We had a wonderful in person meet up in Washington, DC, on August 27th. I hope we can do more events that get people talking to each other in the same room.
Thank you to Kevin Goldberg of iS2 Digital and Sarah Beth Spraggins of Secret Ballot. Kevin and Sarah Beth dug into a few of the vexing content and newsletter issues of the day: AI, creating content (and teams to do the work), how events and newsletters and communities come together, audience and voice.
Stay tuned for a report back and how you can join us at the next Newsletter Nerd Club.
How Newsletter Nerd Club Works
A Newsletter Nerd Club event is big on learning, sharing, and problem solving. An hour goes roughly goes like this:
- We dig into a topic that's on the minds of newsletter operators and nonprofit communicators. This month we're honing in on Growth.
- We run an exercise, demo some tools, and/or hop into breakouts to get folks talking about today's theme.
- We open up for some guided Q&A and conversation. Bring some questions. Get answers.
Recent Newsletter Nerd Club Events
Newsletter Nerd Club Live in DC
On August 27, 2026, we met for in person hour for communications and content people to talk newsletters, audience work, platforms, revenue and more.
AI, Newsletters and Content Strategy
On July 28, 2026, we met to talk with newsletter creators and nonprofit content leaders about how they're using AI in their work. Get the full report back here. Some highlights:
- We shared four categories of ways people are using AI in content programs.
- We shared examples of content creation and data analysis happening with AI and content projects.
- We heard from Julius Honnor, the creator of Content Health Check, about how AI can support content strategy not just content creation or data analysis.
- And we talked through several questions (and shared several concerns) about how to think about where and when AI fits into a content program and the trust our audiences put into nonprofit content.
Growth Strategies, Tips, and Tools
On June 24, 2026, we got together to talk about newsletter growth.
- How to grow a newsletter list or community.
- How to know if your newsletter is right-sized.
- Is all growth good growth?
- What are some good growth goals and objectives?
- Where are newsletter finding new subscribers and community members today?
- June 3, 2026: A conversation about newsletter trends and how they're affecting our programs.
- May 12, 2026: Newsletter Superpowers
- July 8, 2025: Newsletters and community building - a conversation with Bryan Vance (Stumptown Savings and Feed Your Curiosity) and Rachel Kincaid of The Marshall Project.
- June 10, 2025: A newsletter show and tell. Participants had a chance to share their newsletter, talk about goals and challenges, and get support from other participants.