By LOUIS C. HOCHMAN
hochman@montclairlocal.news
We’ve got a big number ahead: $230,000. And we’ve got a big number to be thankful for: $132,000.
Those who’ve been following our weekly appeals in the pages of Montclair Local are familiar with the first figure already: That’s what our nonprofit newsroom needs to raise this quarter from donors and members to be able to continue providing you with the news you value in 2022 and beyond. It’s no small task. Neither is the journalism it supports.
The second is the number we’ve hit already. After just one month of the Save Montclair Local fundraising campaign, we’re more than 57% of the way toward our goal, in pledges and received donations. We couldn’t be more grateful.
Now, we’ve got an opportunity to make your contribution go further.
This week, NewsMatch began. It’s an industry-wide movement to sustain journalism through matching gifts on the local and national level. We’re not the only ones who believe democracy suffers when newsrooms shut down or massively scale back, as we’ve already seen happen in Montclair. We’re proud to be part of an effort to fight against that trend — to say you deserve to be well-informed about the decisions that affect your life, right here in Montclair.
Since 2016, NewsMatch has raised more than $150 million to keep nonprofit journalism like ours going strong.
How it works
Starting now and through Dec. 31, NewsMatch will match your new monthly donation 12 times or double your one-time gift, all up to $1,000 per donor. Through NewsMatch, Montclair Local Nonprofit news can earn up to an additional $20,000 in matching funds.
Your support will help us continue to produce the kind of public-service journalism you won’t find anywhere else.
All you need to do is go to MontclairLocal.news/donations or scroll to the form at the bottom of this post to make a tax-deductible contribution. Any amount you can afford to give is appreciated. If you’ve already given or become a member, we send our heartfelt appreciation and thank you for considering another gift.
Why you should give
It’s understandable why you might question the idea of donating to a local newspaper. After all, you might ask, don’t we get money from ads and subscriptions?
And the answer is, yes, some. But we’re a nonprofit newsroom because the traditional model of supporting a newspaper with advertisements and standard subscriptions alone just doesn’t hold up anymore. It’s why you’ve seen so many of the news organizations you cherish become shells of their former selves. Montclair Local was founded with the belief it doesn’t need to be that way — that if we can earn the community’s support, the community will make the work we do possible. That’s why we ask you, by donating, to become members — entitled to a year of the print paper. We believe we’re in this together.
And why we have several full-time, part-time and freelance journalists working every single day to spotlight our community, to hold power to account, to ask the questions that help inform your choices as a voter, to celebrate the successes and generosity that make Montclair special.
For nearly five years, Montclair Local has made it our mission to produce public-service journalism that you can trust.
As national and global news agencies talked about how the coronavirus pandemic was affecting the world, Montclair Local told you how it was affecting your home — the businesses, the nursing homes, the people, the cherished institutions of Montclair. We’ve dug deep to explore the issues around the return to schools — the policies, the structural issues, the decisions that affect students’ learning and safety. We brought you detailed breaking news as many in the Montclair community suffered in Ida — 10 stories in the first 24 hours after the flood began, updated frequently, on the extent of the damage, the opportunities for relief, the ways neighbors could begin helping neighbors.
Your support will help us continue to produce the kind of journalism you won’t find anywhere else. Montclair needs and deserves independent reporting. If you value the critical work we do, please give today. Please help Save Montclair Local.
Where does your money go? Click here to find out.