For my birthday this year, I’m asking for a little help to fund my trip to SporcleCon in August.

You might have a few questions:

What is SporcleCon, anyway?

Sporcle.com is a trivia website where I volunteer as a Curator, reviewing user-made quizzes on specific topics and helping the best ones get more recognition—sometimes even making it to the site’s front page. I’ve spent a lot of time on Sporcle, not just as a Curator but also as a user, creating interesting quizzes and learning from others. It’s a welcoming, positive community that has been a bright spot for me in this current hellscape of existence. Every year, Sporcle hosts a convention, and this year it’s in Chicago. I finally have the chance to go and meet people I’ve only known by screen names and icons, and I’m really excited about that.

So what’s the problem?

When SporcleCon 2025 was announced last November, I had a job and a healthy savings cushion, so I bought my ticket, booked a room, and got a flight—everything was set. Unfortunately, I was laid off in January. I hoped to find another job quickly, but nearly six months later, the search has been brutal, and my savings have been drained on little things like, you know, food and rent. The credit card I used to reserve my hotel is now nearly maxed out, and I don’t have the funds to pay for the room or food while I’m there. I could refund my flight and sell my con ticket, but realistically, this might be the only SporcleCon I ever get to attend.

What does this have to do with you?

I know times are tough for many people, and there are folks in dire need of financial help. If you can only help one of us, please help them first. But if you have $10 to spare as a birthday gift, I would appreciate it so much. It would help me keep this one bright spot alive and let me finally meet the community I’ve spent so much time with.