A moment of petty frustration: I run a Kanji a Day tumblr and have for several years. It has more than 11,000 followers. But when I've run a Patreon for it - with bonus material even at the $1 level - I've been unable to get above $10 per month in pledges from readers.
I ran a survey; >90% of people who took it said they wouldn't support KAD financially, even when "I want to but can't afford it" was an option.