Dear reader,
The sentiment of Thanksgiving — to be grateful for our blessings — for me extends beyond counting the things we have, material and even intangible. It goes to how we show up in the world — at home, at work, in the grocery checkout line. There’s a phrase that strongly resonates with me, which is the “spirit of generosity.” It goes further than gratitude. It embodies goodwill, putting good energy into the world and paying it forward, and doing these things even when it would be easier not to. It’s a sentiment that I’ve seen again and again in my time so far at VTDigger.
VTDigger exists because of our generous readers who are there for us year in and year out. There is no backup pot of money, no rainy-day fund to draw on when we need extra resources to deploy reporters around the state in an emergency like this summer’s flooding. Every story you read, every newsletter in your inbox, every photograph we shoot and every event we host is thanks to the people like you who believe in our work, and step up to support it.
Because of all this, at VTDigger, we’re able to do things differently. You give our journalists the resources so that they have the time and tools they need to dive deeply into weighty issues, and they intensely care about producing the best possible journalism. What that means in practice is that we can report on housing insecurity, climate crisis and climate resiliency and substance use disorder and recovery. This year alone, our work helped free a wrongly held man from prison and speed up long-delayed unemployment assistance for flooded out small business owners, and spurred state officials to make legislators’ financial disclosures more transparent and accessible. All of this is thanks to your support.
Some of that support comes in through advertising by Vermont businesses who have made a conscious decision to spend their marketing dollars supporting independent journalism instead of a Silicon Valley algorithm.
Some of it comes through foundations, where the generous fundholders and staff advisors have said: Yes, we believe Vermont deserves access to free and fair news coverage so people have the information they need to make informed decisions about their lives.
Some of it comes through grantmakers who realize that the matters they most care about — whether education, environment or economic opportunity — need a viable press so the public understands the problems, the stakeholders and the solutions.
And a lot of it comes from the monthly donations of our members, who contribute anywhere from $5 a month to tens of thousands of dollars per year. All of it goes directly into what it takes to bring you the news — no corporate offices or shareholders get a cut.
VTDigger exists because our team does the work, every day. They read news tips, make phone calls, attend public meetings, file public records requests, write and rewrite, edit and juggle deadlines. They create graphics, write photo captions, compile email newsletters and update your subscription preferences. They open the mail and balance the books, set up our computers and make sure our health insurance forms are correct. They serve on our board, they share our work with members, they post words of encouragement on our internal message board. They work early and late, they bring up ways our organization can improve, and they advocate for our readers.
When Anne Galloway followed her vision to found VTDigger, she rightly surmised that the rest of us would join on to make it possible. Somewhere along the way, you decided that statewide, independent journalism is worth it — for our democracy, for our sense of community, for a way to chronicle current events so future generations understand the choices we made and why. And you contributed — as a team member, as a member or as a reader. You didn’t have to, but you did. You gave to something greater than yourself.
That is precisely the spirit of generosity that fills my heart this Thanksgiving, eight months into the privilege of leading this organization. To each of you who makes VTDigger possible, your commitment resonates deeply. As we reflect on the impact of independent journalism, I invite you to consider deepening your connection to this community. Thank you for giving, and warmest wishes for a joyful Thanksgiving.
With appreciation,
Sky Barsch
CEO, VTDigger
