Increase sponsorship revenue through this results-driven training program from the Google News Initiative

Nonprofit news organizations have an enormous, largely untapped opportunity to engage sponsors who want to reach their highly targeted and engaged audiences. In 2021, sponsorships and advertising made up 15% of total revenue in the nonprofit news sector. This revenue source is particularly growing across local newsrooms, where 20% of revenue is earned.  

The GNI North America Sponsorships Lab is a 14-week program designed to help INN members and other public service newsrooms increase revenue from event sponsorships, sponsored content and other earned revenue sources. The program is a part of Google News Initiative’s (GNI) Digital Growth Program, which helps news organizations grow their digital businesses through free training, consulting and support.

Previous Lab participants have included INN members like Block Club Chicago, which utilized email newsletter advertising to accelerate its earned revenue operations, and VTDigger, which built a robust series of sponsored, virtual events. Through the Lab, Block Club grew its year-over-year advertising revenue by 10% and VTDigger increased average client revenue by 61%.

Newsrooms that join this year’s program will receive intensive training, resources, and individualized coaching from Blue Engine Collaborative, a consortium of independent consultants and advisers with deep experience in driving audience and revenue, along with access to INN’s earned revenue resources.