Before you head down the path to creating a nonprofit journalism organization, you need to do a serious “gut check.” How, precisely, would you describe the mission of this new venture? Do you have the expertise to run it singlehandedly? If not — and few individuals do — can you find the talent you need, at a price you can afford?
A good place to start is with your mission statement. In some respects, this will be among the least onerous tasks you’ll face. After all, you’ve probably been talking for months about your vision. But don’t dash it off: Your mission statement is a document that will help guide you in the months and years to come. It will be your compass should you come under attack or find yourself urged to drift from your original course.
As you hone your mission statement, keep these things in mind:
- Your organization has a public service goal to benefit your neighborhood, your region, or your niche area of interest.
- As a nonprofit, it can concentrate on the mission of doing journalism and not on creating wealth for owners or stockholders.
- It can be one of the best bridges to the future of journalism, as the for-profit side of the business continues to evolve.
Of course, your mission will reflect the kind of site you’re planning to establish. The new venture you are considering might be a metro website like the Voice of San Diego or MinnPost.com, or a hyperlocal site of the NewCastleNOW.org variety. It could be a smaller local or regional investigative center like Investigate West. Or it could be a site like Spot.Us that seeks to foster community funding of stories.
While you’re defining your mission, you also need to take stock of your capacity to carry it out. If you’ve worked as a journalist, you know how to interview people and gather information. But that’s no preparation for developing a business plan, managing your cash flow or supervising staff. Moreover, in the past you’ve had the support of assigning editors, copy editors, producers and lawyers. As a nonprofit, you probably won’t have that kind of safety net.
Apart from knowing how to do journalism - reporting, editing, photography and video - you’ll need web development and social media expertise.
On the flip side, running a business does not prepare you for the competitiveness, exposure, criticism and legal scrutiny that journalists can face daily.
And neither background prepares anyone to follow the time-consuming rules and policies under which nonprofits operate, or the regulations and bureaucracy of a university (if you decide to affiliate your organization with one).
So what are the basic skills you’ll need? Apart from knowing how to do journalism - reporting, editing, photography and video - you’ll need web development and social media expertise. You’ll have to be able to manage a staff, keep the books and follow the law. Fundraising and donor relations would be good talents, too.
It’s the rare individual who possesses all those skills, so you should expect to turn to others for help. For a start, pick the brains of people who have already created and/or are currently running nonprofit newsrooms. Seek advice from a diverse group of people.
It’s easy to become defensive or too easily dismiss the pitfalls. So treat this process like a reporting assignment, carefully collecting information. Ask the people you’re interviewing about their motivation, their early struggles and achievements, and what surprised them along the way. Try to get an idea of the funds you’ll need to start your operation and to run it for the first couple of years.
If you can, turn this discussion into an ongoing mentoring relationship. You might invite some of these informal advisers to serve on an Advisory Board or even your governing board. You may also ask them to review your business plan, articles of incorporation and mission statement. In turn, they may suggest the names of professionals - lawyers, accountants, fundraisers, marketers - you’ll need to consult.
Seek out a pro bono lawyer who will help you with operating issues - insurance policies, contracts with employees or other organizations - as well as provide advice on libel, defamation, intellectual property rights, and freedom of information requests.
You also will want to get advice from an accountant familiar with nonprofit accounting. An accountant can help you with financial filings in your state and local jurisdictions, as well as with the IRS; budgeting and bookkeeping; setting up payroll procedures with appropriate tax deductions.
And, if you’re really lucky and get a large grant, you may need a business advisor to set up an investment plan.
The nonprofit world is a unique community that often helps others who aspire to join it.