Women's Press Storyteller Fund
For 35 years, Women’s Press has been sustained by print advertising. We are ready to expand our women-focused storytelling mission.
Project Description
Giving birth to a new era in leadership happens not only through politics, but in grassroots organizing, education, new business, and forums. For 35 years, Women’s Press has been in the privileged position of sharing stories about women who deliver. The stories in our magazine, and the discussions that happen at our new MWP Conversations series, are about using the power of women to shift narratives and effect change.
Mission: Inspire leadership through stories and action steps of powerful, everyday women who recognize that we are all part of a greater whole.
Vision: Amplify the collective energy of women to shift narratives and effect change.
Need: Increase supporting subscribers who will help us supplement revenue (the magazine is generally available at free distribution sites at more than 500 Twin Cities locations, at statewide women's events, and online). This will enable us to expand digital, marketing, and sponsorship opportunities in 2019.
In 2018, under new ownership, we launched events that brought together 150 women in conversation about “Using Our Voice & Vote” and “Healing Trauma.” Next up: a conversation with end-of-life caregivers and storytellers that makes death and grief a more visible and speakable topic.
We’ve been asked to co-create a conversation for older lesbian women, and to host screening/panel discussions of the documentary “Time for Ilhan.” There is more we can do to connect women, with increasing visibility on several evergreen topics that have national appeal, but we currently have a small staff, and a budget limited with print advertising as our primary revenue source.
- Said one long-time reader, after our second issue as a new team: “Wow! I am so impressed with this magazine! I have read and supported this magazine since it’s beginning. I am so pleased to see it reach this level of quality. I am telling everyone I know to revisit this new version of the Women’s Press. Thanks for the great journalism.”
- Asked one woman of our distribution coordinator: “I am a mental health clinician that has several clients that live in rural areas without adequate online resources. How might I get them copies of your magazine? I think what you offer may have a powerful impact on empowering them and alleviating their sense of isolation.”
- Our free publication has a modest paid subscriber base. Said one woman renewing her subscription: “I look forward to your publication every month. There is nothing else like it!”
Visit womenspress.com
We want to enhance online and event sponsorships, and hire paid community engagement coordinators, to reach targeted communities of women, especially those outside the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. To expand our visibility and engagement in 2019, we need to be able to pay professional videographers, hire a development director, and launch an improved website with a women-led team we have identified. (See our sandbox of ideas at womenspress.org, in contrast to our existing website at womenspress.com.)
Women are midwives to the future. This is a critical time for showcasing the voices and leadership of diverse women — something we are skilled at doing. Please help us bring our women-focused storytelling platform to a much wider stage in 2019.
Updates
The Campaign FAQs
How do you plan to sustain new operations with this seed money?
1) A stronger website will enable us to seek sponsorship dollars for important content areas and action steps that our readers engage with: women in power, healing trauma, transformative justice, immigration, ism schisms, Native roots, LGBTQ+ issues, exploitation & assault, consciousness, environment, books & arts, facing death & loss. After the website is relaunched with Storyteller Fund donors (and investors), we will seek ongoing specialized sponsors with a development director.
2) Growing traffic with non-metro website visitors requires community engagement coordinators — part marketing, part analytics, part social media. We have identified several diverse young women for this work. Our team will develop a discussion guide for each issue, sent to community leaders who lead conversation circles, using digital content. This will enable us, in year two, to have higher sponsorship rates for well-trafficked content areas.
3) In certain strong community bases outside the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, the development director will seek localized sponsorships of a "Voices From ..." page for that area, featuring events and conversation highlights submitted by that community leader. Currently Blaine (north metro), Duluth (northern Minnesota), St. Cloud (west Minnesota), and Rochester (southern Minnesota) have high digital readership. Many women report engaging with the content who live outside the state; traffic is high in New York, D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
The development director will be sponsorship-focused, compared to the advertising revenue model for the print magazine. We will have enhanced website, mini-events and discussion circles, video storytelling, and potentially a podcast, as new avenues to connect sponsors with the powerful, everyday women engaged with our content.
Just Because I Care: you are offering any amount that feels right to you. Thank you!
Thank you for helping us expand our paid subscription base, which enables us to expand our visibility in 2019. You will receive our monthly magazine for a year, and receive special community invitations.
Thank you for helping us expand our paid subscription base, which enables us to expand our visibility in 2019. You will receive our monthly magazine for a year, receive special community invitations, and be recognized as a Supporting Subscriber in a print issue for your contribution to our Storyteller Fund.
Thank you for contributing to the Storyteller Fund that enables us to expand and enhance our website capabilities. You will receive a one-year subscription to the magazine, receive special community invitations, and be recognized as a Philanthropist Subscriber in a print issue and on the website.
Thank you for contributing to the Storyteller Fund that enables us to expand and enhance our website capabilities. You will receive a subscription to the magazine, receive special community invitations, and be recognized as a Digital Storyteller Subscriber in a print issue and on our video storytelling page on the website.
Rewards
Just Because I Care: you are offering any amount that feels right to you. Thank you!
Thank you for helping us expand our paid subscription base, which enables us to expand our visibility in 2019. You will receive our monthly magazine for a year, and receive special community invitations.
Thank you for helping us expand our paid subscription base, which enables us to expand our visibility in 2019. You will receive our monthly magazine for a year, receive special community invitations, and be recognized as a Supporting Subscriber in a print issue for your contribution to our Storyteller Fund.
Thank you for contributing to the Storyteller Fund that enables us to expand and enhance our website capabilities. You will receive a one-year subscription to the magazine, receive special community invitations, and be recognized as a Philanthropist Subscriber in a print issue and on the website.
Thank you for contributing to the Storyteller Fund that enables us to expand and enhance our website capabilities. You will receive a subscription to the magazine, receive special community invitations, and be recognized as a Digital Storyteller Subscriber in a print issue and on our video storytelling page on the website.