Collaboration has become a hallmark of newsrooms around the world as the journalists have realized that they are often stronger working as a team. That same approach is now spreading to news fundraising as publishers have learned that there are significant benefits to working together. 

This July, the Lenfest News Philanthropy Network is hosting two free conversations about approaches to collaborative fundraising in New Hampshire and Chicago. 

On Tuesday Jul 19, 2022 at 1 p.m. EDT, leaders from the Granite State News Collaborative, The Concord Monitor, and The Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications will share insights into how they organized the inaugural New Hampshire News Philanthropy Summit, a gathering to introduce local funders and supporters to local journalism initiatives. The team will share insights into the planning process and what the response has been since the event in May. 

On Friday Jul 29, 2022 at 1 p.m. EDT the organizers of the Chicago Independent Media Alliance will join us to discuss their approach to collaborative fundraising, which has involved dozens of outlets in Chicago. Together, they’ve raised more than $330,000 over the past two years, and they’ll share more about how they’ve worked together.

Both discussions are free and open to all to attend. More details are below.

Behind the scenes of the New Hampshire News Philanthropy Summit

In May 2022, more than 50 journalists, funders, and local leaders gathered in New Hampshire to discuss how local communities can come together to support local journalism that enhances civic engagement and provides trustworthy news and information. 

The inaugural New Hampshire News Philanthropy Summit was organized by the Granite State News Collaborative, The Concord Monitor, and The Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications to showcase local journalism initiatives from across the state that have benefited from philanthropic support. 

On Tuesday Jul 19, 2022 at 1 p.m. EDT, the team that organized the Summit will join the News Philanthropy Network for a behind-the-scenes conversation about their planning process, what they learned from the event, and how they’ve continued the conversation with funders in the state. 

Panelists will include Granite State News Collaborative Director Melanie Plenda, Concord Monitor Publisher Steve Leone, and Laura Simoes, executive director of the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications. Solutions Journalism Network Collaborative Manager Leah Todd Lin will moderate the discussion. 

The event is free and open to all to attend. Register here.

How the Chicago Independent Media Alliance raised more than $330,000 for dozens of local outlets

The Chicago Independent Media Alliance is a collaboration of 69 independent Chicago Media Outlets representing more than 80 titles. In spring 2020, during the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, CIMA created an emergency joint fundraising campaign for its members. It repeated the campaign again in 2021. 

The CIMA collaborative fundraiser is unique because donors could choose to donate to a particular organization, multiple outlets at the same time, or have their donation split among the participating outlets. During the 2021 campaign, two-thirds of donors chose to have their donation shared among all the partners. CIMA’s shared messaging focused on the value of independent local media and how outlets are serving communities across the city. It helped individuals across the city learn about the breadth and diversity of the media in Chicago. Together, the outlets raised more than $330,000 during both fundraising campaigns. 

On Friday Jul 29, 2022 at 1 p.m. EDT, leaders from the Chicago Reader, which organized the joint fundraising campaign, will join the News Philanthropy Network for a discussion on how they organized the joint fundraising campaign. They’ll share insights into how they managed the messaging, coordinated between dozens of different partners, leveraged matching funds to amplify the work, and more. 

Joining us will be Chicago Reader Publisher and President Tracy Baim, Media Collaborations Manager Yazmin Dominguez, and CIMA Manager Savannah Hugueley. 

The conversation is free and open to all. 

Register here.