Recording Link; Passcode: Sk4q&597
Slide Deck
EXAMPLES
- Post & Courier’s Best Practices from Make the Ask for Journalism on Giving Tuesday
- Tell the “story” of the value your journalism provides to the community.
- Be public and transparent with how much you’re seeking to raise and why, and how you’ll put that money to work for the community.
- Consider explaining what goes into quality, trustworthy local journalism.
- Track and measure your campaign to see which messages and which methods (email, social, paid marketing, display) perform best. Then do more of what works.
- Don’t wait to make the ask. The Post and Courier began its messaging two weeks in advance — and also included a “last chance” day of giving, the day after.
- Thank your donors, with an immediate response and follow-up.
- Tampa Bay Times
- They run a week-long online crowdfunding, usually the last week of May. They have raised more than $100,000 in the past two years.
- They do a heavy ad campaign during the week of the fundraising but also leading up to it.
- Saturday a week before start, their Editor announces the campaign in the weekly Best of Times newsletter.
- Sunday before, they run a full-page ad to announce the campaign. (ad attached)
- Email to all subscribers.
- Special email to donors and announcement in the donor newsletter.
- All social media.
- The week of the campaign, they run ads every day with different journalists giving a quote.
- The editor and other leaders respond with a personal thank you to every single donation.
- CT Mirror
- The Gavel Give to raise funds for legislative coverage
- See for campaign schedule and more: https://membershipguide.org/case-study-tag/growing-our-membership/
- Pre-launch appeal, Launch appeal, Appeal 1, Appeal 2, Appeal 3
- Daily Hampshire Gazette
- article
- Campaign was driven primarily through direct appeals from publisher Michael Moses to readers on multiple platforms. This includes two letters to readers in all pioneer valley publications, in print, online, within app, and through email.
- Campaign announcement: https://www.gazettenet.com/Guest-column-Michael-Moses-33748160
- Raised $22,000 with 300 donors in under a week; in total raised $81,457 from 864 supporters
- Also published a thank you ad which includes a note from the publisher to readers, along with a number of the personal notes of support from folks that donated. They published an updated version weekly.
- Editor’s Thank you: https://www.gazettenet.com/Editor-s-note-34003899
- Klamath Falls Herald and News
- Editor Tim Trainor wrote In Season of Giving, Don’t forget journalism
- Examiner Media
- https://givebutter.com/theexaminernews
- Publisher Adam Stone wrote Op-Ed in the paper about saving journalism
- Personal outreach to individuals he corresponded with regularly as a local publisher; introduced topic/recent article first before asking for money directly
- Planned a cadence of regular content related to the fund, including columns from other staff members (example)
- Asked employees to email people they thought might donate
- Thank you article