If you’re reading this, thanks for caring! Here’s another bit of JOLT trivia: The 1,000th issue of The Daily JOLT, our headlines newsletter sent each weekday, will appear this Friday.
We’ve learned a few things over these past 208 weeks. I won’t bore you with a laundry list. But one main point: The “free press” we enjoy in the United States isn’t “free.” Costs money to make it happen. Nonprofit news organizations around the country -- including your JOLT News Organization -- are trying to figure out how to raise enough of it to do the work our communities want.
Most of the local support we are privileged to receive comes during our annual NewsMatch campaign in November and December. Nearly all of that support comes in one-time payments – and we’re grateful for these. Some 545 individuals contributed during that period in 2023. Less than 20% of our budget comes from ads, even the obnoxious ones, like this:
We’re especially grateful to the 43 individuals who contribute every month, not only because the funds stabilize our cash flow and add up to a meaningful percentage of the total, but because this kind of support is likely to be the most important component of our funding in future years.
These 43 people offer us hope. We think of them as “members,” not just subscribers. We hope they feel like members, too.
And we hope (if you’re not one of the 43), and if you have the financial capacity to support us, that you’ll consider the value of what we do for you here in Thurston County and choose to Join The JOLT – click to contribute monthly.
Unlike for-profit newspapers that charge a fixed rate for their product, we’ll leave it to you to decide how much to contribute. Any amount (over $5 per month, please) helps us to afford our reporters, photographers, columnists and editors. Thank you for considering this kind of support.
One more thing: Feel free to put a note in the comments, below, about why you’ve decided to chip in each month. It’ll help our staff to feel appreciated and maybe motivate one of your neighbors to do the same.
Thank you.
Danny Stusser is the founder and publisher of The JOLT - The Journal of Olympia, Lacey & Tumwater.
4 comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here
dlg2022
Happy 4th Birthday to Jolt. What an honor and joy to be part of this kind of honest journalism. Your grateful medical columnist
Tuesday, May 21 Report this
hptrillium
Thank you for publishing this news. I really appreciate the local news I don’t get anywhere else.
Tuesday, May 21 Report this
KellyOReilly
Happy Birthday JOLT! So grateful for your reporting on local news these past four years: especially the actions of policy makers that impact our lives for worse or for better. I especially enjoy reading the various columns in the JOLT. Thank you George Walter and Liam Hutcheson for teaching us about Thurston County's wild birds. Thank you Shirley Stirling for your stories about interesting and inspirational people in our community. Thank you Dr. Debra Glasser for writing about health and the healthcare system. Thank you to Kathleen Anderson and Jill Severn for your columns too. I look forward to reading more from these folks and others who've just join the team. Cheers!
Tuesday, May 21 Report this
Callie
Ha Ha, here I am reading this on August 15. Because I have committed to donating a bigger amount than my monthly donation, I'm waiting for NewsMatch in November. Happy Birthday JOLT. I do tell people - click the purple tab up top.
Friday, August 16 Report this