By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews
Three months ago, YachatsNews published its annual “Report to Readers” with the stated goal for 2024 to “do more and better.”
June is the month you can help us do that.
Our goal this year is to hire a second full-time reporter by late summer to be based in Newport and cover Lincoln County and Newport governments, the bayfront and port, schools and education, housing/homeless issues and the best stories of the week in that area — thus expanding our coverage more consistently to all of the county.
But that will take more money. We are seeking $100,000 this year during our third annual local fundraising campaign to sustain our current operations and add the reporter.
Asking for donations of your hard-earned money is always a tricky proposition. For its first local fundraising campaign in June 2022, YachatsNews sought contributions to help hire our first full-time reporter. You responded generously with more than $50,000 in donations of all sizes and, with the added help of foundation grants, we hired that reporter in the fall.
In June 2023 we again asked readers to support our operations, which now has a yearly budget of $82,000. Once again, dozens and dozens of you generously contributed more than $50,000 with small, medium and larger donations.
But YachatsNews aims to do more and better and continue its remarkable growth – and that involves hiring a second reporter to be based in Newport. We think that is worth asking once again for your support. Below is an explanation why.
Why do more?
Lincoln County falls in the bottom third of virtually all statewide economic and socio-economic measurements. Its population is older, poorer, less-educated than Oregon’s overall population. The income of 49 percent of the population is below the federal poverty level. Job growth is modest and concentrated in lower-wage industries centered on tourism and hospitality.
Adequate housing for workers, their families and many seniors is in low supply and expensive. Lincoln County ranks higher than the Oregon average for food insecurity and child poverty.
For the first 4½ years of its operation (and the last 18 months as a 501c3 nonprofit) YachatsNews has focused on basic, traditional general-interest news coverage. Now we want to take the next step and hire a second full-time reporter to focus on social services, schools/education, families and youth, substantive housing and homeless issues and under-represented — particularly low-income or economically disadvantaged — communities.
No other media in Lincoln County is attempting to do the work necessary to cover these issues.
The yearly cost of this reporter is budgeted at $75,000 including salary, health and other insurance policies, mileage reimbursement, other news-gathering expenses, and state and federal taxes.
Financing this expansion will also require greater financial support from all readers, but especially Newport-area readers and businesses.
This effort involves a substantial financial leap for YachatsNews — an almost doubling of our expenses. We have already received $10,000 from the Oregon Community Foundation and $5,000 a year for three years from the Roundhouse Foundation to support this particular effort.
To help spur contributions, a local donor and his employer are “challenging” readers and supporters by offering a total of $20,000 in matching contributions. Once YachatsNews’ fundraising efforts hit $25,000 the donor will contribute $5,000 — then $5,000 more each time we hit the $50,000, $75,000 and $95,000 marks.
We believe readers – especially those in the Newport area — will help us reach that $100,000 goal because YachatsNews wants to deliver on its desire to “do more and better” with the addition of a Newport-based reporter to augment the work of our Yachats-Waldport reporter.
As the motto on our masthead says: “Independent, nonprofit news. Free to all, funded by readers.”
How to help
As part of this local fundraising campaign, over the next four weeks I will write about the issues of providing local journalism in a “news desert” and YachatsNews’ plans and goals, its work – and stumbles – the past four years. I will also talk about our long-range planning and attempts to tap into larger regional and national foundations to more firmly establish YachatsNews as a Lincoln County institution even as it is midway in its fifth year.
So, here’s how you can support YachatsNews with whatever you can afford to contribute:
- Write a check and drop it into the mail to YachatsNews, P.O Box 284, Yachats, Ore., 97498;
- Use the Donate button at the top of the website to make a one-time contribution;
- Paypal also has a feature where you set up an automatic monthly contribution – 45 people do that now ranging from $5 to $25 a month. It is a great stabilizer for our monthly operations and much appreciated;
- Advertise your business or organization on the site. Not only will you gain the additional exposure that 130,000 page views a month can bring, but you will be helping sustain this operation. Here is a link to rates and how to get that process started.
YachatsNews is a 501c3 nonprofit so state and federal governments recognize your donation as a charitable tax deduction.
If you have questions during this one-month fundraising campaign, please reach out to me by email at YachatsNews@gmail.com or just pick up the phone and call me at 503-970-3867.
YachatsNews, its staff, freelancers, board – and thousands of readers – appreciate your support to help us do more and better.
- Quinton Smith/editor