Ah, summer. 

The weather is getting hotter. The cicadas are out in full force here on the East Coast. And the News Philanthropy Network and our partners are opening up applications for our next two fundraising courses: Fundraising Fundamentals and Deepening Major Donor Relationships. 

Full details about both courses are below, but, as always, the courses are free and open to all to apply. 

We’ve also created a short survey to get your feedback and thoughts on the potential for the News Philanthropy Network Summit, a virtual convening solely dedicated to discussing fundraising in news, which we’re planning for later this fall. Keep scrolling for more. 

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns – I’m at [email protected]. 

Thanks!

– Joseph Lichterman, The Lenfest Institute 

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Apply for new News Philanthropy Network Courses 

Fundraising Fundamentals: Launching a Successful Development Program

Thursdays July 8-29 at 1pm EDT 

This four-week introductory course is designed for journalists or media professionals who are new to fundraising. Philanthropy is becoming an increasingly important part of news organizations’ revenue mix — no matter if they are for-profit or non-profit — and the course will provide participants with key skills and infrastructure best practices to begin to build their own fundraising programs. 

Anna Barber, President and Principal Consultant of Barber & Associates, will lead the course, drawing on her years of experience as a fundraising consultant, frontline fundraiser at the Smithsonian Institution, the National Museum of African American History and Culture and college athletics. Over the four week course, Anna will introduce participants to the core principles of fundraising. 

Deepening Major Donor Relationships with RevLab at The Texas Tribune

Thursdays July 29-Aug 19 at 3pm EDT

This training is designed for media executives and development staff with experience cultivating major gifts, who want to optimize their programs and tailor their approach for newsroom funding. This program can be a next step for those who have completed The Lenfest News Philanthropy Network’s introductory major gift pipeline program or fundraisers from other industries who are new to journalism.  

During this four-part course, you will work with experienced fundraising professionals who will share insights they’ve developed supporting journalism organizations. Led by Terry Quinn, chief development officer of The Texas Tribune, the course draws heavily on methods developed over the Tribune’s 11-year history. Terry will be joined by guests from other news outlets and organizations, including The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Lenfest Institute. This course is produced by RevLab at The Texas Tribune.

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Help us plan the News Philanthropy Network Summit

We’re in the early stages of planning a virtual News Philanthropy Network Summit for this fall. We’re envisioning a mix of hands-on practical sessions, inspirational keynote presentations, and small group discussions, but we want to make sure that the Summit meets your needs and is a valuable experience. 

And we’d love your help. 

Would you be able to take this short survey to let us know whether you’d be interested in a News Philanthropy Network Summit and what kind of programming you’d like? You can also let us know here if you’d tentatively be interested in pitching or leading a session. (We’ll have a more formal process for pitching sessions later this summer!) 

Do you feel like the News Philanthropy Network Summit would be a good use of your time? Are you sick of Zoom conferences? What kind of programming would you like to see?

Let us know!

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Other News and Notes

• Our friends at INN are hosting their annual INN Days conference this week on Wednesday and Thursday. There are numerous sessions on fundraising that NPN members will find valuable, and best of all the conference is free — sign up here. 
• Our pals at ONA are hosting a networking and idea-sharing meetup for news leaders and business managers to discuss revenue and sustainability strategies. The News Revenue and Sustainability Idea Swap is this Thursday at 2pm EDT and it’s free to attend. Register here. 
• A job opportunity! Bitch Media is looking for an Executive Director. Learn more here. The deadline to apply is June 18. (Do you have a job opportunity to share? Let us know! We’d be happy to pass it along!)