Fundraising for Journalism 101: A crash course in developing a development plan for philanthropic support of your newsroom

More familiar with the inverted pyramid than the giving pyramid? This session will help newsroom leaders start to formulate strategies for attracting philanthropic support for their journalism.

News organizations — both nonprofit and for-profit outlets — are increasingly turning to philanthropy to support their journalism. This workshop will walk leaders through the process of creating their own development programs to support public-service reporting. The session will be based on the core tenets of the giving pyramid, which focuses on engaging both a small number of major donors and a wide swath of community grassroots supporters.

Experienced development professionals will lead the participants through exercises to define key terms, develop a menu of options for support, identify prospects, and create a stewardship program. Participants will learn about ethical fundraising practices and how to effectively engage journalists in the fundraising efforts.

This session is aimed at newsroom leaders with little to no development experience who recognize that philanthropy will be a key pillar of revenue strategies for all newsrooms as advertising dollars continue to disappear. Participants will come away with concrete strategies for how to implement successful development practices in their organizations.

Suggested Speaker(s)

  • Annie McCain Madonia
    Chief Advancement Officer, The Lenfest Institute
  • Rebecca Forman
    Director of Advancement, The Lenfest Institute