No one on staff at Isthmus is a professional fundraiser. We have people focused on generating revenue by selling sponsorships to local businesses and organizations. But no professional fundraisers focused solely on generating donations from readers, donors and foundations.
Yet we are all invested in bringing money into the organization to fund our journalism. That’s the deal we agreed to when we transitioned from a private company to 501(c)(3) nonprofit. For me that means that alongside writing and editing I have spent a fair amount of time over the last month reaching out to donors for our year-end fundraiser, and helping put together a community match that capitalizes on the matching funds available to us under the umbrella of the Institute for Nonprofit’s NewsMatch campaign ($13,000 from INN and $15,000 from the Loud Hound Foundation).
Some of these dedicated donors I have known for years. They know of Isthmus’ ongoing commitment to independent journalism and also how hard it has become to succeed in media these days. One couple, both journalists themselves, responded to my letter with a generous donation and very kind words. “[We] strongly believe in supporting local journalism and are painfully aware the old models just aren’t working anymore. Kudos to all of you for finding another path.
“Again, thanks for reaching out,” they continued. “Shine a light in the darkness and keep at it! We’re happy to be part of this journey.”
That phrase — “Happy to be part of this journey” — struck a chord with me. Isthmus IS on a journey and a very different path than it was on for 45 or so years under private ownership. During that time the paper swelled in the good times, flush with job ads and personals, and struggled in the hard times, especially when Craiglist disrupted classified advertising. But except for the very first years of Isthmus’ existence, the staff has never been this small or the future this uncharted.
As I wrote in last month’s column, we are very much still finding our way in this new world, taking deliberate steps to build out our organization, create benefits for our hard-working employees, further refine our content offerings and yes, expand our fundraising capabilities. It’s a very good sign that we have supporters who feel invested in that journey and want to come along for the ride.
Jason Joyce, Isthmus publisher, is leading our year-end fundraising campaign, and Mark Clear, who has been mostly focused on ad sales since coming on board about a year ago, has also been reaching out to donors. And we have made some good progress since Nov. 1 when we launched the campaign. About 40 local leaders so far have heeded our call to be part of a community match, which bears fruit in a couple of ways — donations are tripled, not just doubled, and it makes us eligible for additional grant money from the Knight Foundation. See facing page for a current list of our community match partners.
Part of that community match is a pooled contribution from our board of directors. Dan Koehn, vice president of the board and fundraiser by profession, got the ball rolling on that effort. “I’m honored to serve on a board where each director has made a meaningful donation that holds personal significance,” he says. “Our collective contributions are essential as they demonstrate our unwavering dedication to Isthmus’ mission, mirror our steadfast commitment to local journalism, and set a powerful example for others to follow. By investing financially, board members not only align our values with the mission but also serve as ambassadors, nurturing trust and gaining support from potential donors and stakeholders.”
As I’ve noted no one on staff is a professional fundraiser, but we’ve learned a few things since we became a nonprofit. One reason people donate is because they have a personal, sometimes deep, connection to your organization. That clearly motivated one couple this year to become first-time contributors to Isthmus. “[We] arrived in Madison for graduate school in January 1975 and here have remained all these subsequent years,” they wrote in a letter with their donation. “We have been avid Isthmus readers since its 1976 founding and estimate we could count on one hand the number of issues missed. Someone would always save us a copy if we were out of town.
“We have never financially supported Isthmus in the past: just so easy to pick up at the store!” they continued. “However, the thought always remained that we must do something for an organization that provided so much enjoyment. We were heartbroken when Isthmus ceased publication during the pandemic and happy to see its return to print. At some point we hope weekly publication resumes. Until then we will enjoy our monthly Isthmus! Enclosed is a check. Thanks to all the current and past Isthmus employees and contributors!”
There is still plenty of time to both join the community match and/or make a year-end donation. Please consider becoming part of the Editor’s Club for a minimum donation of $1,000. That group will gather at least twice in 2024 with Isthmus staff and board members. You can contact me directly about that at jdavidoff@isthmus.com.
As always, there are opportunities to join Isthmus at other levels and if you are not already a member, please consider joining now. The monthly donations are considered part of the matching requirements for NewsMatch. This past year we added a third option for membership: the Yahara level, at $25/month or $250 a year. The Monona ($12/month or $120 a year) and Mendota ($70/month or $700 a year) membership levels remain.
These sustaining memberships are extremely important to our organization as the proceeds provide continued support from year to year. Members are alerted annually before their memberships renew and can terminate membership at any time.
One perk of membership has proven extremely popular: a sneak preview of the print issue. The day before the paper hits the streets each month, we email a PDF of the issue to members. While I love print, a digital copy of the actual paper is pretty cool too. The cover illustration pops, the colors are vivid and it’s fun to digitally flip through the pages. Members also get invites to enter drawings for tickets to local performances and other events and opportunities to meet with staff.
Of course the main reason to donate is to support independent journalism on issues that matter to you. Like this month’s cover story on social housing by staff writer Eric Murphy, who reports on a new approach by the city to address Madison’s housing crisis. Eric was able to identify this trend because he has been closely following housing issues since joining the staff in early 2023. While a lot of recent coverage has focused on the housing crisis itself — low housing stock, rising house prices, out-of-control rents — what I like about Eric’s piece is that it shines a light on one way the city is trying to tackle the problem. It’s a great example of solutions reporting.
We are thrilled to be closing out another year and excited to continue this work in 2024. I hope you come along for the journey.
