October 27, 2020

NewsMatch is just a few days away, but don't worry, we're here to help and keep you focused. The purpose of this email series is to guide you through the next few months and break down this intense campaign into bite-sized chunks. Every week, you'll receive an email in your inbox from me (Christina) and Courtney (👋).

We'll walk through the week's fundraising assignments so you know what to accomplish. If anyone on your team should be receiving these emails, have them sign up here. And if you feel like this is just going to clutter your inbox, feel free to unsubscribe. No hard feelings here.

Breathe in. Breathe out. You can do this! 

Christina Shih
Campaign Toolkit Extraordinaire & VP of Business Development at News Revenue Hub
The Basics
In this section, we've listed the bare minimum of what you should do to run your NewsMatch campaign. If you don't have a lot of time on your hands, focus on this section to stay organized and up to date. 
— Oct. 27 to Oct. 30
— Nov. 1 or Nov. 2
— Nov. 3 or Nov. 4
  • Send out your second pitch and suppress people who have already given (Email #2)
  • Promote your campaign on social media using this guide
Pro Tips! ☝️
We'll use this section to provide additional insight into campaign resources and share tips on what you can do to make them your own.


It's ok to be vulnerable. The first two pitches kick off the campaign. Email #1 helps readers understand the critical and unique role that nonprofit news organizations have played this year. We have an optional prompt suggesting that you include a sentence describing any financial hardships you've experienced this year. This is a very vulnerable approach to your pitch, but it is designed to help readers understand their role as news consumers. Your reporting may be free to consume, but quality reporting takes money. Make this point authentically.

Highlight the hard work you've done. Email #2 is slated for Election Day (or shortly after), so the focus of the pitch is on the role that journalism plays in our democracy. We encourage you to customize this pitch based on your reporting. The election isn't just about the Presidential race. Many state and local races will have a huge impact on your reader's lives. Make this pitch fit your mission and tone.
Take it a step further ...
Here, we'll provide advanced tips and opportunities to get the most out of NewsMatch. I'm sure your plate is already full and you may not be able to get to them all — try just tackling just one!
Segment your audience.
It's important to acknowledge someone's relationship with your organization. Here are sample segments and ways to acknowledge them:
  • Have the executive director or publisher personally email or call major donors. Provide your ED/ Publisher with a list, a script, and a specific ask! Make sure each phone call has an objective. Have them report back to you on how each phone call went and if a gift is secured or a pledge is likely. 
  • Thank existing donors for their current support and ask them to give above and beyond.
  • Remind lapsed donors that their renewed support is critical to the campaign.
  • Ask lower-level donors to increase their gift amount. 
  • Ask one-time donors to start making a monthly contribution — these donations will get match 12x
Schedule a time with us to review your donation flow.
Schedule a one-on-one session with Kay Lima, INN's Director of Technology, to make your donation flow a better experience for your readers (leading to more donations!), easier to manage on the back-end, and measurable with analytics. Schedule a session →
Get your team together.
Who else can help you with the campaign, and how can they help you? Some ideas.
  • Give reporters and editors a rundown of the campaign. Bring them up to speed on what your campaign goals are. Give them sample social media talking points and graphics so they can spread the word to their followers. 
  • Prep your Board of Directors with their own toolkit. Modify one of the email appeals and let them use it as an email template to send to their colleagues and network. Create a prospect list of major donors or people you want them to reach out to and give them their portfolio assignments. 
  • Ask loyal readers or donors to give you testimonials. Weave that into your social media posts. 
  • Ask some of your most loyal supporters to run a peer to peer campaign on NewsMatch.org (GiveGab).
Exchange ideas on how to secure local matches.
Some organizations use their participation in NewsMatch to secure additional matches from individual donors, foundations, major donors, or businesses to increase their match cap or match ratio.

Join us tomorrow, October 28, at 1 pm ET / 10 am PT for an informal information exchange. We'll review simple action items you can take to help identify and solicit local funders and open the floor for you to share what has worked (or hasn't) for your organization. Register →

Invite other team members to subscribe and receive weekly assignments from NewsMatch by sharing this link.

🔗 Quick Links!


Questions? Send us an email at hello@newsmatch.org.
Why did I get this? You received this email because you are listed as a NewsMatch 2020 contact for your organization. If you were sent this message in error, please contact hello@newsmatch.org.