First of all, there's no scam. He put himself out on a limb and could have been crucified as others have. It could have cost him his job and career. It has cost him research money, which still hasn't been fully replaced, and probably will cost more of that in the future as well.

Second, he has earned the support. Not only for the risk, but for the intellectual material he provides. His free lectures online before this whole thing are far better than most paid courses. The money he gets for research goes to grad students, not him. And, his other money is already planned and delivering, including:

1. Lectures about the psychology of biblical stories (2 done and free).
2. A series with Islamic thinkers about Islam and the West.
3. Making classic humanities education available world-wide.
4. Developing online software to teach people how to write well.
5. Developing/implementing a method of accrediting people for university-level online education.