I think platforms like patreon are the real way forward. If you have a product or service that people want, you can even offer it for free, but people will support you financially if they believe in what you're doing. The added beauty of this is that there really is no upper limit. You could add an "ultra platinum" tier for $150 a month and one wealthy investor could make a huge difference in your project.

Also, I don't even think ads are the devil. I get why they exist, and I understand why they make so much money. I'm fine being advertised to, because I know what I'm interested in and am very skeptical. I think I've had one ad sway me into buying a product I'd never heard of until that point. What I do hate is when the actual advertised product takes a backseat to the massive amounts of data harvesting/brokerage that comes with the advertising industry.