Fundraising resources to engage donors and supporters in an organizational crisis

News leaders may find themselves in an impossible situation when their organization faces internal challenges like expected funding falling through, making layoffs, or even the threat of shutdown. These situations may provide an opportunity to talk about your organization’s unique value to the community and ask for their support to continue your service at a critical moment in time.

Below are tips, templates, and examples to help your newsrooms respond in the moment to ask donors for support.

Advice from fundraising professionals

Diane Remin, MajorDonors.com

When talking to donors, the emergency needs to be clearly defined in terms of its origin (e.g., loss of a grant, the size of the emergency), how much funding is needed, and what will happen if immediate funding is not made available.

Share how the funds will address the emergency and get the newsroom to the other side. When talking to major donors, it’s also important to ensure they don’t feel like they are donating into a black hole. Share your plan to get to the light at the end of the tunnel and report back when you’ve hit key milestones and progress.

News Revenue Hub

Transparency with readers is crucial. Organizations should communicate challenges to their audience early, especially their dedicated readers and existing donors who may be able to help immediately. We always recommend explaining how organizations will use the funds to support their newsrooms (the more specific they can get, the stronger the ask) and why they need those funds now. We also suggest communicating this to readers as soon as possible. During the pandemic, we saw communities really band together to support their local news organizations. This was especially the case for organizations that communicated their budget challenges early and clearly. 

Examples of newsroom appeals

The team at News Revenue Hub also gathered a list of examples of how newsrooms have made clear asks to engage their readers and donors.

• During the pandemic, The Nevada Independent included a note announcing budget cuts at the top of their daily newsletter. They included a link to donate at the end of the note that defaulted to monthly giving. The team later followed up with this fundraising appeal that included some more information about their budget.
• The Indy also published this note after conducting layoffs in 2024. Although this was published in the aftermath, the messaging was transparent and highlighted the value of their organization. Here’s another post-layoffs example from The Texas Tribune. This appeal clearly explained the impact of reader donations for the newsroom.
• With the CPB funding challenges, LAist is communicating the implications of a potential budget cut. Here’s an email that explains how they’re funded and the value of reader support, and another great example of transparency messaging. 
• Here’s an email appeal template to get started.
• And remember, this type of communication doesn’t have to be limited to email and can also be communicated through website pop-ups and banners.

Other helpful resources

• Introduction to Grant Writing for News Organizations (The Lenfest Institute)
• Understanding donor advised funds and community foundations: Best practices for working with DAF donors (The Lenfest Institute)