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All of this...it matters.

Hello! Find 70 new jobs and a report back on the first Newsletter Nerd Club.

All of this...it matters.
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Join us at Newsletter Nerd Club on Tuesday, July 8th. We'll be talking about newsletter growth and getting to know other nonprofit newsletter nerds who can lend a hand. Grab a spot here.

👋 Hello. How is June treating you? Frankly, aside from the heat, the last few weeks have had January+February vibe. The news ? It sucks. My projects? Too much is stuck (though not everything!).

We needed a reminder of the point of it all. So we went for a couple walks. One in the hills. Another in a protest. Remind yourself and others that the work of building and belonging matters. And cynicism is dangerous, especially now.

A weekend spent walking.

I'm also excited to say hello to Future Community subscribers like Samuel, Amy, Justin, Shireen, Jess, Eric, Sylva, Sophia, Tiffany, Jessica, K and J (props to first initial people!).

And a warm welcome to Holly, Karim and Ruth, Kimberley, Elisabeth and Kristina, Laura, Lindsay, Heather and Chris and, Shirhan, Paul, Marcia, Nathalie and Natalie, Annette, Sarah and Mark. Great to have you along for the ride!

To Do

  • There are about 70 new roles listed below.
  • Check out the new Future Community Jobs board. Same roles as the main page. Includes tools for posting a job if you're hiring and want some extra help. There are also some search and sorting improvements for you.
  • Read Our Power to Connect and Create if you're interested in some ideas on how acknowledging and meeting supporter needs supports belonging and connection to your work.
  • Please click reply and say hello if get a moment. Happy to answer any questions, hear what you're working on or set up a time to check in.

Newsletter Nerd Club report back

The first Newsletter Nerd Club happened on Tuesday, June 10th. Here are some stats and notes.

  • 50 people signed up. 30 attended.
  • We heard from five people about 6 newsletters they're running.
  • Presenters are running a range of organizational and personal newsletters.
  • Some questions and concerns newsletter operators have focus on newsletter size, frequency, platform/tools, and revenue options.
  • The frequency question is interesting. You see nonprofit newsletters that range from daily to monthly. And everything in between. No matter the frequency, you need to deliver content that people open, click, and gets consistent engagement. If you don't do that then you're ending up in deprioritized promotions folders where it can get hard to find your emails–even for people who are interested.
  • We'll focus on growth at the next Newsletter Nerd Club on July 8th. The answers and options often start with "it depends" and continue with "your audience, your goals, and the purpose of your content." A newsletter, including one run by a nonprofit, can grow through all sorts of advertising, referrals, on-site marketing, cross-promotions in your articles and other content, and partnerships with folks like podcasters and news creators.
  • Feedback on the June 10 conversation was positive. Folks wanted more time to get to know who else was on the call and hear from everyone. Appreciate that and will be working it in better going forward.
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Newsletter Nerd Club is happening Tuesday, July 8th. This is a community for newsletter builders–especially folks working in and around nonprofits.

At this one we'll focus on newsletter growth 📈, get to know each 🤝, other and hear from two newsletter operators doing brilliant work on at (last count) at least 10 newsletters. Learn more and sign up.

Bright Ideas

Thoughts, good gatherings and resources you can use.

List building is broken. Read Roger Craver's The Checkwriters are Dying if you missed it last month. Roger's piece is focused on direct mail. But things aren't much different in the world of email advocacy and fundraising lists. We churn through the same old set of petition signers because our churn is so high that we need reliable sources. And our churn is high because we rely on clicks, not meaning, value or belonging.

It matters. Thanks to Molly White for shouting out against the cynicism that powers creeping (and sprinting) authoritarianism in It matters. I care.

Let me be clear: It fucking matters. Truth matters. Documentation matters. Fighting corruption matters. That accountability seems out of reach right now doesn’t change that.

Find and love your catalysts. We all know and bemoan the communications and departmental silos that hold back organizations. But the problem is bigger across campaigns, movements, and any community-driven project (like news organizations). This piece, Self-Organization Needs Activators: The 9% Who Turn Networks into Movements, from Social Roots is helpful. It reminds me of conversations about bridge roles in journalism–people and roles that exist across team, audience, and expertise boundaries.

The new news leaders. Last fall/winter (sometime in there) I helped a colleague lay the groundwork for a new local newsroom in Arlington, Virginia. The project was financially viable, in theory, because of access to existing but no longer used community journalism resources. So I was nodding along when reading Small-Town Newspapers Are Dying Because No One Wants to Run Them in Columbia Journalism Review. (and, no, before you ask, the newsroom has yet to fly on its own...so many obstacles)

Related: Check out the News Executive Leadership Transition Guide from Amy L. Kovac-Ashley who runs Tiny News Collective.

💰Money related: Applications are open (until June 30) for the 2025 cohort of the LMA Lab for Journalism Funding.

Upcoming events

Resources

1,000 amazing people read Future Community. I know a lot of them personally.
Some are hiring.
Many are looking for a role.
Reach out if you want help finding or filling a role.
I have some ideas for you.

Get in touch

Future Community Jobs

70ish roles from the the past few days.

You'll find a full, updated list at Future Community Jobs. See also our resources page for job seekers.

🗞️ Audience, content, journalism and news roles

🗣️ Communications

⚡ Nonprofit Roles

💰 Fundraising and Development

💸 Foundations and Philanthropy

💻 Agencies, politics, products, projects & more

Future Community is a product of Ted Fickes and Bright+3. Reply or visit Bright+3 to get in touch and learn more about our work.

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