New Internationalist shoots past crowdfunding goal

Every case is different, but the New Internationalist is an object lesson to smaller, indy magazines with the success of its crowdfunding plan to sell itself to its readers and raise more than £500,000. 

We wrote about this a month ago and now it's astonishing to report that in just 32 days, the 44-year-old UK-based, international magazine raised £571,039, from 2,727 investors. 

The community share offer document makes a compelling case and is a real education in how such an effort can be well managed and focussed, relying on its readers. As it says

"Our journalism has always been a reflection of who we are and how we are run – we know how to democratize a newsroom like no-one else; we did it 37 years ago. And that is what we want you to preserve, nurture and grow. Our constituency has never been conventional: we are idealistic, energetic and concerned with the lives of others thousands of miles away. All our past appeals, surveys and events show that we have a passionate and committed readership."

Successfully reaching its goal, campaign for The Deep seeks to "stretch" support

The campaign to launch The Deep to provide longform journalism to and about Atlantic Canada has gone well, so well that the crowdfunding has topped the original $15,000 goal. With three days left to contribute, supporters are being asked to meet a "stretch" goal and reach $18,500.  The extra money will allow an expansion of photography and art, pay additional travel expenses for writers and get the project a bit closer to becoming self-sustaining.                                                                                                    

Briarpatch magazine supporters step up; it is going to double contributor rates

A couple of weeks ago we reported that Briarpatch magazine of Regina was on its uppers; it was suffering a financial crisis (the kind that would be recognized by many other indy magazines.) So they asked for help  from readers and, specifically, $15,000. 

Well, a recent posting on the magazine's blog reports it did better than that, and now has received more than $18,000 in donations and is within casting distance of $25,000. Many donations were "sustaining" which will provide the magazine with almost $500 more a month. As a result, it intends to double contributor rates by its November/December issue. 

"You’ve set a clear expectation for us: you want us not only to survive, but to thrive." said Tanya Andrusieczko and Rhiannon Ward, editor and publisher. "The important work of seeking out and telling stories from the front lines of social struggles will shine brighter with fairer contributor pay and robust strategy to reach more readers hungry for brave journalism. Thank you for your confidence in us and for your commitment to grassroots media."

Briarpatch magazine says it is on the brink, "running on empty"

In a blunt message to readers and supporters, the editor Tanya Andrusieczko and publisher Rhiannon Ward of Regina's Briarpatch magazine say they are in serious financial trouble. "The truth is, we're currently running on empty," they say of the indy title. They need to raise $15,000 by July 30 "in order to stay upright".

"Right now, we have only enough money in the bank to print the next issue. We aren’t keeping up with the financial demands of publishing a magazine that honours our commitments to fair pay and affordable access to media for all. We have an alarmingly low balance to cover the basic operational costs of publishing a small magazine. We can’t go on like this."

The magazine says it needs donations, sustaining support and new subscribers to achieve three things: doubling the reader and revenue base, paying writers and artists a fair wage and printing the magazine.

The Capilano Review reaches fundraising goal to transition to be an independent magazine

With time to spare, The Capilano Review has raised more than its $20,000 Kickstarter goal in order to reinvent itself as an independent magazine. The fundraiser was a necessity when Capilano University in North Vancouver cut its $85,000 operating support, ending 43 years of association with the magazine, which is now planning to move to Vancouver and needed to raise at least $20,000 in order to finance a six-month transition. 

Capilano Review plans to go independent with some help from its friends

The Capilano Review has been published as a literary and art magazine for 43 years, housed at Capilano University in North Vancouver, BC. But now the university has cut its $85,000 operating support and the magazine is planning to move to Vancouver and become independent. Of course that means that they need to raise at least $20,000 to finance the six-month transition. 

So the 3x-a year magazine is using a Kickstarter campaign to offer donors a variety of premiums ranging from$10 a set of 6 new TCR bookmarks to $2,000 for which Vancouver artist and founder of TCR Pierre Coupey will create a painting dedicated to the person of your choice. So far, the campaign has raised more than $6,179 from 90 donors, with 23 days to go. 

In addition to its print magazine, the publication's website features ti-TCR|a web folio, also published three times a year. 

Canadian Art to launch 30th anniversary issue as part of free Gallery Hop Day

Canadian Art magazine will mark its 30th anniversary on Saturday, September 20 with a special free Gallery Hop Day. It consists of a round-table discussion  on contemporary art writing, at the Art Gallery of Ontario's Jackman Hall, six tours through Toronto's galleries, led by some of the city's most knowledgeable art experts and a launch of the 30th anniversary issue of the magazine at the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art (MOCCA). 

A few days earlier, on Thursday, September 18, the Canadian Art Foundation's Gallery Hop gala dinner and auction fundraiser will be held at Kool Haus. Individual tickets are $600. 

PWAC runs online auction fundraiser

The Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC) has launched an online service auction. It is running now and will do so until winning bids are announced June 5 at PWAC's annual awards dinner in Toronto.

All proceeds from the auction items are going directly to the organization to assist in providing its services and defending the rights and professional interests of Canadian non-fiction writers. The online auction can be found at http://www.32auctions.com/pwac2014. All items can be viewed immediately.

The fundraiser will help PWAC in delivering its services for professional non-fiction writers throughout Canada. Among the auction items are an introduction to tracing your family history, a backpack trip in the Canadian Rockies, dinner with a crime writer, a personalized wedding ceremony and of course a selection of writing services for individuals and organizations in Canada and beyond. They'll even help you write a poem or a business profile on demand.

East Coast Living magazine's event results in $20,000 donation to design faculty

The first Dine by Design fundraiser showcase by East Coast Living magazine has resulted in an award of $20,000 to the NSCAD University design faculty. The money will benefit design education through the Amber Harkins Memorial Scholarship Fund, named after the long-time editor and creative director of East Coast Living, who died of cancer in 2012. The cheque was presented at a thank you party April 2 by East Coast Living publisher Patty Baxter.

Dine by Design was held in October 2013 and consisted of 10 Nova Scotia design groups and 10 local chefs teaming up in temporary, unique dining rooms at the Olympic Gardens in Halifax. Guests attending the gala event were able to enjoy menus inspired by the dining space; the event also had pop-up galleries of local artwork, a silent auction and wine, beer and spirits from the region.

This year's event will be October 9, with public viewings October 10 to 12 at Olympic Gardens.
Related post:

• East Coast Living showcases design and cuisine in fundraiser for NSCAD

BC's The Tyee has a lofty goal: to raise $100,000, start covering more national stories

On the eve of its 10th anniversary publishing, The Tyee is eyeing bigger and better things by asking its supporters for $100,000 to finance national coverage. (Contributors of $15 a month or more will receive a set of paper dolls of the national party leaders, just in time for the forthcoming federal election.) As with its BC coverage, much of the budget has to come from fundraising. This project is by far the largest ask the publication has made.

Until now, the online independent, daily news site has pretty much stuck to its coverage of BC issues and circumstances in a paywall-free environment, reporting national issues with a BC twist. Now it is proposing to expand its coverage (maintaining its BC content), establishing an Ottawa bureau and a pool of knowledgeable national commentators.  Editor David Beers explained why: 

"At a time when our country is undergoing fundamental changes, our national media platforms are in collapse. News rooms are shrinking. There's no money for longer, in-depth investigative reporting jobs. Good reporters are leaving the business, locked behind paywalls, or assigned to trivial stories. It seems some media are more concerned with shareholder profits than what matters to you."

Beers said that The Tyee's coverage is already national in scope and impact and there is a hunger among readers from beyond BC for more of its kind of coverage about their regions.

"We've never asked you for this much before. But this is kind of a big deal. Are we crazy? Maybe. But we think Canada needs more independent reporting. Now more than ever. And this is how much we think it's going to take to help make a dent."

Early comments about the idea have ranged from somewhat lukewarm to outright hostile, with supporters/readers either fearing the watering down of the BC regional perspective or the overwhelming of the site by viral comments.

J-source seeking expanded support for its work from individual and corporate funders

The Canadian Journalism Project (J-source.ca) is appealing for individual donations to support the online project, which covers journalism issues and news from across Canada. Until now, a large part of J-source's revenues came from support of the Canadian Journalism Foundation. 

Now, the CJF is stepping back somewhat and the work of the organization will be spread out to various journalism schools and support is being sought from  a wider variety of sources. According to an open letter from Christopher Waddell, director of the school of journalism and communication at Carleton University:

The project started as a collaboration among the country's leading journalism schools and organizations, managed and underwritten by the Canadian Journalism Foundation. While the Foundation will continue to provide substantial support, we are restructuring the project so that the various elements of J-Source and ProjetJ will be housed in and supported by several journalism schools. The English editorial centre will be at Ryerson University in Toronto, the French equivalent in Quebec City under the aegis of Université Laval; the publishing and business centre of the entire project will at Carleton University in Ottawa. In addition, there will be regional or specialized bureaus at journalism schools such as King's College in Halifax, UBC in Vancouver, Mount Royal University in

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East Coast Living showcases design and cuisine in fundraiser for NSCAD

East Coast Living magazine of Halifax is presenting an unusual multi-day fundraiser called Dine by Design East featuring 10 Nova Scotia design groups and 10 local chefs, teaming up to showcase interior design and local cuisine. The proceeds of the event, which runs from October 2 to 6, will benefit design education at NSCAD University in memory of Amber Harkins, the late former editor and creative director of East Coast Living who died last year of cancer.

Each design team has been assigned a 10’-by-10’ vacant space in which to create a dramatic dining room. A top local chef has been matched with each design team to create a special menu inspired by design. 

The design/chef teams are: Jonathan Legate Interior Consultation + chef Luc Castilloux of Morris East;  Attica + chef Paolo Colbertaldo of Jane’s Catering and Events; Waugh-Pitts Design + Frederic Tandy of Ratinaud French Cuisine; Norman Flynn Design + chef Brad Wammes of Kitchen Door Catering; M Home + chef Mark Gray of Brooklyn Warehouse; Goldsworthy Design + chef Ryan Hayes of Resto Urban Dining; Lydon Lynch Architects + Feisty Chef Renée Lavallée; Rooftight Construction + chef Derrick Maurais of Fiasco; and NSCAD Faculty and Alumni + chef David Woodley of Gio. 

The results will come together the evening of Thursday, October 3 where the designers and chefs will discuss what inspired their creations and to see—and taste—the results of their hard work. The gala will also feature pop-up galleries of local artwork , a silent auction, as well as wine, beer and spirit samples from the region.

We know you will be completely wowed by what each designer and chef will come up with,” says Patty Baxter, East Coast Living publisher. “We are excited to work with these design and culinary professionals to present this event in Halifax.”

The event takes place in a transformed Olympic Community Centre at 2304 Hunter Street in Halifax. The design spaces will be open for public viewing October 2 to 6 from noon to 8 p.m. each evening, and from noon to 6 p.m. on the weekend.

This Mag kicks off fundraiser film series with doc about Wal-Mart

This Magazine is kicking off its new series of the Every Film is Political on September 25 with WAL-TOWN, a documentary about the business practices of the mega-retailer Wal-Mart. The kickoff coincides with the September/October issue of the magazine's annual Corporate Hall of Shame issue. And it sheds light on events that are taking place a few blocks from the This Magazine offices.

With Wal-Mart Canada eyeing Toronto’s historic Kensington Market neighbourhood for future development, public attention has again turned to Wal-Mart and the radical effects of the retail giant’s business practices. When RioCan announced plans to install a 125,000-square-foot Wal-Mart in the former site of Kromer Radio (just beside the distinctive, fabled Kensington Market), the Friends of Kensington Market formed to oppose the deal, and Toronto City Council passed a bylaw to freeze current development on the Bathurst strip.

The film series at the TRANZAC (292 Brunswick Avenue) in Toronto is a fundraiser for This Magazine's Red Maple Foundation. Tickets are $15 at the door or available in advance at the online shop.

Brick magazine is looking for some help to get a new computer -- and a chair

Managing editor Nadia Szilvassy perched atop her rickety chair

A good natured example of the vagaries of publishing a cultural magazine in this country? Brick, the respected and award-winning literary magazine, is using crowdsourcing to get the money to replace its computer and some other office equipment. 

It's using the site Indiegogo to manage a campaign for $1,500 to purchase an up-to-date iMac on which to produce the magazine and to replace the managing editor's "hilarious, rickety chair" and get a new phone. While the magazine says it prides itself on being up-to-date and deeply engaged, its wheezing computer and office furniture is not.

"[While] our content is on the cutting edge, the equipment we work on struggles to keep up with the times. As you'll see from our picture, our managing editor currently works on an iMac G4—the model that was discontinued in 2004! Our office chairs are more than a little worse for wear, and our phone, well, we'll post a picture so you can see for yourself.

"Here are some phrases you may hear as Nadia waits for a file to download onto her computer:"It's fine, really. It teaches me to practice patience." or "I'll just go water the plants..."

As with most such donation drives, the more you give the more swag you get, from a published thank you for $10, some Brick postcards for donations up to $50 to a subscription and a signed book from one of the editors for giving more than $150. So far the campaign, which in intended to run for 3 4 months, has raised $250, or about one-sixth of its goal.

Buy a vowel, or a consonant, to support literacy in ABC campaign

ABC Life Literacy Canada has found a creative way to fundraise by selling the letters of the alphabet to corporate sponsors in its Letters for Literacy campaign. Now in its 3rd year, it is an opportunity for magazine/media companies to step up in promoting literacy.

“With numerous non-profits and fundraisers trying to be heard, we wanted to be creative and step outside of the traditional box,” says Margaret Eaton, president, ABC Life Literacy Canada. “With the support of corporate sponsors, ABC can continue to provide programming and learning resources to adults, their families and the literacy community.  ” 

By purchasing "exclusive" rights to an individual letter, sponsors make a commitment to support ABC's literacy campaigns and resources. Funding goes to such things as Family Literacy Day, LEARN awareness campaign, and the development and production of free literacy resources to non-profit literacy organizations, schools and libraries. 

Some letters are already spoken for; among those sponsors already signed on are De Beers Canada  (the letter D), Homewood Suites by Hilton (T), Ernst & Young (E) and Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP (G).  Also spoken for are H, N, P, R, S and U. The deadline to purchase one of the 16 letters that remain is March 16. 

CANTOO event nets $20,000 for NABS at Edmonton fundraiser

Magazine people and others from the media sector raised about $20,000 for the National Advertising Benevolent Society (NABS) at a fundraising event last week in Edmonton. CANTOO attracted 200 to the Art Gallery of Alberta in an event organized by a committee headed by Joyce Byrne, associate publisher of Alberta Venture magazine (and a director of Magazines Canada). The event features a screening of the Cannes Lions reel of advertising winners drawn from the annual international advertising festival.

Murder in a good cause as TNQ combines mystery, brunch and a reading

The literary magazine The New Quarterly in Waterloo is combining murder, mayhem, books and fundraising on July 9 in Waterloo. The central focus is the book Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny, which is this year's One Book, One Community selection. A customized murder mystery has been scripted, informed by the book, and will be performed by The Mysterious Players. 
By the end of dessert, participants will be expected to have solved the crime. Tickets for the event are $70 (part of the proceeds go to TNQ) and include the brunch at the The Embassy, 56 King Street North, Waterloo.(There will be a reading from the OBOC title, although the author will not be able to be there.)

The Tyee names five winners of $5,000 journalism fellowships

The online magazine The Tyee should receive regular strokes from the rest of us for its independent journalism fellowships. These provide $5,000 to writers to fund labour-intensive and ambitious writing projects. 
The magazine received 60 proposals this time around and has selected what sound like five must-reads (which are usually published as a series of articles.) 
All the funding for the investigative and reporting fellowship funds are raised from the readers and supporters of The Tyee. Donations to the funds are tax deductible.

Briarpatch fundraising campaign looks to Cuban agriculture for inspiration

Briarpatch magazine is taking a leaf from the home-grown development of Cuban agriculture following the collapse of its patron, the Soviet Union, and developing a "deeper roots" campaign to build sustainable funding. 

In an open letter to readers, editor Dave Oswald Mitchell says the relatively small circulation leftish magazine is looking at a funding shortfall of $30,000 in 2010/11, the result, in part, of being denied Canada Magazine Fund funding for two years and with uncertainty about future funding under the Canada Periodical Fund. 

Oswald's letter asks for supporters to take part in a "media funding revolution" that depends more on reader rather than government support. 

Like Cuba before the Special Period, Briarpatch has become overly reliant on unsustainable infusions of imported energy (not Soviet oil in our case, but, rather, government grants). Cuba addressed its crisis by embracing grassroots, organic, urban agriculture. (Visit powerofcommunity.org to learn more.)...

Our plan is ambitious but achievable. And we want it to serve as a model of the grassroots media of the future: organically funded, intellectually nutritious, aesthetically delicious and all-’round good for a growing body politic.

Mitchell says that the magazine now has more than 150 readers who make modest monthly donations  (averaging $20 a month) and Briarpatch intends to double this with the sustaining subscription campaign. 

Of course Briarpatch is not alone in increasingly turning to readers for support in addition to buying single copies and subscriptions. Many smaller, specialized arts, literary and cultural titles rely on that extra stream of revenue, particularly since they have not been able to make up the difference with advertising. Their diffuse and particular audiences  don't tend to be very alluring for national advertisers. And it's exacerbated by the recent decision to restrict government funding to magazines with less than 5,000 per year paid circulation.  

What's unusual in this Briarpatch campaign is the analogy to the "food security movement" and community-supported agriculture.

Geist magazine provides readers with a way to invest $20 in new writing and art

Vancouver-based Geist magazine has marked its 20th anniversary with the launching of the Geist Writers and Artists Fund, dedicated to commissioning even more work from Canadian writers, photographers and artists. It's an attempt by the magazine to continue the work that has been made possible the past three years by a couple of special grants related to the Olympics.

By providing [writers and artists] with respectable fees and the editorial support to undertake in-depth projects, we can enrich their creative work and our readers’ appreciation of Canadian culture and ideas.

The goal in 2010 is to raise $10,000, to commission three works, by asking readers to donate $20 each; the magazine helpfully provides 20 reasons to do so.