Our examination of citizen-media business models would be incomplete without looking at the non-profit model for citizen journalism. While citJ is a field ripe for picking by media-savvy entrepreneurs and traditional for-profit media organizations, the public-service aspect is strong. Many individuals and organizations who see the value in citizen media will want to help it thrive -- and benefit their communities -- without the profit motive entering the picture.
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CitJ BUSINESS MODELS: ARTICLES IN THIS PACKAGE | |
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Some citJ non-profits exist as purely volunteer organizations, providing news and information and an outlet for the sharing of events and opinion to the communities they serve. They are funded by philanthropists, foundations, contributing members, sponsorships and other means. Some even work as co-ops, in which members keep the operation running and pay dues to support the cause.
Nonprofit citJ does not have to mean the volunteer model. Some not-for-profit citJ operations pay a staff of journalists and pay freelancers, while citizen contributors participate either solely for the bylines or receive a token amount of money.
Some nonprofit citJ sites were created to offer an alternative to mainstream media -- an especially compelling idea in cities or towns where a single newspaper has a monopoly on the news. Setting up such a site is a great idea in smaller towns that have no significant local media and must rely on media outlets for major towns miles away; it's a way to actually get some local coverage of smaller stories that regional media overlook.
Volunteering in New Hampshire
An example of the all-volunteer model is the Philbrick James Forum, a citJ operation serving Deerfield, N.H. and surrounding communities. Its mission is to be "an easily accessible source of information and a venue for input by the citizenry (that) will encourage community involvement and identity."
The Forum is a New Hampshire nonprofit corporation and a federal 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation, which means that it's able to accept tax-deductible contributions. It is organized as a cooperative, with membership in the corporation open to anyone. The Web site describes its members this way: "We are volunteers of all ages. We are long-term residents and newcomers, employed and retired, politically active and apolitical, churchgoers and atheists. What unites us is our dedication to creating a means for open communication with and about our community."
In addition to fees from members, the Forum accepts ads from local businesses, and has an ad manager handling that. It also publishes occasional print editions; a recent one covered issues facing local communities on the March 14 election day; the print editions are mailed to all households in Deerfield and Candia, with other distribution methods for the towns of Northwood and Nottingham.
Public-radio model in San Diego
Perhaps the strongest non-profit citJ local-news venture is evolving on the other side of the country, in San Diego. Voice of San Diego is taking sort of a public-radio approach to local news on the Web. Not a purely citJ operation, the Web site has hired a full staff of journalists and support people (11 total, though some are part-time) to operate as a serious news organization meant to provide an alternative voice (and competition) to major local media, including The San Diego Union-Tribune. CitJ is a strong component of the news operation; community members are invited to report and write for the Web site.
Voice of San Diego was founded with a major contribution from Buzz Woolley, a retired venture capitalist and entrepreneur. It is also a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, operating with the support of individuals, foundations and businesses, as well as money from sponsorships.
The public-radio analogy can be seen in the Web site's emphasis on recruiting members at various levels of support, starting at $35. According to executive editor Scott Lewis, the site has signed up 270 members so far. They get public-radio-like incentives, such as a behind-the-headlines newsletter, coffee mugs, private donor receptions, etc.
Lewis says that another goal is to get grants to support the Web site's reporting, and some grant applications are pending.
In terms of Voice of San Diego's citizen journalism, Lewis says that has been difficult to coordinate: "We're still trying to find our footing." The strongest citJ piece of the Web site is its group of local columnists, whose work often generates rousing debate in the reader-comment areas. He says that it's proving difficult on the local level to find enough engaged people; sites drawing from a national pool probably have it easier.
Some of the local citJ content submitted falls under the category of "sometimes when you don't pay, you get what you pay for," Lewis says. So the site has been known to spend small sums of money to get citizen content. Paying someone $25 for a column "can make a world of difference in what we get," he says.
More fund-raising strategies
Jan Schaffer, executive director of J-Lab: The Institute for Interactive Journalism at the University of Maryland, has been studying citJ business models and watching the non-profit efforts. She says she's seeing lots of innovation in funding and supporting these efforts.
It takes some creativity and hustle to raise funds and keep them coming. But the grant world looks potentially promising; indeed, J-Lab has its own annual award program which gives grants to innovations in journalism that involve citizens actively in public issues and invite their participation.
Other stuff that Schaffer is seeing includes citJ operations recruiting donations of services from the private sector, such as pro-bono legal work; assistance with developing business plans to support the citJ operation; help in selling sponsorships from corporate sales managers; subscription models for premium services; affiliations with institutions that can help out, such as universities, journalism schools and libraries and "tip jars" asking Web site users for donations.
Even at Voice of San Diego, perhaps the most advanced non-profit citJ operation, executive editor Lewis concedes that initially there wasn't much of a business model to support the site. A year later, the process of devising an effective business plan is happening.
It's still early days for non-profit citJ, but in time it's possible that this now-small media sector could grow to be akin to public radio.
