Staff of a Texas magazine are close to their target after raising US$336,564 (A$501,000) in four days to avoid redundancies and prolong the life of their publication.

Former managing director James Canup launched the GoFundMe appeal seeking US$350,000 to support the Texas Observer, which is published by the nonprofit Texas Democracy Foundation.

From initial $100 donations, the fund has grown with $200,000 promised in the first day. He told Chron’s Ariana Garcia he hoped the “massive and generous public response” would prompt the foundation to change its decision to lay off staff and cease publication. “If that happens, all of the funds raised will be transferred to the Texas Democracy Foundation and will be restricted for spending exclusively on supporting staff – namely, payroll and benefits for current employees."

He said that if the closure went ahead, funds would be distributed among all staff.

However, Canup is hopeful. “It seems to me that it will be hard for the foundation to shut it down and lay people off in light of this overwhelming surge of public support for the Texas Observer and its staff.”

Editorial leaders of the magazine had sent a formal proposal to the foundation's board, outlining steps to delay layoffs and ultimate closure. Their requests included the resignation of members of the board who voted for closure, appointing a staff member to the board as a voting member and recruiting one or more nationally-known journalists with experience in assisting journalism nonprofits in times of crisis.

Pictured: Observer staff pose for a picture