BirminghamWatch
NewsMatch 2021 Offers Chance to Double Donations
The Alabama Initiative for Independent Journalism joins more than 300 nonprofit newsrooms as participants in the national NewsMatch 2021 campaign. Gifts to BirminghamWatch between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, 2021, have the chance to be part of a one-to-one match, supported by national foundations that understand the value of fact-based, nonpartisan, independent journalism.
In addition to the Institute for Nonprofit News, the membership organization to which AIIJ/BirminghamWatch belongs, this fundraising effort is supported by the News Revenue Hub and The Miami Foundation. Funders so far this year include Democracy Fund, Knight Foundation, the Facebook Journalism Project, the Bernard and Anne Spitzer Charitable Trust, Inasmuch Foundation, the Independence Public Media Foundation, the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation, Natasha and Dirk Ziff, the Present Progressive Fund at Schwab Charitable, Sarena Snider, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Walton Family Foundation and the Wyncote Foundation.
AIIJ/BirminghamWatch also has added matching funds from local donors.
“We are proud that we have a strong network of local support, including both individuals and foundations serving the Birmingham region,” said board President Emily Rushing. “Using both national and local matches allows every person to make the most of their gift.”
As a special incentive, anyone who sets up a monthly on-line donation for the first time during the campaign period can be matched at the annual value of their gift, up to $1,000 per donor. A new $25 monthly gift, for example, brings in an additional $300 right away.
Since 2016, the national NewsMatch campaign has helped raise more than $150 million for nonprofit journalism. The 2020 campaign was the most successful ever, raising a record-breaking $47 million during a period when the pandemic spread uncertainty and made access to reliable news essential.
“INN has worked hard to bring national attention to the importance of the work we do,” Rushing said. “Together we are making a difference in the mission of giving people the information they need to make informed decisions.”
