💫 Six LIONs share the secrets to a great staff retreat
During our LION Awards submission period this spring, many LION members talked about how transformational staff retreats have been for their teams.
Some tried it for the first time and enjoyed it so much that they turned it into a series. Others took an online approach and still reaped the benefits of designating time for deep thinking and strategic planning. All conveyed the impact this activity had on their organizations’ sustainability.
We know there’s no one right way to plan and execute a staff retreat, but we also know it’s always helpful to hear how others have tackled a new-to-you idea.
So we’ve put together a step-by-step guide on conducting staff retreats, featuring lessons learned from LION members CivicLex, MLK50, Santa Cruz Local, 2PuntosPlatform, Broadband Breakfast, and Fort Worth Report.
– Elaine Díaz, LION’s associate director of coaching
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Find your community at the 2024 Summit
Last week, we announced our nearly complete 2024 Independent News Sustainability Summit agenda. We’ve since gone from 80 available tickets remaining to fewer than 20.
Don’t miss your chance to be in community with 500 local independent news leaders, hailing from all over the country and Canada.
Community is at the core of our conference. And one way we’re providing space for peer connection and support is through our Affinity Groups, led by some of our 2024 community ambassadors and LION members. We’ll offer groups for BIPOC journalists, solopreneurs, Spanish-speaking news entrepreneurs, Indigenous journalists, LGBTQ+ journalists, diaspora newsrooms, and Black journalists.
Interested? You can select a specific group when you sign up for the Summit. Groups cap at 50 participants. Get your ticket today.
Summit sponsor Q&A: The Joyce Foundation
Based in our conference’s host city, Chicago, the Joyce Foundation is a 76-year-old philanthropy that invests in non-partisan, long-game policy solutions to promote racial equity and economic mobility for the next generation in the Great Lakes region.
This week, we sat down with Hugh Dellios, the head of its journalism arm, to hear more about how it’s investing in the future of local news. Bonus: He also shares some tips for creating a strong, standout application when applying for funding. Read the Q&A.
New LION member meeting
Calling all new LION members! Our membership programs are growing, so we’re hosting a new member call on Thursday, August 29 at 1 p.m. ET. During the call, you’ll learn more about member benefits, connect with other publishers, and ask your questions about membership. RSVP if you’d like to attend.
8 resources for independent publishers
1. Lead a Table Talk at the 2024 Summit. We’re seeking volunteers to propose topics and lead small-group discussions that provide a specific space to share ideas and build connections around mutual topics of interest. (Submit this application form by TODAY)
2. Pursue an investigative interest. The New York Times is accepting applications for its Local Investigations Fellowship, a one-year paid program for local beat reporters and freelancers to produce signature investigative work focused on their state or region that will be published by The Times. (Q&A webinar TODAY)
3. Address burnout this election season. This free American Press Institute webinar will give you actionable insights for reassessing and repairing your relationship with work. (Aug. 29)
4. Be a full-time FOI advocate. The Joseph L. Brechner Freedom of Information Project at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications is seeking an outreach coordinator to lead public outreach and education in freedom of information (FOI) to advance the public’s right to know. (Apply by Sept. 1)
5. Showcase your work. Apply for Editor & Publisher’s 2024 EPPY Awards, which honor the best in digital news publishing across more than 45 diverse categories. (Apply by Sept. 13)
6. Engage your community. Check out this roundup of free and practical engagement journalism guides.
7. Excel at live events. Live journalism events are gaining traction; here’s a workbook from the American Press Institute to help you start planning your own.
8. Spot fakes with ease. Northwestern has launched a free, easy-to-use platform for detecting deepfakes.
What we’re reading
‘A form of disarmament.’ How a lack of reliable local reporting creates an opportunity for bad actors, both domestic and international, to undermine our country’s security. (RAND)
A boss’s balance. Three questions to ask yourself to determine if you walk the line between being a micromanager or being too absent. (Harvard Business Review)
Top-of-funnel tip. Three reasons why you should look for digital advertisers with budgets, not checkbooks, and how to tell the difference. (Todd Stauffer, The DRP Newsletter)
Investing in expansion. Knight Foundation has invested $5.4M to develop the Knight Growth Challenge Fund, which will directly support six local news outlets’ efforts to expand into new markets. Selected newsrooms, including LION members The Assembly, The Salt Lake Tribune, and Spotlight PA, have a proven track record of journalistic excellence and a solid business plan. (Knight Foundation)
LIONs in the news
“Independent together.”
There’s a good reason why that’s our tagline. Here at LION, we believe that being independent doesn’t mean you have to go it alone.
Support comes in all shapes and sizes. In the case of The Assembly, it looks like partnering with and eventually acquiring CityView Today and Indy Week. It also looks like swapping content while keeping separate business models, as they do through their partnership with The Food Section.
It’s all in the pursuit of staying independent by becoming sustainable. See how The Assembly’s smart partnership strategy propels them (and fellow LIONs) forward.
In other LION member news:
⭐ Prison Journalism Project’s Yukari Kane has been named ‘Changemaker of the Year’ by the Asian American Journalists Association.
⭐ The Bentonville Bulletin’s founder, Sam Hoisington, is featured in this Editor & Publisher Q&A and shares how his success at Madison Minutes prepared him to launch this new publication.
⭐ Mainstreet Daily News and reporter Ronnie Lovler received the ‘Senior Vision Media Award’ from the Florida Council on Aging for its ongoing Aging Matters series.
⭐ Spotlight Delaware is a finalist for INN’s ‘Startup of the Year,’ and Founder and CEO Allison Levine is a finalist for ‘Emerging Leader of the Year.’
How to reach us
When you reply to this email, we all receive it, and you’ll hear back from one of us. You can also email us directly at [email protected].