Last week we introduced the launch of a parallel 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Addison Independent Trust Ltd. We reported the mission of the nonprofit was twofold: first, to sustain and boost local news coverage throughout Addison County, and second, to promote civic education and civic engagement. We also pledged, in this column, to offer more ways to get involved.

But first, why.

Why the nonprofit and why get involved?

Creating a parallel nonprofit to the Addy Indy is a first step to meet tomorrow’s challenges. Community newspapers have long been sustained by local advertising, and to a lesser extent by circulation. Two trends have changed our industry’s economics: digital technology, in particular Google’s dominance in online marketing, as well as the rise in marketing via Instagram and TikTok; and the loss of local retail stores to online distributors like Amazon. While advertising is still our primary source of revenue at the Addy Indy, and we’re a competitive vehicle to reach the Addison County market, times change and so must we.

What we know at the Addy Indy is that thorough news coverage that informs our collective whole — towns, school districts, churches, sports, ag, college, social groups, business and industry, our amazing nonprofits and more — is our core product. The answer is not, as too many other newspaper chains have done, to cut expenses from our newsroom.

Rather, our challenge is to find new ways to raise revenue.

One of the ways, as other viable newspapers are also doing — is to get a higher percentage of revenue from readers and donors. That’s why we created the Addy ALL-STARS program two years ago, which generates about $50,000 each year from supporters who want to help sustain our work. That fund goes directly to the Addison Independent, which is not tax exempt, and we greatly appreciate the more than 250 donors who regularly contribute.

On its own it’s not enough to meet today’s challenges, which include being out there in print, online, over apps, video and podcasts. As we’ve written previously, when it costs $250 to $400 to cover a single selectboard meeting, a night sports game, or a school or community play, that adds up quickly. We spend about $35,000 or more to produce a single issue, each week of the year.

With the formation of the nonprofit, larger donors and foundations will now have a local vehicle in which to sustain local news, help protect free speech, boost civic engagement and education, as well as strengthen our communities and the state in numerous ways we have yet to imagine.

But here are a few projects that are top of mind:

• help finance an app for the Addison Independent so more area residents find our news in ways they are accustomed to getting state, national and international news — off their phone

• develop local podcasts to reach more of our market in a different setting

• create audio recordings of written stories each week so people who have difficulty reading can still access our local news

• build up a network of town correspondents who will do deeper dives into their town’s news and events at a higher salary to make such reporting possible

• recruit a cadre of county volunteers to consistently inform area residents about civics and to host events that promote community engagement

• organize town forums to discuss issues of concern — such as how Medicaid and Medicare are changing under the Trump administration’s cuts, and how Vermonters can best be served. So much is changing so quickly that information like this is needed now more than ever.

At the end of the day, it’s all about trying our best to inform Addison County residents of the issues, and the processes (whether that’s in health care, agriculture, education, the environment or otherwise) that most affect their lives. We can do this through the newspaper via reporting, but we can also combine that with in-person discussions to reach county residents one-on-one.

Over the next couple of months, we’ll occasionally create an ad hoc committee of community volunteers to take on specific tasks to fulfill this part of our mission. Watch for those announcements, or if you’re interested today, give us a call at 802-388-4944 or email [email protected] to ask questions or tell us your area of interest. Thanks, in advance, for your willingness to sustain local news and free speech, and to help build strong and resilient communities.

Angelo Lynn