Help Local Journalism Thrive

Help Local Journalism Thrive

Update on Help Local Journalism Thrive campaign

On June 18 we surpassed the recently increased goal of $45,000 for our “Help Local Journalism Thrive” campaign. Close to 400 people have contributed to this effort, which we launched after advertising revenue plummeted, depressed by the novel coronavirus’ impact on area businesses. That support, among other benefits, has allowed us to keep our newsroom strong and, soon, increase our business and economy coverage.

We offer our deepest gratitude for the trust of donors who believe in our mission to keep people informed, particularly in these times of health, economic and social difficulties.

We will leave the campaign open until the end of this month, cutting short our original intention of a 60-day fundraising effort. You have helped us exceed our objective; there are many other local programs and organizations deserving of support in these challenging times, and we hope folks will turn to those, too.

The Keene Sentinel has been covering the news for this region for nearly two-and-a-quarter centuries. Our job, during that time, has been to bring essential local, state, national and international news to our readers. We understand the importance of that work, and, as the very generous response to this appeal reminds us, there is an appreciation of our intentions.

“To all staff,” writes a local couple in making a recent donation, “thank you for upholding the American ideals of liberty, justice and opportunity for all.”

Again, we thank those who contributed to our campaign. During our long history of serving this region’s important news and information needs, this has been a signature moment for our newspaper, and we are grateful.

Sincerely,

Thomas M. Ewing
Publisher

Terrence L. Williams
President & COO

Well, you helped us do it – achieve our goal of $30,000 to support our local journalism. And you did it in just one week. Amazing.

We are grateful to our readers, friends and family who recognize that, particularly during this time, The Keene Sentinel’s role is essential as we collectively live under the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of this writing, 263 donors contributed $30,738 to our “Help Local Journalism Thrive” campaign. They joined 15 or so other area business leaders and private individuals who previously gave more than $40,000 to underwrite our coverage of the novel coronavirus’ impact on this region.

First, we say, “Thank you.” Amidst business conditions that are forcing news operations elsewhere to scale back, the donations have helped us keep our newsroom strong and pushing forward to provide important information to you and your family. As New Hampshire and the region begin to open up, as more and more businesses welcome customers back, as restaurants provide more than just takeout, as public schools decide on how to hold classes, our journalists will provide you the facts, details and the context to help you stay engaged.

So, what’s next? Our fundraising is about to enter a second stage, that of seeking additional help to broaden our coverage of the businesses that need to recover, the jobs that need to be filled and the economic rebound that this region needs. We will still report on the public health and personal challenges presented by COVID-19, but we need to expand our attention, to make sure we explore deeply the difficulties local companies, nonprofits and employees face.

We are increasing our goal from $30,000 to $45,000, and the $15,000 will be invested in providing even more business and economy stories. What will the local business landscape look like? What help do area companies and organizations need? Will the state’s Main Street Relief Fund make its way to downtown Keene, Peterborough and other communities? What about all of those who lost their jobs or were furloughed? What is their fate and future? What about our arts and culture establishments that have gone dark? When can we expect their curtains to rise again?

The story of the pandemic’s impact on the local economy is one of many parts and pieces; we will knit it together and present it in a meaningful way.

In conjunction with establishing a new goal, The Sentinel is donating free advertising space to local businesses needing a kickstart and a dollar-for-dollar advertising match program, print or digital, though the month of June. Details will be out next week. Many businesses, their leaders and employees gave to The Sentinel during our campaign; we want to give back.

We debated whether to end the campaign, to accept the incredibly generous contributions, express our deep appreciation and, as one reader urged us recently, “soldier on.” But we think we can do more and should do more, and so we have decided to raise our goal with the promise, no matter what progress is made, to increase our coverage as the region’s economy and all of us seek to rebound. A recovery can’t be guaranteed, but our commitment to provide even deeper coverage and more resources to track progress can.

Thomas Ewing
Publisher

Terrence Williams
President & COO

In these difficult times, local journalism is more important than ever. Since 1799, the locally owned and independent Keene Sentinel has been dedicated to serving the region we all call home. With each edition, each story, we strive to bring you the most comprehensive, relevant news that impacts your life. Most recently, we’ve dedicated our newsroom to deeply cover the local impact of COVID-19. And we’ve made this critical content free to the public online.

Now, we need your help.

A few weeks ago, we reached out to a number of area businesses and philanthropists who place a high value on an informed citizenry. They stepped up and gave $40,000 to help underwrite our coverage of novel coronavirus and to help keep that coverage free to the community. We are hoping you will consider joining them and adding your name to a list of folks who depend on trusted fact-based local journalism at this difficult time.

We have set up a fundraiser in conjunction with The Local Crowd Monadnock, a trusted Keene-based organization that works mostly with nonprofits but that supports our public service to the Monadnock Region. Help Local Journalism Thrive is the name of our campaign, and we kick it off May 19 on our website www.sentinelsource.com. We hope to raise $30,000 to accompany the generosity of those who answered our initial appeal. If you choose, we’ll include your name as one of our supporters. These gifts are non-tax deductible, a 5% fee goes to The Local Crowd Monadnock, and there is a small fee to use a credit card.

We are blessed to have more than 20,000 readers of The Sentinel in print and thousands more who read our content online. Their important support comes at a time when traditional advertising, a key revenue source for us, has all but dried up, leaving us most concerned about the depth of coverage we can continue to provide.

And so, we hope you will consider a gift. During these challenging times for us all, we continue to receive heart-warming words from local residents who appreciate our service to the community. We thank you in advance for any donation you can give.

Thomas Ewing
Publisher

Terrence L. Williams
President

We thank our campaign supporters for these words of support: