I'm using microfunding to appeal for 750 donors to give at least $20 each. Now, I won't ask you for something I'm unwilling to do myself. So, late yesterday, I donated $15,000 of my own money to this wonderful organization.In a letter yesterday, IRE said my contribution "will help IRE complete a matching grant as part of the Challenge Fund for Journalism. The program will help IRE improve our ability to serve our members and community and continue development of our online services. Our goal is to raise $75,000 to release $50,000 in funding for IRE."
Here's a quick link to IRE's donations page.
New! the Gannett Blog IRE Challenge blog.
My personal $15,000 IRE gift honors Dr. Samuel Hughes, who died Jan. 20, 2008, in San Francisco, Calif., after a distinguished career devoted especially to the care of mothers and children worldwide, and those living with HIV.
Note: The Blogger publishing platform I use was down last night just as my $15,000 cash transfer was completed, preventing me from posting this on schedule. I apologize for any confusion.
Double your support! The Gannett Foundation will match your contribution 100% -- if you're an eligible active employee or director, and you donate a minimum $50! Just follow the link to the GannettMatch site. From the FAQ:
What is GannettMatch?
GannettMatch is a matching gift program administered by the Gannett Foundation. Our goal is to encourage eligible active employees and directors of Gannett Co., Inc. to contribute to qualifying nonprofit organizations of their choice. It is a way to double your donation to your favorite charity.
How do I participate in GannettMatch?
You make a personal donation between $50 and $10,000 per individual, per calendar year to an eligible institution. GannettMatch will match the eligible donation dollar for dollar. Gifts may be paid by cash, check, credit card or by negotiable securities that have a publicly listed market value. Gifts must be charitable contributions that are deductible under IRS regulations.
Please post your replies in the comments section, below. To e-mail confidentially, write gannettblog[at]gmail[dot-com]; see Tipsters Anonymous Policy in the green rail, upper right.
Good for you, Jim, that you are able to donate such a large sum of money to IRE. I'm sure it's an organization worthy of your time and dollars.
ReplyDeleteI gotta say, though, I find it offensive to see these repeated requests for your blog visitors to also donate to this organization while we scour the site for additional news on impending and potentially massive layoffs.
I'm glad you have lived within your means and have enough savings to pursue a pleasant lifestyle and make large charitable donations. Well done.
As a single parent living on a small newspaper salary, I'm more concerned right now with using my $20 to feed my children or pay off medical bills in case I am out of a job next month.
I know it's your blog, and you can do with it as you choose. I've supported your efforts and cringed at the negative personal attacks against you.
Still, there's nothing urgent to me (and, I'm guessing, the majority of your audience) about a campaign to raise $15,000 to support an industry that won't be supporting me very long. I appreciate that you have donated to show how valuable you believe IRE to be before asking others to do the same. But I find it in poor taste to repeatedly tell us how much money you've donated when the majority of your readers might well be launching their own "urgent campaigns" to save their homes, feed their children and pay their bills.
I won't tell you it's time to get over yourself. You've been told. It's what you do, and it's your blog. I wish you luck and lots of happiness in Ibiza. I will no longer be wasting my time here.
I completely understand. And I realize the timing is terrible.
ReplyDeleteAnd while I seek participation from Gannett workers and other readers at all income levels, I launched my campaign with higher-income employees in mind: Managers and those at the local operating committee level, plus those at Corporate.
I'm especially interested in donations from the current and former members of the Gannett Management Committee. As many as 16 of them have access to a Gannett Foundation benefit that I believe allows them to direct $15,000 apiece to qualifying non-profits.
This is the money that, for example, CEO Craig Dubow used in past years to fund a scholarship fund named for himself and his spouse.
Jim,
ReplyDeleteI find it astounding you expect any Gannett manager to be sympathetic to anything with your name attached. I think a review of both your entries as well as those of the blogging community will show all managers have been portrayed mindless boobs. You've pretty well burnt the bridge, don't you think?
Yep, the bridges have been burnt, trashed, recycled and discarded. They are no more.
ReplyDeleteSo if we use GannettMatch, won't we be marked as "allies of Jim" and placed on the top of the list for the next round of layoffs?
ReplyDelete