mediadev library

The Nonprofit News Guide to Earned Revenue: How You Can Build Advertising, Sponsored Content, Event Sponsorship Dollars and More Into Major and Sustainable Sources of Revenue

Institute for Nonprofit News, updated ed. (2022), 65 pp.

The State of Nonprofit News: Rising to New Challenges and Public Needs in a Crisis Year

Institute for Nonprofit News (2021), 16 pp.

"The INN Index is the most comprehensive study of the state of nonprofit news. Since 2018, the Institute for Nonprofit News has conducted this annual Index survey of its nonprofit news organization members to evaluate the staffing, business models, financials, and editorial focus of newsrooms in the ... more

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How Sahan Journal Built Community Support to Grow Revenue by 50% in One Year

Katie Hawkins-Gaar

Institute for Nonprofit News (2021), 16 pp.

"The nonprofit news outlet, dedicated to providing coverage for and about immigrants and Minnesotans of color, launched in August 2019 with just one salaried employee—its founder and editor, Mukhtar Ibrahim. Two years later, the news outlet had 11 salaried employees and three contractors. The digi ... tal news organization is a fundraising powerhouse. In 2019, Sahan Journal brought in nearly $500,000 from supporters, including contributions from foundations and individuals. In 2020, it raised over $770,000 in total revenue, more than a 50% increase from the year before. And as of July 2021, it’s up to $1,240,000 in revenue. Compared with other local and state news outlets also founded in 2019, Sahan Journal has brought in roughly quadruple the median amount of revenue. And there’s more: Sahan Journal has dramatically grown its audience. In its first year of publication, Sahan Journal’s monthly uniques more than quadrupled and its email newsletter subscribers increased by 1,400%. And, as the audience grew, so did individual donations. The number of donors more than tripled from 253 in 2019 to 785 in 2020. One of the most important ways that Sahan Journal has achieved such financial success is by participating in NewsMatch, a collective fundraising campaign that pools matching gifts from national, regional, and local funders to inspire millions of small donations to support nonprofit journalism. During its first NewsMatch campaign, from Nov. 1 to Dec. 31, 2019, Sahan Journal raised $25,500 in individual donations. The following year, the nonprofit raised more than $58,000 in eligible donations during NewsMatch and—more notably—leveraged the program learnings to establish best fundraising practices and launch its own small-dollar donor fundraising campaigns. In total, Sahan Journal raised $110,000 from individual giving in 2020. Organizations like Sahan Journal that participate in NewsMatch don’t just receive matching funds. As part of the program, they are required to be members of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), which means they participate alongside a cohort of hundreds of other nonprofit news outlets. They also receive training resources and fundraising support from INN and learning partners like the News Revenue Hub. Altogether, participating organizations receive unrestricted financial support, new skills and tools to strengthen fundraising capabilities, and valuable engagement with supporters who care about quality news. This case study outlines Mukhtar’s vision, details how he and his staff have raised funds, and includes advice and tips for other news outlets looking to build support from individual donors and major funders." (Pages 1-2) more

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Startup Guide

Beverly Hills, CA: Institute for Nonprofit News (2020)

"The Startup Guide is our attempt to curate the information and tools we think are essential to launch an independent newsroom and leading a successful enterprise well beyond startup. The areas of focus include business planning, audience development, revenue generation and nonprofit management. All ... more

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VTDigger: A Rising Star in Nonprofit News

Tim Griggs

Institute for Nonprofit News; Politics and Public Policy Shorenstein Center on Media (2018), 35 pp.