The 19th's first-ever strategic plan is an attempt to "play it safe" in a precarious media age

"When Amanda Zamora and Emily Ramshaw launched The 19th - with $8.5 million to start - in August 2020, they kicked off with a budget that most news outlets can only dream of. Five years and $100 million raised later, The 19th's next chapter is focused on substantially growing its audience and making sure money is never a problem. Ramshaw, The 19th's CEO, thinks establishing an endowment can help with that."

"The 19th's first-ever strategic plan, published last week, outlines seven major goals to advance the nonprofit's mission of serving American women and LGBTQ+ people with journalism about politics and public policy through an intersectional lens. Chief among those goals is the creation of a $30 million "quasi-endowment," which The 19th can tap into in the case of a financial crisis. Since the three-year endowment campaign launched this past January, The 19th has already raised $25 million, Ramshaw said."

"the outlet told newsletter subscribers that it has already increased its media liability insurance, trained its staff on physical and digital security in the face of threats, and holds risk assessment and worst-case-scenario planning workshops. All of those safety upgrades cost money, and The 19th wants to ensure the organization - which now employs 54 full-time staffers - never has to rely on any one source of attention or income."

The 19th launched in August 2020 with $8.5 million and has raised roughly $100 million over five years. The organization published its first strategic plan outlining seven goals to serve American women and LGBTQ+ people with intersectional coverage of politics and policy. The top strategic priority is creating a $30 million quasi-endowment to provide emergency funding access. A three-year endowment campaign launched in January and has raised $25 million so far. The newsroom increased media liability insurance, instituted physical and digital security training, and conducts risk-assessment and worst-case-scenario planning. The organization employs 54 full-time staff and seeks to grow audience while diversifying revenue sources.

Read at Nieman Lab