Epicenter NYC’s Post

Big budgets don’t create engagement. Attention does. Your community doesn’t need money. It needs you. • Recognize contributions—leaderboards. • Host real conversations—group calls or 1-on-1 check-ins. • Amplify their content—make your members’ voices louder. When you connect, people stay. When you lead, they thrive. Here’s the truth: Effort beats money every time. Show up. Give your time. Watch your community grow.

Today is a great day for local news. Press Forward, a national movement to strengthen democracy by revitalizing local news, announced they are awarding $20 million to 250 news outlets, including one in every state and 24 current Report for America partner newsrooms. “These newsrooms are proof that we are seeing a moment of transformation, where new and longstanding are stepping up to create a new story for local news,” said Dale R. Anglin, Director, Press Forward. “Each newsroom plays a vital public service role in its community – providing trustworthy local news and information in places where no other sources may exist. Independent newsrooms need community support to survive. We hope that more people will subscribe and donate to them.” This could truly reshape the local news landscape for years to come in communities that are often undercovered. https://lnkd.in/e4_KB7Q4 #localcommunity #localnews #journalism #localoutlets #outlets #news #media #reporters #localreporters

🔍 **Unbelievable Story Alert**: The Unexpected Heroes of a Wednesday Afternoon in Brooklyn In a world where the news cycle is often dominated by less-than-cheerful updates, here's one that restores faith in collaborative effort and community vigilance. On August 22, 2024, a typical Wednesday turned extraordinary when a New York City news helicopter crew and the NYPD teamed up to reunite a missing 9-year-old boy with his anxious parents in Midwood, Brooklyn. 🚁 **What Happened**: While most of us think of helicopters as traffic or weather reporters, today's heroes, WCBS and WNYW’s Dan Rice and pilot Eric Ross, became pivotal in a real-life rescue operation. The boy, wearing a distinct orange tie, was spotted casually enjoying his iPad on the building's communal rooftop bench—an unexpected playground for a missing child. 👀 **The Unlikely Spotters**: Here's the twist—the child's presence on the roof wasn't initially alarming to locals. The area is a well-trodden space for residents. However, the combined vigilance of a news crew and the NYPD pivoted this story from potential tragedy to high-five moment. 💡 **Takeaway**: This event is a refreshing reminder of the power of teamwork and the incredible impact of community actors, even in their more traditional roles. It’s proof positive that looking out for one another is as much about where we look as it is about who’s looking. 🔗 **Your Move**: Encounter a similar heartwarming or insightful story? Share it and keep the positivity chain going. Let's embrace the stories that remind us of our shared humanity. #CommunityHeroes #Teamwork #GoodNews 💬 What’s the most unexpected way you’ve witnessed community collaboration in action? Drop your stories below! ⬇️

💸 Turn Your Community into a Revenue Stream! Struggling to turn your community into real, consistent income? You don’t have to guess anymore. My FREE checklist gives you the exact steps to build a profitable, engaged community that works for YOU. ✅ It’s simple. It’s actionable. It works! Download Your Free Checklist Here

Agreed. It's time to invest in libraries and public services as a whole. It has been reported that the Scottish Government plans to shift the focus of the NHS towards 'preventative care' (https://lnkd.in/eR8A7w95). Properly funded libraries play an integral part of this by contributing towards community engagement, connection, health literacy, wellbeing and so much more.

https://lnkd.in/eN2fdpn5 Absolutely love the connection of different generations! Such learnings to be had from both perspectives.

🆕From Fund Director Lizzy Hazeltine: Adopting a place-based approach to local news and information funding makes our communities stronger and more connected. Here are three ways establishing a sense of place can reinforce a vision of success for funders and leaders in newsrooms and help us translate it into community impact – even in turbulent times: ✅Produce and distribute more local stories about civic life, so people can better understand what’s happening in their communities and make decisions about their daily lives. ✅Invest more dollars in local news and community organizations that fill reporting gaps, expand distribution, and represent the full spectrum of identities and voices that make up our diverse communities. ✅Foster opportunities for collaboration among local leaders in our news and information network to build relationships and encourage knowledge-sharing on wins and lessons learned. Check out Lizzy’s commentary to learn more about how leaders and funders can join the Fund in adopting place-based approaches for more effective local news and information funding: https://lnkd.in/eyriwjfW #LocalNews #NorthCarolina Press Forward

If you’re curious about how we support communities to advance #natureeverywhere check out this informative and highly practical session!

Are we actually in the middle of a generosity crisis? A new article from Celia Ford of Vox drills into a ton of nuances within that very question posed by Nathan Chappell, MBA, MNA, CFRE and Brian Crimmins in their fantastic book. Yet, are people less generous inherently? Or simply not driving their dollars and energy toward traditional nonprofits? Is this truly just an efficiency or overhead problem? The answer, as you can expect, is much more complicated than even a well-researched and cited article can outline. But this isn’t just an operational issue—it's a moral one. The very fabric of nonprofit missions is at risk, as the lifeblood of these organizations—genuine, passionate supporters—drifts away, disillusioned and disconnected. Imagine the countless potential supporters who turn away because they feel unseen and unvalued. Picture the long-term supporters who become disheartened because their contributions seem to vanish into a void, unacknowledged and unappreciated. And misalignment of goals and assets accelerates staff burnout as well. Every missed opportunity to connect meaningfully with a supporter brings you a step closer to losing their trust forever. This crisis isn't just about numbers; it's about the deep emotional connections that are being severed every day. Here's the article, what are your thoughts? https://lnkd.in/eWTYaWnD

Thanks to a generous grant from the MacArthur Foundation, the Medill Local News Initiative at Northwestern University Medill School commissioned NORC at the University of Chicago to conduct a comprehensive poll about local news behaviors and attitudes in the 14-county Chicago region. The findings starkly illustrate the rapid changes in local news consumption. Smart phones have supplanted TV as the device of choice for local news. Many people consume local news daily, but only 19% pay or donate. A slim majority say no one should pay for local news. Only 13% read printed newspapers often. And an overwhelming majority believe local news is doing somewhat well or very well financially, even amid widespread layoffs and expanding news deserts. https://lnkd.in/g98sDYAN