Ways we want to grow

Continued service requires continued growth

by Melanie Jongsma, Publisher

LANSING, Ill. (July 20, 2022) – Through changes in leadership, staff, delivery methods, and the world’s expectations of media, The Lansing Journal has managed to grow over the past five years. We don’t take that growth for granted.

So members of the writing team held a meeting last month to brainstorm about what continued growth might look like. We talked about goals, not strategy. We came up with ideas, not plans.

Growing ideas

In fact, many of the growth ideas shared were in the form of questions — questions we are still finding answers to:

1. What are some content topics that might serve our younger readers?
   • What to look for when buying your first home
   • Home maintenance items new homeowners might not be aware of
   • Basic measures of financial health and the steps to getting there
   • Advice for business entrepreneurs or new business owners
   • Area entertainment options
2. Do we need to explore new methods for delivering news — Instagram, Twitter, TikTok? Should we develop a Lansing Journal app?
3. Should we add a bilingual reporter?
4. Should we provide our current writers with development opportunities? What skills and interests do we need to grow in?
5. Can we increase the local political coverage we offer? Are there Lansing stories we should go deeper on? Are there more Township stories we should be doing? Is there more information we should include in the Local Voter Guide we publish during election years?
6. Should we provide more sports coverage even though those stories don’t get a lot of views?
7. Should we publish a print issue more often?
8. Do we need a physical office space?

Lansing deserves quality community coverage, and The Lansing Journal has been providing that for the past five years. We want to grow even more so we can do even more.

Growing in service and coverage and depth and reach — this requires that we grow our capacity as well.

Growing together

Readers, will you grow with us?

1. Grow from a reader to a subscriber. Don’t rely on social media to deliver news according to their algorithms. Get local news delivered right to your email inbox every morning: SUBSCRIBE
2. Grow from a reader to a supporter. Take the step from consumer to contributor. Give back to the newspaper that has given you so much news for so long.
3. Already a supporter? Grow your support. If you are able, now is a good time to increase your investment. For the first time in our history we are able to offer tax-deductible donations.

Click the donation button below to open up a tax-deductible donation form where you can select whatever size donation works for you:

When you use this form to make a donation, you will automatically receive the IRS-mandated donor acknowledgment documentation needed when you itemize your deductions.

Growing for a reason

There are so many ways we want to grow — but the end goal is not simply growth. We don’t just want to be a bigger newspaper with more reporters publishing more stories. Our ultimate goal is Building Community by keeping people informed and connected.

That’s what you’re giving to. That’s what you’re investing in. That’s the difference we are making together.

P.S. We especially need monthly donors in order to plan for continued growth. When you click the button and donate, consider making it a monthly gift:

That donation is something you can set and forget, but it has a huge impact on The Lansing Journal’s ability to budget and plan the coverage we provide.