Beyond the Paywall: Your June membership and audience to-dos

Registration is now open for the Independent News Sustainability Summit! *happy dance* You don’t want to miss the early-bird pricing.

General Admission (for LION and News Revenue Hub members): ($̶105) $55
General Admission (for non-members): ($155) $105
LION Awards Ceremony + Dinner: $35

In case you need a refresher, this is a first-of-its-kind conference unapologetically dedicated to revenue, sustainability and operational resilience for independent newsrooms. Taking place Oct. 27-29 in Austin, TX, this in-person gathering is uniquely designed to bring together newsroom team members from business, audience and operations to learn how to create more cohesive cross-department processes and strategies.

We are co-hosting alongside our friends at LION Publishers and RevLab at The Texas Tribune, with generous underwriting provided by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and The Lenfest Institute. You can find additional summit details on our website.

And now on to your June to-dos — and a warm welcome to Indian Country Today and Epicenter-NYC, the newest orgs to join the Hub!

Stacy Fernández
Marketing & Communications Manager

📊 It’s the middle of the year — are you on track with your goals? I know, it feels like we just told you to check in on your membership revenue and audience goals, but the time has come once again. Do a temperature check on your budget. If you’re not where you expected to be, see what you can do to course correct and communicate your progress to the relevant stakeholders. If you need outside help to rethink your strategy, reach out to us. Shameless plug, I know, but this is what we love to do — help newsrooms reach their goals whether it’s through one-on-one consulting or modules to bolster your team’s skills (including how to improve newsletters and optimizing your lead generation strategy).

👯 Get those matching funds! Having a match is one of the most powerful incentives you can offer donors during a campaign. People are more motivated to donate (and feel extra good about it) when their contribution is going twice or even three times as far. While you’re in between campaigns, take the time to reach out to potential major donors whose donations can be used later as a match. We suggest identifying people on your current donor list who may have the capacity to give more than they already are, such as someone who’s made two $500 gifts this year or who is a $100 monthly member.

☀️ Start thinking of your summer campaign theme. If you’re planning a summer campaign, now is a great time to define its focus. Summer campaigns can be shorter (to prevent campaign fatigue), highly specific and more experimental. Get in touch if you’d like some ideas.

If you want to explore how the News Revenue Hub’s services and campaign support can help you get back on track to reach your goals, learn more here. On average, members see a 68% revenue increase following their first calendar year with the Hub. 

We are excited to welcome two high-impact newsrooms — Indian Country Today and Epicenter-NYC — to the News Revenue Hub. Both newsrooms do vital, community-focused reporting to serve communities of color and fill critical information gaps.

• Indian Country Today is a 40-year-old independent, non-profit newsroom dedicated to covering the Indigenous world. Led by President and CEO Karen Michel, Ho-Chunk, ICT reports on issues that affect Indigenous communities, from elections to climate change and from treaty rights to COVID-19. In addition to its website, Indian Country Today distributes a weekly newsletter and a half-hour weekday broadcast carried on 97 tribal radio stations and 39 public television stations in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
• Epicenter-NYC is an innovative community journalism initiative based in Jackson Heights, Queens. Started by media veteran Mitra Kalita, Epicenter began as a newsletter to connect Kalita’s neighbors during the pandemic. In addition to original reporting, the Epicenter-NYC team offers readers access to public documents they can use to improve their neighborhoods. Epicenter also runs a podcast and hosts community forums with the goal of rethinking how news organizations collect, share and act on information vital to communities.

Both organizations joined the Hub at our highest level of support with a goal to strengthen and financially sustain their newsrooms. They’ll get a dedicated project manager who will help them set data-driven goals for the next year, using a set of tools, reports, and guidance from the Hub. They’ll also receive hands-on support from our 10-person team of membership and audience development experts, as well as training to deepen their relationships with readers and increase revenue.