Well, that's sorta what I'm more familiar with - the 'dana' model - there's plenty of sangha orgs that have operated online during the pandemic (e.g. https://sfdharmacollective.org ).

The teachers may also have other offerings that are more paid upfront that are more 1-on-1 or small groups.

"What we are trying to do is bridge the gap for people who find traditional techniques challenging so that they can avoid the discouraging feeling of “I’m doing this wrong” and empower them to develop their own mindfulness practice. Another thing we do to support our users in the early stages of practice is provide a community in which they can share their experiences and get encouragement to keep going."

Part of me has a visceral pushback, but I understand this may work for some people. I just hope, out of respect, there's a pointer to the traditional techniques for those realizing that this practice may not be the right fit for some. The worst thing you can do is dissuade people or disrespect neighboring teachers (see https://seattleyoganews.com/northwest-yoga-conference-incide... ).

Absolutely! While we are crafting an experience we hope resonates for people for whom the traditional teachings have not, we certainly pay homage to where the traditions come from when we talk about the practice, for example at the start of class, or in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUJhfjxvNDE&feature=youtu.be or in this blog post https://chorusmeditation.com/blog/founder-friday-mk-on-our-p...

I highly doubt that they will become "immeasurably wealthy" from donations, it is extremely rare to see that happen. If they offer a good service then they should charge for it, and use that money to continue the service.

That's actually an amazing idea hahah!!