Flip-Pay launches reader contribution platform for publishers seeking alternatives to paywalls
New publisher-integrated technology drives reader donations, Guardian-style, while allowing open access to quality journalism.
Flip-Pay, the reader revenue system for media organizations, has launched Supporter, an integrated donations platform designed to help publishers generate reader revenues, without relying solely on paywalls or subscriptions.
The new platform comes as publishers are increasingly looking to diversify their incomes, in the face of diminishing search traffic and pressures on advertising and subscription revenues.
Flip-Pay Supporter allows readers to access publisher content free of charge, while encouraging voluntary donations at key points in the user journey. All donation activity, from one-off contributions through to regular membership programs and legacy gifting, is managed through a single integrated system, with non-profit reporting tools available for publishers operating as non-profits or charities.
Flip-Pay Supporter was built following Flip-Pay's experience setting up donations and membership infrastructure for HuffPost. It was then recently deployed at scale for a US non-profit newspaper group, The Salt Lake Tribune, which lowered its paywall and migrated more than 32,000 paying subscribers to a voluntary membership framework in May 2026.
"Many publishers we speak to are actively looking to diversify their income streams, and are considering sustainable, direct-to-reader revenue models that go beyond traditional subscriptions and advertising," said Flip-Pay CEO, Paul McCarthy-Brain.
"Working alongside The Salt Lake Tribune, we helped migrate the organization away from a legacy subscription platform and onto a modern, non-profit Guardian-style reader contribution solution that deeply integrates across its website and app," he said. "We are now making this technology widely available off the shelf to other publishers."
"At a time when quality journalism is under pressure from AI and misinformation, many publishers are keen to see their trusted reporting available more freely to the public. Donations allow people to support the journalism they value without necessarily committing to a full transactional arrangement or hitting paywalls, while also giving publishers the insights and analytics to fully leverage that reader loyalty."
"Publishers are telling us they need proper, embedded technology which supports multiple reader revenue routes; so that's what we've built."
Built for publisher systems and reader relationships
Flip-Pay Supporter deeply embeds into publishers' Content Management Systems (CMS), with the following benefits:
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Each donation hub is hosted by the publisher, customizable and publisher-branded.
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The portal integrates with existing circulation systems and CMS entitlements, and also hosts newsletter subscriptions.
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Existing subscribers from systems such as Piano or Naviga can be transitioned and then converted into donors or members.
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Supporter uses Flip-Pay's adaptive response technology to message different cohorts at different points in their user journey.
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It can run subscriptions and donations in parallel, with smart features such as automatic print entitlements for major donors.
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It delivers live analytics and financial reporting directly into the publisher's ERP and data lake.
Publishers can also manage wider reader operations through Flip-Pay, including registrations, identity management, payment processing, and e-edition access in partnership with PageSuite, allowing them to replace multiple third-party providers with a single streamlined infrastructure.
Flip-Pay Supporter is available now and can be implemented quickly to publishers of any size.