I’m usually in production every Thursday for our weekly Friday email blast to the 10,000 people who get our BINJ.News newsletter. And in-between editing and publishing articles from our growing crew of reporters, younger and older, I always have to make time for writing my own pieces.
So I had just been cycling through a few ideas I had for this very editor’s note when I received an email from one of our longtime supporters, checking in about getting BINJ an annual donation. I immediately told my colleagues Chris, John, and Linda, as is always the case when we hear from folks who help us out year after year. And I can’t tell you how great it makes us feel every time that happens.
Most people donate to us in the last couple of months of each year. And it’s just incredibly moving to us that individuals from all walks of life—pensioners and professionals, small business owners and union workers—think that our work providing journalism in the public interest is important enough that they repeatedly take the time to donate whatever they can afford. In some cases, doing so every year of the decade plus we’ve been publishing.
Aside from providing us with both direct moral and material support, such regular gifts help convince the major funders that have also been key to BINJ becoming a long-distance runner on the nonprofit journalism scene that we are worth backing.
That’s why all of us at BINJ just want to send our best wishes for the holidays and the new year to all of our longtime donors. We literally couldn’t do it without you. And any of you who ever want to chat about our work and ideas you have for how we can do it better are welcome to meet and greet anytime. Thanks very much.
Jason Pramas is executive director of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism and editor-in-chief of BINJ.News.
