MANSFIELD — When Facebook invites you to be one of only 17 news organizations in the world participating in a Local News Membership Accelerator within the Facebook Journalism Project, you take that call.
Alright, so maybe Mark Zuckerberg didn’t personally call us, but it’s still pretty damn cool.
It’s true though – a few months ago, Richland Source was contacted by Facebook to participate in its Local News Membership Accelerator, a program designed to help local news organizations serve their communities and build compelling membership programs. Obviously we jumped at the chance.
Funded and organized by The Facebook Journalism Project, the three-month program includes hands-on teaching workshops, one-on-one coaching, and the opportunity to earn grant funding.
And yes, Richland Source is one of only 17 news organizations chosen to partake in this program. Our local Accelerator team includes Membership Director Angie Cirone, Digital Services Manager David Yoder, and Reporter Brittany Schock (that’s me).
Over the next 12 weeks, the three of us will be intensely focused on taking our membership program to the next level – talking through what works, what doesn’t work, and what potential could be reached.
We’ll be collaborating with our coach, David Grant of The Christian Science Monitor, and the rest of the Richland Source team to bring you the best membership program this county has ever seen (yes, our goals are that ambitious).
All the while, we’ll be keeping one thing in mind: You. You who believes in the same thing we do at Richland Source – sharing stories of the people, places and events in our community. You who believes in possibility and potential for Richland County, and how we can work together to make our slice of the world a better place.
From our very beginnings in 2013, Richland Source has always wanted to immerse ourselves in our community to tell the most accurate, complete story of where we live. We’ve done our best to give you the most compelling stories of your community, from Friday night lights to solutions journalism.
In turn, you’ve given us your trust, your time, and for some of you, your dollars through our membership program in support of our mission here at Richland Source. We don’t take that for granted, and we want to be the best stewards of your belief in us.
So, what’s next?
Our Membership Accelerator team will be making two trips to Texas and California between now and January to continue to learn more about what makes a successful membership program. Basically, our brains will continue to explode with information.
We also want to hear from you about our membership program. If you’re a current member, be on the lookout for a survey asking for feedback on what we’re doing right so far, and what we could improve upon.
If you’d like to become a member, click here.
If you’d like to learn more about the Local News Membership Accelerator and the Facebook Journalism Project, click here.
And if you have questions about membership or would like to give us feedback on our current membership program, please fill out the form below!
