Here’s something most companies would never admit: we built something millions of people use, and we’ve never made a dime from it.
Not because we couldn’t figure out how to charge. Because we decided not to.
For nine years, Brian and Abigail, the co-founders of Goods Unite Us, have been covering the gap between what it costs to run this platform and what advertising brings in. That gap has never closed. Ad revenue doesn’t come close. The small group of amazing investors who believe in this mission have been subsidizing it too, along with our incredible team, who donate their time for this cause. And every year, we’ve made the same choice: keep it free.
That choice is why 3 million people have used Goods since the last Presidential election. It’s also why we’re writing this post.
The idea that started everything
In 2017, husband and wife team Brian Potts and Abigail Wuest launched Goods Unite Us with one goal: make corporate political spending impossible to ignore. Their first attempt, an Amazon-style store selling only products from Democratic-leaning companies, failed fast. People weren’t ready to shop somewhere new.
So they changed the approach. Instead of building a store, they built free phone apps and gave the data away. People could keep shopping wherever they wanted, and now they’d know exactly who their money was going to support.
It worked. Half a million users by 2018. Then they stopped advertising entirely in early 2019, and the app kept growing anyway, because once people find out this data exists, they don’t stop wanting it.
Then Trump got re-elected. The apps hit 150,000 downloads a month. By December 2024, they crossed 1 million total downloads. Today: 3 million users and counting.
What you actually have access to
Before we get to the ask, here’s a reminder of what Goods has built over the last nine years:
The website: Free. Covers over 5,000 brands and companies. Shows political giving to PACs and politicians and alternative brands to buy.
The apps: Free on iOS and Android. Rated 4.8/5 with over 40,000 App Store ratings. Search any brand and see where its money goes politically. Track eight social issues with premium. Now the apps also include Voting Report Cards for every federal politician: search a representative, tap Issues, and see exactly how they’ve voted on abortion, gun control, LGBTQ rights, the environment, DEI, Social Security, immigrant rights, and union support. All for free.
DEMZ: In 2020, Goods launched the Democratic Large-Cap Core Fund on NASDAQ (ticker: DEMZ). The goal was to create the S&P 500, minus the companies whose executives and PACs bankroll Republicans. Over its first five years, DEMZ outperformed the S&P 500 by 7.81%, delivering a total return of 113.38%. There’s now $65 million in the fund, but it won’t start fully covering its cost until it crosses about $80 million. The management fee is 0.45%.
IndexAlign: A platform that shows you the politics behind your financial portfolio. Because what you own matters as much as what you buy.
Goods built these tools that millions of people have used almost entirely from founder contributions, outside third-party investor money, and lots of donated time from dozens of wonderful people.
Why free has a cost
Money in politics works because it stays invisible. A company writes a check to a PAC, the PAC funds a politician, and consumers keep spending without knowing their dollars helped pay for it. The only way to create real financial consequences, the kind that make an executive think twice before writing the next check, is to get this information into enough hands that it can’t be ignored.
A paywall cuts the audience. A smaller audience means less pressure. Less pressure means nothing changes.
So we kept the door open. And we’ve been paying for it out of pocket.
The number: 1 in 100
If 1 out of every 100 people who use the Goods apps and website went premium, this company would be sustainable. Not someday. Now.
One percent. That’s all it takes.
We’re not asking you to fund a mission you don’t believe in. You already believe in it; you’re here. We’re asking the 1 in 100 who want to see Goods keep fighting, keep building, and keep the pressure on to make that one small move.
What happens if we don’t get there
We’ve never said this publicly before, so we’ll say it plainly: if the apps don’t reach profitability soon, we’re going to have to put a paywall for the iOS and Android apps up, potentially as early as January 1, 2027.
We don’t want to do that. It runs counter to everything we’ve built. So we’re telling you now, months in advance, because we’d rather give you the chance to prevent it than surprise you with it.
A few things worth knowing: the website will stay free regardless. And any user who goes premium before a paywall goes up locks in their access. But the goal isn’t to monetize the existing audience; it’s to stay free for the millions of people who haven’t found Goods yet.
That’s what’s actually at stake. Not your access. The next person’s.
Five ways to be part of the 1%
The fastest: Share the app with someone you know or on social media
More users mean more discussions about campaign finance and more pressure on brands as a result.
The best: Go Premium in the App — $4/month or $40/year
Premium unlocks the ability to filter every brand search by the specific issues you care about — gun control, reproductive rights, environmental policy, LGBTQ rights, and more. It’s $40 a year, which is less than most people spend on a single dinner out. And it’s the most surefire way to keep this platform running. It’s available in the menu and the Issues tab of any brand.
The coziest: Buy something from our store
Mugs, hats, totes, bomber jackets. Be a force for change in the world and look good while doing it.
Grab something from the store →
For investors: Subscribe to IndexAlign — $19/month
If you have money in the stock market, there’s a very good chance you’re currently funding politicians who oppose everything you stand for. IndexAlign shows you exactly which companies in your portfolio are doing it and helps you decide what to do about it. Investor activism is as powerful as consumer activism. This is the tool for it.
The one-off: Give Us Some Money
If you don’t want a subscription, a shirt, or a stock screener but do want to support this project, you can always just give us money. We are not a 501(c)(3) intentionally, but that just means you can’t get a tax deduction for your donation. You can still just support us.
Why this moment matters
The last two years have made it clear that money in politics isn’t slowing down. The companies funding the politicians who want to roll back your rights aren’t going to stop. The execs writing those checks aren’t going to stop.
But 3 million people now know who they are. And that number is growing.
The whole Goods team has subsidized that knowledge for nine years. The 1 in 100 who go premium make it permanent.
Your dollar has always been a vote. Now you can cast it with confidence.