Does journalism's past hold clues to nonprofits' futures?
The last fifteen years have been hard on journalism.
- Revenue models have been upended.
- Readers rely on digital platforms that introduce a slew of liminal factors that shape how we see the news.
- Public policy about media ownership has changed significantly.
- Alternatives to expensive, well-sourced news, abound.
While the entrants under each of the above bullets would be different, trends seem to be heading in the same direction for nonprofits.
- Revenue models changing
- Demands for increasing earned revenue.
- Rise of social enterprise and impact investing
- Liminal factors
- Social media and online challenges
- Changing news environment
- Public policy
- Brady Amendment to HR1; executive order on Johnson Amendment
- FCC pulling plug on net neutrality
- Alternatives
- Big donors mixing charitable, political and investing via LLCs
- Small donors using crowdfunding platforms
Maybe its just the categories of change that seem similar. Maybe the trends themselves, or the impact they have, will be different.