Dear Reader,
I’m reaching out to everyone I count among our supporters and friends of Raleigh Public Record. We hope to figure out what is next in our goal to create a unique, dedicated, sustainable news organization for Raleigh. There’s a national conversation going on about what sustainability looks like for the relatively new nonprofit operations like ours, and that’s a debate that plays into our daily operations every day at our little office overlooking Glenwood Avenue.
Sustainability looks like an organization mainly supported by readers and local business sponsors, with some grants thrown into the mix for special projects and new initiatives. Right now, we rely pretty heavily on grants to bring you the day-to day reporting from city hall and around the city, but we need to flip that on its head.
So here’s my mission: I want to find 1,000 people to sign up to donate an average of $10 a month. That would bring in $120,000 a year and cover the bulk of our general operating costs.
I know some of you can do $5 a month, others can do $20, and you will be doing your part to support local public service journalism in Raleigh. For the price of a couple beers or a fancy cocktail downtown, you can help us continue to build our organization to bring our unique, local journalism to Raleigh for years to come.
Please consider signing up to help us support and grow our operation for the year ahead. I’ll also ask that you share this with your friends and colleagues to help us on this mission toward sustainability. If you have any questions about what we’re up to, our journalism, our mission or our goals, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me directly at editor[at]raleighpublicrecord.org.
Thank you,
Charles Duncan
Editor | Raleigh Public Record
