This is the newsletter of OptOut, a free news aggregation app for exclusively independent media that's available for Apple and Android devices. Find out more about the app at optout.news.
I'm happy to report that the OptOut Media Foundation has made progress towards our 2022 fundraising goal!
Since we announced our fundraiser, we've now raised $3,400, or 7% of our $50,000 goal, thanks to our individual supporters.
Can you help us get closer to our fundraising goal so we can enact our plans to elevate independent media next year?
With over 5,000 newsletter subscribers and over 10,000 app downloads, we know there's enthusiasm about what we're doing to elevate financially independent, trustworthy news outlets. Over time, we'll build a network of news outlets and news consumers so big that our media ecosystem will compete with corporate giants like CNN, NBC, and The New York Times. We'll impact the national narratives on a daily basis.
To get there, and I know we can, we need your help. Almost all of the funds we've raised in our two years of existence have come from individual donors like you. OptOut is an organization made up of volunteer and part-time journalists and tech activists who want to use the media to advance democracy and social justice. We have no investors and no corporate sponsorships; we rely entirely on our audience to develop and curate our app, write free newsletters, expand our news network, and a lot more.
To continue—and accelerate—our work in 2023, we need to raise $50,000 by the end of this year. Can you pitch in to help us challenge corporate media's dominance?
Two weeks ago I left my reporting day job to work for OptOut full-time because to achieve our goals, OptOut needs a full-time executive director. It's exciting, and a little scary, but I know that with enough hard work, we can make OptOut a sustainable, impactful nonprofit organization. I'm going for it, and I hope you'll join me. Read more about my decision and what's to come:
Time for some personal news:
— Alex Kotch (@alexkotch) September 15, 2022
I just left my reporting job to work full-time on @optoutapp, the nonprofit tech startup I co-founded!
Two years ago we started this project to bring independent media outlets together to take on the corporate giants.
There are numerous ways to give, including through ActBlue Charities, PayPal, Venmo, Guidestar, and through this newsletter, not to mention employer matching.
Thank you for supporting independent media!
The OptOut Media Foundation (EIN: 85-2348079) is a nonprofit charity with a mission to educate the public about current events and help sustain a diverse media ecosystem by promoting and assisting independent news outlets and, in doing so, advance democracy and social justice.
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