NewsMatch is a collective, matching campaign through November and December for member publications of The Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), of which The Owen News is part of. NewsMatch provides a 1:1 match for any donations or memberships made to the Owen News. It also provides certain goal-based bonuses.NewsMatch will match monthly pledges at the amount for the full year. For example, a recurring donation set up at $10 per month would be matched at $120 for the entire year. 

Additionally, The Owen County Community Foundation (OCCF) is providing a local match of up to $20,000, creating a 2:1 match. This means that every dollar donated to support local, independent journalism will be tripled, helping us to fulfill our mission to be Owen County’s leading source of reliable and unbiased local news in order to foster an informed and engaged community. 

The Owen News specifically has the goal of raising enough funds to hire an inaugural Executive Editor and other staff. 

“Moving beyond our volunteer-only model will allow The Owen News the opportunity to expand coverage and increase our print frequency. There is so much more that we want to do and cover that is restricted by our reliance solely on volunteers” Board President Nicole DeCriscio said. “Volunteers are, and still will be essential to the long-term sustainability of The Owen News, but we need key staff positions to build capacity.”

In conjunction with the NewsMatch campaign, The Owen News is also launching membership tiers, which includes the ability for The Owen News to be mailed directly to members. As part of Newsmatch, the donation portion of the individual sponsorship or membership tier will both count toward the fundraising goal and will be considered tax deductible. 

The membership tiers and benefits are as follows:

Friends of the Owen News ($5 per month/ $60 per year): Benefits include: mailed print edition of The Owen News, access to members-only merchandise that will have an exclusive annual design, a monthly e-newsletter with behind-the-scenes insights, and recognition on The Owen News website.

Headline Supporter ($15 per month/ $180 per year): Benefits include: all Friends of the Owen News benefits and an Owen News tote bag.

Columnist Champion ($25 per month/ $300 per year): Benefits include: all Headline Supporter benefits, an Owen News mug, your name listed in the printed edition of The Owen News, and a special invite to an exclusive quarterly virtual Q&A session with the editorial team.

Editor’s Circle ($50 per month/ $600 per year): Benefits include: all Columnist Champion benefits, an Owen News travel mug, and special recognition in the annual member guide and report.

Publisher’s Partner ($100+ per month/ $1,200+ per year): Benefits include: all Editor’s Circle benefits, an Owen News t-shirt, and a ¼ page ad for individual use (subject to The Owen News’ ad policy). 

“One of the most asked for amenities concerning The Owen News is the ability to have the paper mailed directly to them. We hear those requests, and introducing the sponsorship tiers is the answer to that. We believe quality local news should be accessible to our entire community. As such, these sponsorship tiers and the addition of mailed copies of The Owen News does not replace our current at-will donation, pick-up model. Our newspapers will still be available for pick-up at local businesses,” DeCriscio said.

Those interested in making a donation or becoming a member can do so through OCCF by visiting this link.

Individuals interested in volunteering with The Owen News should email volunteers@theowennews.org. Volunteers are needed in several areas including as trained correspondents, fundraising and staffing festival booths to name a few. 

“The non-profit news model allows us, first and foremost, to be a community partner in our community. But most importantly, by being a non-profit, The Owen News will forever be owned by our community,” DeCriscio said. “At the end of the day, the success of The Owen News thus far is a testament to the strength of our community, and we’re relying on community support to capitalize on this important fund-matching opportunity.”

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