Membership Handbook

Membership is a subsidy system in which those who can afford to support journalism do so, at least partially to ensure that it continues to be available for everyone. But there is a growing tension between member-driven newsrooms’ public service mission and having a membership program, which inherently trends toward exclusivity.

In many cases, membership is an agreement to keep access to journalism free for all. Many members don’t want a gate around the journalism they’re supporting. They are advocates for that journalism, and advocates have an interest in exposing as many people as possible to their cause.

At the “thick” end of the spectrum, members still give money and read your journalism, but they also show up at events, offer advice and feedback, respond to call-outs, share their knowledge, and interact with journalists. This relationship is denser and more intimate. It engenders a constant feedback loop between the news organization and its memb... See more

There is deep value in listening, testing, and being fascinated with what members value. This is a mindset shift. Instead of just assuming what members want, successful membership organizations have developed ways of listening, fresh thinking about what their members actually want, and strong feedback loops to get it right.

Many people told our team that they join as members because they feel something fundamental in the world and/or in themselves is broken. In membership they seek a way to feel part of a solution.

Journalism is facing both a trust crisis and a sustainability crisis. Membership answers to both.

Membership is almost always an effort to diversify revenue, and there are very few organizations that are wholly or almost wholly supported by membership revenue.

It is an editorial orientation that sees readers and listeners as much more than a source of monetary support. Members actively contribute. In its deeper forms, it is a two-way knowledge exchange between journalists and members. It is an opportunity to identify your strongest supporters, and enlist them in your quest for impact and sustainability.