.

Therefore I am asking each of you to help get New Tracks Mentoring Scholarship program of the ground.  Please do one or both of the following options:

1.  Watch more New Tracks YouTube videos and visit our website. If you see advertisements that are interesting to you, please check them out and watch them.  On YouTube, liking our videos increases their appearance in the algorithms.  Please also recommend to your modeling friends and associates that they join our efforts and become subscribers and viewers of our YouTube Channel and join the growing New Tracks community.

2.  Become a Patron of New Tracks on the Patreon site. We thank you in advance for your generosity.  Every dollar contributed will go either to New Tracks costs or to the scholarship fund.

This is the first time we have ever asked for your financial support to help make our programs successful.  We are still only asking you consider watching the advertisements on our videos and website and to consider a donation to our Patreon account.  Hopefully the value New Tracks delivers will make this task very easy.  Naturally we also hope you will encourage others to join our show.  More modelers equals more mentoring and more model building!

After all, we are all modelers who share a mutual love for our modeling hobby, want to improve our skills, and want young modelers to have the education and motivation to succeed in their future careers and their modeling. This is an opportunity for all of us to help, in a small way, to make that happen.

Our New Tracks Mentoring Scholarship program is also an opportunity for hobby manufacturers, associations, clubs, and individuals to show their support for our efforts by helping increase the scholarship program reach. If you are a company or individual that would like to contribute directly to the New Tracks Mentoring Scholarship. Please contact JimKellow@newtracksmodeling.com. We are establishing a Scholarship Sponsors program and would love to have you participate and be recognized.

If you have ideas of how to raise money for the New Tracks mentoring Scholarship program or would like to participate in either New Tracks or the scholarship. Please contact me.

You, our New Tracks readers and viewers, have gotten us this far and we thank you. Now we want to thank you in advance for your continued help and support for our future growth and development. Let me know if you have any questions or ideas. My email is Jimkellow@newtracksmodeling.com