By Nancy West
Yeah, I used to sell encyclopedias so I should be able to separate you from your very generous donation.
Nancy West
Truth be told, I only sold one set before I was unceremoniously discharged. That was many years ago when you needed a wheelbarrow to move around that much information.
I will crawl over hot coals to get the facts I need for a story, but ask you for a dime? I get squeamish. So let’s make it $100,000 instead of a dime because that’s what we need to make our year-end goal. Or rather make that $98,600 because we’ve already raised $140.
Alright, money is no laughing matter at a nonprofit startup in a state where we are really just discovering the value nonprofit news can add to the media mix. We are the New Hampshire Center for Public Interest Journalism and we put our hearts and souls daily into our news website InDepthNH.org.
We need the money to pay our talented staff and hire a statehouse reporter, an environmental reporter and a fundraiser in 2017. We will always tell you where your money is being spent. As a nonprofit, I truly believe InDepthNH.org belongs to you.
It goes without saying (so why say it?) that the news business is in a huge transition. We believe the nonprofit model can help. We operate like public radio – we apply for grants, ask rich people for big donations, ask businesses to put their ads on our website and hope you will sign up for monthly donations. $5 a month from you would help. We give our stories to the news media for free.
Frankly, one millionaire would be good, too. And I would definitely craw over hot coals to find one billionaire who cares about news in New Hampshire and decides to throw money our way.
Some of you have given from your hearts already and Northeast Delta Dental has generously supported us with an ad. We thank you Northeast Delta Dental. We are growing now so it is time for us all to step up to the plate.
You deserve the best, most unbiased news. We know how to report and deliver it. We have been operating for over a year. We work mostly for free, but that’s really not a workable business model.
We know we can get there. I look to the VTDigger, a very successful nonprofit news outlet in Vermont, that has a $1 million budget after only six years in business.
We write news. We make cartoons and an easy to read website. We make podcasts.
We want to do more and we need money to do it. We need volunteers in all aspects of our production. Come help build news. Friend us on Facebook and share our stories. Maybe you know some of us already.
We are: Nancy West, Bob Charest, Roger Wood, Chris Jensen, Rene Philpott, Mike Marland, Monica Drahonovsky, Montana West, Susan Dromey Heeter, John Harrigan, Christine Schadler, Jen Hollidge, Sarah Freeman-Woolpert and David Lovlien Jr.
Call me if you want to volunteer. Nancy West 603-738-5635
Or if you want to make a large donation today on Giving Tuesday – too big for our donor page. I’ll bring my wheelbarrow.