If I were in their position, I'd try to swing the donation model. Reddit offers value and should receive value in return. There is nothing wrong with trying to

If I were in their position, I'd try to swing the donation model. Reddit offers value and should receive value in return. There is nothing wrong with trying to monetize an audience through advertising, but in some circumstances it is insulting to users. Reddit's value is derived from a strong sense of community and identification with that community: Secret Santa, University of Reddit, Reddit Island, and on and on. This spirit might not co-exist with aggressive advertising. There is also nothing wrong with a premium subscription, but I think the author of the linked post makes a clear case for why this is harmful to the Reddit community. Fundraising, however, would only tie the community together even more and intensify people's relationship with the site. Focus on the introducing the idea of ongoing donations into the culture, and focus on steering users away from the massive hive-mind sub-Reddits where there is less likely to be a sense of obligation to the site, and get more people involved in smaller Reddit communities where they are more likely to feel a personal connection. I'd hate to see Reddit die, but I'd really hate to see it ruined because they can't figure a congruous business model.