Editor’s Note: The following email was sent to readers who donated to the Valley Indy during last year’s Great Give.
Hi everyone,
It’s Eugene Driscoll writing from ValleyIndy.org. Hurrah for me if I managed to get this message through your spam filter.
I apologize in advance for the long email, but this is what happens when a writer gets hold of your email.
You are receiving this message because you donated to the Valley Indy last year during The Great Give.
Thank you!
And yes, now I’m asking you to donate again during The Great Give, from 8 a.m. Tuesday, May 3 until 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 4.
This is the link to make a donation when The Great Give starts.
And, OK, I’m also asking you to tell your friends to donate — especially those on social media.
And, incredibly, I’m even asking you to donate more money than you did last year.
How do I justify that last one?
Well, the Valley Indy publishes for free, Monday to Friday, practically 24 hours a day (weekends are for our families).
Compare that price to a general interest print newspaper. A daily newspaper purchased at a newsstand costs at least $1 a day in 44 percent of the U.S., and at least double that on Sundays. Source.
So the Valley Indy is a bargain.
But ValleyIndy.org reporter Ethan Fry and I will be working for your donation The Great Give.
We’re planning to host a streaming video webcast on ValleyIndy.org for the entire Great Give.
During the webcast, we’ll interview at least 16 other nonprofit leaders from the Valley about who they are, what they do — and how you can help.
In addition, there will be a musical performance, a Shakespearean table read, debates over local news coverage, even an interview with a guy who makes monsters for the movies.
Oh, and by the way …
Here’s what ValleyIndy.org has been up to since your last donation in May 2015:
- We launched “Valley Navel Gazing,” a podcast heard online and on WNHH, 103.5 FM, a radio station in New Haven. We’re the station’s most popular program.
Every person running for mayor or First Selectmen in the town and cities we cover appeared on “Navel Gazing” during the last election cycle.
- We won seven awards from the CT Society of Professional Journalists last spring, including first place wins for investigative story, in-depth story, opinion column, audio storytelling and general reporting.
- Finally, thanks to Ever Ready Press in Ansonia, we launched the Valley Indy newsletter, a print product! It is geared toward senior citizens who do not use the web for news. Ethan and I personally deliver 200 copies a week in Ansonia and Derby.
Local news reporting is not a job. It’s a calling.
So please keep an eye and ear out for more Valley Indy Great Give Webcast news this week on ValleyIndy.org!
Thank you, and have a wonderful week.
Eugene Driscoll
ValleyIndy.org
