Simon Owens's Media Newsletter

Simon Owens's Media Newsletter

News nonprofits need to spend more time courting rich donors

PLUS: Semafor’s responsible growth strategy

Simon Owens
Apr 30, 2025
∙ Paid

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News nonprofits need to spend more time courting rich donors

Given the tumultuous economic landscape for local news, many outlets are turning to nonprofit models because they offer extra flexibility for generating revenue. But while these outlets have been adept at attracting foundation grants and small donor memberships, they’re not doing enough to cultivate relationships with the wealthy members of their own communities, many of whom can write much larger checks than your average reader.

At least that’s the thesis of Julie Rafferty. She not only has a deep background in nonprofit consulting, but she also played an instrumental role in co-founding Brookline News, a nonprofit media outlet that operates outside of Boston.

In a recent interview, Rafferty walked through how she got wealthy members of her city to fork over $100,000 before the outlet even launched, and she gave some good advice for how other nonprofit newsrooms can identify and reach out to rich people in their own communities.

Check out our interview in the video below:

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My other newsletter: The best longform journalism we consumed this week

Behind the paywall

Here’s what I have on deck for paid subscribers:

  1. Semafor’s responsible growth strategy

  2. Why legacy publishers will join Substack

  3. Why Spotify will struggle to match YouTube’s dominance with video podcasts

  4. More punditry won’t save MSNBC

  5. The Creator Economy is coming for live sports

  6. Creators dominated DC’s nerd prom

  7. Video podcasts are a huge threat to cable news

  8. Legacy media outlets keep signing partnership deals with creators

Let’s jump into it…

Semafor’s responsible growth strategy

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