Re: Daily Kos is struggling to make ends meet

Friend, in the email below, I want to highlight something Markos said in one of our Daily Kos slack channels: "without our community, we'd be toast." Daily Kos hasn't been able to pay our bills solely on advertising revenue for nearly a decade. Unfortunately, it's just been getting worse. As Big Tech sucks up more and more advertising dollars and companies slash their advertising budgets, it has become harder and harder for Daily Kos to make ends meet. Daily Kos wouldn't have survived this year if it wasn't for the generous support of our community. [Now more than ever before it is critical that we reach our fundraising goals so we can continue to protect our democracy and push the progressive movement forward. We have just over 24 hours left to raise $14,229. Please support Daily Kos with a donation of $5 or whatever amount is meaningful to you today.]( [DONATE]( Thank you for all you do, Amanda McKay, Daily Kos --------------------------------------------------------------- Friend, I wanted to share with you something Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas said recently in one of company's Slack channels: [With a decline in advertising revenue, Daily Kos has been struggling to make ends meet. We have relied more and more on donations from our community to cover our expenses. We need to raise $65,795 in a matter of days. Please support Daily Kos with a donation of $5 or whatever amount is meaningful to you.]( [DONATE]( There is a lot to unpack with everything Markos says in just these few lines. News outlets have been financially pummeled, from multiple directions, over the past decade or so: - Facing an uncertain economic future, many businesses have slashed their digital advertising budgets. - Social media platforms, in particular Facebook, have made it harder for news outlets to connect with their audiences on their platforms, resulting in fewer viewers engaging with digital news content. - The result is advertisers are paying less for people to see their ads, which means dwindling advertising revenue to help meet budget needs. As Markos says, "It's tough out there for anyone depending on advertising dollars." This is why news outlets like Buzzfeed News and Jezebel shut down completely and why there have been tens of thousands news media layoffs, a record, just this year. However, the last thing Markos says "without our community, we'd be toast" is the biggest take away. Our largest source of income are small donations from our readers and activists. We wouldn't have survived this year without the ongoing support from our community. [That's why I am writing to you today, Friend: It is vital that we reach our monthly fundraising goals so we can continue to produce the high quality content and actions you expect from us. Please make a donation to Daily Kos today.]( [DONATE]( Thank you for all you do, Amanda McKay, Daily Kos If you wish to donate by mail instead, please send a check to Daily Kos, PO Box 70036, Oakland, CA, 94612. Contributions to Daily Kos are not tax deductible. Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Daily Kos, please [click here](.