I believe that's a risk and some projects have probably not managed it well. For what it's worth, I've been happy with the half-dozen or so projects I support o

I believe that's a risk and some projects have probably not managed it well. For what it's worth, I've been happy with the half-dozen or so projects I support on Patreon, so it's certainly not a universal failing. I think it's important for the creators to phrase it as supporting a work that is already free, rather than as charging for providing a service.