Our reporters often cover day-to-day civic operations, cutting through minutia to report facts-based and data-driven stories about area planning and development that impact local residents.
RALEIGH, N.C. (PRWEB) June 10, 2015
The public is invited to participate in a fundraiser for the Raleigh Public Record at Raleigh Brewing Company on June 22, 2015. This fundraiser kicks off a critical six-month donation campaign to keep the local nonprofit news organization in operation. Raleigh Public Record will team with Raleigh Brewing to host the fundraiser “Beers to the Record” from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the brewery located at 3709 Neil St. in Raleigh.
The nonprofit Raleigh Public Record was founded in 2008 as a way to bring hyper-local news to area residents, with a focus on investigative journalism around City Hall, and City and County Planning Commissions. While grants have sustained the organization to-date, community support from individual donors and area business sponsors is vital to keeping the nonprofit news site in operation, said Board Chair Jennifer Suarez.
“We’ve notified readers that we are at risk of ceasing operations. Our reporters often cover day-to-day civic operations, cutting through minutia to report facts-based and data-driven stories about area planning and development that impact local residents,” said Suarez.
“Yet, this is a crucial donor push, and we must identify additional funding this year through a mix of business sponsorships, individual donation and grants, or we won’t be able to continue providing the local news service thousands of readers enjoy each week,” she said.
Despite more than 11,500 monthly page views at the Raleigh Public Record site, and 3,000 Twitter and 1,200 Facebook followers, readers appear reluctant to financially support local news content by the nonprofit. This is a struggle faced by many news organizations, both for-profit and nonprofit.
The #SaveRPR donor push encourages individuals to value the importance of hyper-local information and donate even $5 or $10 per month, said Suarez. Online donations are accepted at: http://www.raleighpublicrecord.org.
“Raleigh residents rely on information to stay engaged with their community,” said Raleigh Public Record Editor James Borden. “Budget constraints have limited our ability to provide as much local news as we would like.”
“Yet, we realize the importance of keeping up with City government,” said Borden, who donates his time. “We hope to continue our mission into 2016 and beyond, but we need the public’s help.”
Locals are invited to learn more at the “Beers to the Record” fundraiser at Raleigh Brewing. Evening beer specials and participating food trucks will include a donation to the nonprofit Raleigh Public Record.
Event: Beers to the Record: A Fundraiser Benefiting Raleigh Public Record
Where: Raleigh Brewing Company, 3709 Neil St, Raleigh, NC 27607
When: June 22, 5:30 to 8 p.m.
About the Raleigh Public Record
The Raleigh Public Record is a 501(c)3 nonprofit news organization that reports and documents news about Raleigh, North Carolina. Launched as an all-volunteer, online news organization in 2008, the Raleigh Public Record fairly and responsibly covers issues affecting all Raleigh communities. The organization serves as an online source for important civic news that goes uncovered by traditional media, keeping readers informed about topics that impact the capital city of North Carolina. The organization is committed to developing new research methods that improve data collection and fuel the next generation of journalism.