Eighteen years ago, we founded ChicoSol as a bold, extraordinary experiment. We wanted to provide a platform for local news that would be online, nonprofit and bilingual, with information available in both English and Spanish.
Throughout the country, print newspapers were being swallowed up by corporations that were cutting their resources and eating their profits. We had very few models for something different.
But our readers proved the experiment could work, joining a subscriber list and later a small-donor base. Now we run stories that are viewed by thousands of readers, and nonprofit digital news sites are thriving in communities across the country.
Today, we’re poised for more growth as we launch our second NewsMatch fundraising campaign. We’re asking you to partner with us during an annual fundraising drive that will match your donations dollar-for-dollar.
What is NewsMatch?
ChicoSol is one of more than 400 news publications participating in this year’s NewsMatch, a program run by the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN). During the nationwide Nov. 1-Dec. 31 campaign, donations are matched by major foundations up to $1,000 per donor and up to $15,000 per publication.
“The animating idea of NewsMatch that has worked so well over the last decade is that it empowers nonprofit news organizations to attract investment from the communities they serve,” said Karen Rundlet, executive director and INN CEO.
INN says the program’s rapid growth “mirrors the broader expansion of the nonprofit news field,” and notes that just more than half of its members, are, like ChicoSol, local.
Last year, ChicoSol received nearly $9,000 in NewsMatch funding to match that amount that had been provided by our donors. That funding helped us to literally triple the number of news stories we produce. Those donations covered supplemental costs involved in hosting a full-time reporter provided by the California Local News Fellows program, stipends paid to freelance journalists, and the costs of our weekly newsletter, The Little Sun.
This year is crucial: We hope to raise $15,000, that, when matched, will put us on the path to long-term sustainability. Reaching our goal will help us fund a full-time reporting position that will sustain our local coverage.
Why local news?
The news industry itself has been under attack this year, and the media landscape continues to shrink. Northwestern’s Local News Initiative reports there are now 50 million Americans “with limited or no access to a reliable source of local news.”
Yet, local news leads to informed civic engagement, and reader-supported outlets are free of influence from powerful special interests. Nonprofit news now makes a major contribution to the fact-based reporting available nationwide.
ChicoSol during the past year produced stories on immigration, homelessness and policing that would otherwise have been unreported. Our Local News fellow, Yucheng Tang, dived into the mental health diversion program with a story funded by a University of Southern California fellowship. We launched our popular Changemaker series that profiles people who contribute to the betterment and diversity of our community.
Our stories – funded by you, our readers – were cited by broadcast news outlets, circulated and discussed on social media and reprinted by outlets like American Community Media.
Will you join us?
If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to give or to give again, this is it. We welcome one-time gifts and encourage monthly donations that provide a steady stream of income. The amount matched for a new monthly donation — or an increase in a current monthly donation — is calculated at the accumulated 12-month total!
No gift is too small — $5 becomes $10 during NewsMatch and gets us closer to the finish line. Gifts of $100 or more make the donor eligible for a “Protect the Fourth Estate” gift t-shirt. All donors will receive the emailed Little Sun newsletter.
Democracy is fragile and a free press is its cornerstone. The only reason we can do this work – report deeply, ask hard questions and hold power accountable – is you.
To participate in NewsMatch, donate here or write a check to ChicoSol and mail to ChicoSol at P.O. Box 5401, Chico, CA 95927.
Chico Sol is so important to our community. As George Gerbner, Prof at Penn State said, “Who tells the stories of a culture really governs human behavior.” That’s important. Donate to ChicoSol today.