What a week. As the country repeatedly hits the refresh button on election maps and Twitter, one thing is certain — nonprofit news has been an indispensable resource during this intense election season.

From voter guides to explanatory pieces breaking down the impacts of key races, to profiles of new city leadership and stories that go beyond Twitter's 280 character count and more, nonprofit news has guided us through every step of civic engagement.

Before we get into this week's assignment, we want to take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate the hard work and commitment you all have to your readers and community. This type of journalism is deserving of support, so don't hold back.  

If you ever need someone to help think through a fundraising idea or problem, know that we're here to support. Schedule a one-on-one session with a member of our team. In these sessions, we've done things like edit letters to solicit large donors, map out how to track donor data across multiple platforms, help determine when to (and not to) link to GiveGab, and strategize how to message your local match to readers.

As we've shared before, we're in this with you and are proud to support the amazing work you do.

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. We are following the suggested schedule on the 2020 Campaign Roadmap. Feel free to modify this schedule to fit your editorial workflow.

Pro Tips! ☝️

Reference your stories in your donor appeals, but don't link to them. Email #3 reinforces the sentiment we expressed in our intro note. Many things about the election are uncertain, but throughout it all, nonprofit journalism serves as a stable voice, backed by facts, data, and rigorous standards. This pitch is a chance to reference your reporting over the last week (but refrain from linking to them!) and keep communicating your value and mission to your readers. 

Pin a giving appeal on social media. With all eyes on Nevada, Jon Ralston's Twitter profile puts The Nevada Independent's call to action front and center. If you're seeing a surge in new followers on Twitter and Facebook, think about doing the same and point people directly to your giving page. It'll be the first post visitors see when looking for the latest coverage on your feed and can reinforce the importance of their support.

Send your pitch in the morning. At the end of the day, send another email to people who did not open your first appeal. This "fake forward" gets the email to the top of the reader's inbox and gives you another chance to pitch them again.

Help us spread good news.

Have you checked out the NewsMatch feed on Twitter and Facebook feed lately? Throughout the campaign, we will be looking for stories that illustrate the value of nonprofit news for the people, with the people. If you’ve published a story that you think we should highlight, send us a link here! Here are some ideas:

GivingTuesday (Dec. 1) is a global day of giving, inspiring millions of people to show support for the causes they care for. At NewsMatch, we’ve remixed this day to make it our own — #GivingNewsDay.

Giving Tuesday’s Celeste Flores, NewsMatch program manager Courtney Hurtt, and News Revenue Hub’s Christina Shih will be on the line to answer your questions and think through ideas on how you can leverage this global day of giving during your NewsMatch campaign.

We’ll also open the floor for you to share what has worked (or hasn’t) for your organization. Feel free to bring ideas to the workshop or questions to ask your fellow newsrooms!

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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.