The manager who launched an online campaign to raise money for workers at Bainbridge Bakers said the effort to cover employees’ paychecks was seen as a quick fix while the search continues to find a more solid financial footing for the downtown Winslow institution.

Employees at Bainbridge Bakers have started raising money online late Monday to help support the longtime Winslow bakery, which they say is necessary to keep the business open and pay employees.

Ben Goldsmith, a bakery employee, set up a GoFundMe account Monday evening, and said $100,000 is needed to save the business. He said he knew it “wouldn’t be everyone’s favorite idea” and that staff knew opinions would fly, especially online.

“There’s been some serious negativity to the idea, a lot of which is valid — I mean, a business coming to a community for donations is a pretty silly idea,” said Goldsmith, a senior front staff manager. “Many people have pointed out that a business is a business, and it should rest on its laurels. They’re not wrong, but these are desperate times.”

Goldsmith said he has been a staff manager at Bainbridge Bakery since September.

In the initial appeal for financial support, Goldsmith said the business had major financial problems that was mostly due to “massive theft.”

The bakery’s owner, Mike Loudon, has been on the search for personal loans and equity partners that ended with a lot of leads and many dead ends, Goldsmith said.

“This search is still continuing. As the manager of the front staff, employees are constantly in communication with me, and I know we don’t have the time to wait for an investor,” Goldsmith said.

“They’re tired, they’ve been dealing with a litany of personal issues and struggles, and many of them are supporting families. The GoFundMe was launched very quickly as a way to make actual money that the employees can see, instead of waiting for some investor they’ll probably never meet. If everyone receives their full paycheck, it’s my belief that with the restructuring of the business that’s already in effect, our staff will keep on keeping on.

“It’s a drastic, wacky, unconventional idea, but it’s fast, and it harnesses the very real power of this community,” he said.

As of now, the payroll has 26 employees, some who are struggling greatly, Goldsmith said. One particular employee was recently in a car accident and is making payments on her car. Another has a parent struggling with cancer.

The money, Goldsmith said, goes to those who are working hard to keep the bakery open.

In his online appeal for donations, Goldsmith admitted the situation was dire for employees.

“So, here’s a pretty unprofessional last resort. We’ve been overjoyed to serve the community all these years, and with great humility we ask for the community to serve us,” he wrote online. “Your contribution isn’t going to some investor, tax collector, or freaking Comcast. It’s going directly to alleviate the current payroll problem. Instantly. Debt gone. We’ll be able to reposition, keep all your favorite baristas there, and continue on.”

In his online appeal, Goldsmith said the bakery’s troubles were due to theft.

But it’s not immediately clear what type of theft that has left the business reeling.

Bainbridge Police Chief Matthew Hamner said there have been no significant reports of theft from the business that have been filed with the department, although a report on a theft totaling $159 was made in January.

Goldsmith said late Tuesday that “police have determined theft is unrecoverable losses and there’s not enough evidence to bring charges.”

In his online appeal for donations, Goldsmith said that money raised would be used to keep open the bakery’s flagship location on Winslow Green.

The bakery’s new store, at Island Gateway near the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, has been temporarily closed, he said in an update on the GoFundMe appeal, “after not meeting projections for its business model.”

“Bainbridge Bakers is a thriving institution, but our second location failed. It was closed slightly after it was too late for it not to affect the first location. We’ve since developed a specific plan to restructure the Island Gateway location to be a thriving and profitable food and beverage operation, but getting our flagship location in order is our priority, and that’s what this campaign is for,” the online appeal noted.

“This money is also not going into anyone’s pockets other than the employees who have been working to keep Bainbridge Bakers open. And it’s a lot of people — at our highest, we had 60 people on payroll, working around the clock. We’re still reeling from the stress of dealing with that employment.”

The GoFundMe campaign has received 83 donations and raised $7,105 by Wednesday morning.

The online appeal can be read at http://www.gofundme.com/ruqzkk. The bakery has also posted a link on its Facebook page.