Thank you! The response to our Valley News COVID-19 Support Fund has been overwhelming. We hit our initial goal of raising $50,000 to support our operations, which have been drastically undermined by the economic crisis caused by the pandemic, in less than five days.
Almost 600 people donated, and the donations have ranged from small to large. Every one of them is greatly appreciated.
This is uncharted territory for us, learning as we go. The general idea with fundraising campaigns is to set a goal that you think you can obtain, hit that goal and then establish a higher stretch goal. To that end, we have increased our goal to $90,000.
I have been asked how we set our goal and what the money will be used for. The initial goal was set using metrics based on how many people we reach and an assumed average donation amount. That amount was then lowered to a more conservative estimate.
The newspaper industry, including the Valley News, was facing challenging times before the pandemic. When we started this campaign, we did not know what our total losses would be over the course of the pandemic, and we still don’t know. What we do know is that the losses are growing and there is no end in sight. We will continue the campaign for the duration of the 45 days, as planned, through May 15. This fundraiser is only one piece of our efforts — there is no single initiative that can solve the massive problem looming overhead.
No one knows how long this pandemic will last or what the economic recovery will look like. What I do know is that your donations, the advertisements that have been placed and the notes that you have sent are humbling and appreciated. The Valley News has been serving the Upper Valley for over 68 years, and we will do everything we can to continue the tradition of connecting our communities well into the future.
It is truly an honor to work with such a dedicated staff and live in a community that is so supportive. There is no Valley News without you — our readers, subscribers and the local business community.
Please remember to support our local businesses any way you can. We need to stand united and persevere together.
Stay safe and be well.
Publisher Dan McClory can be reached at dmcclory@vnews.com.
Donations can be made online at http://c-fund.us/rii or www.vnews.com/donate, or by mailing a check made out to “Valley News” to Valley News, Attn: Dan McClory, P.O. Box 877, White River Junction, VT 05001. Donations are not tax-deductible.