We at The NewStandard are once again fighting for the survival of our publication, and I am writing in the hopes that you will fight alongside us. To continue publishing and to grow into a news outlet that can cover more subjects and reach new people is a constant struggle for us, especially because we refuse to take money from advertisers, investors or underwriters.
Your contribution to The NewStandard, along with those of hundreds like you, has carried us this far. But after two years of grueling hours and watching our journalists work for inadequate compensation, we believe that if we are to survive in the long-term, we need to grow into an organization that has enough staff and a budget that supports the people involved in it.
That is why our latest membership drive is so ambitious. We want to live in a world where people are not exploited and where independent journalism like the kind we produce is valued. Building The NewStandard is a small step in that direction. We hope you will join us in creating an
organization that pays a living wage and values hard work in the public interest.
We need to find about 400 more people to give the kind of support that you already do. If we can reach that goal, some of our readers have offered to donate an additional $70,000 for 2006. This is an amazing opportunity for The NewStandard. If we can double our membership and access that additional funding, The NewStandard will be in excellent shape to hire more full-time staff and increase the amount of content we publish next year. If we do not succeed in our membership drive, we will very likely shut down for lack of resources.
You have already given us a lot in terms of monetary and moral support. Now, we need you to help us in another, more challenging way. Our only chance of finding enough members to take us to the next level is you.
Please contact your friends, family and co-workers. Tell them about The NewStandard and ask them to begin supporting us. Tell them what TNS means to you, and what our absence would mean. You can use our new site-promotion emailing facility, with lots of customizable, pre-set form emails you can choose from and adapt.
If everyone receiving this email were to find just one other person to join, we would far surpass our goal.
Our new site-promotion facility is at:
http://newstandardnews.net/promo2/?action=show_send_to_friend