The Collegian has several avenues it can pursue in an effort to expand revenue and improve the organization’s bottom line, including grants, subscriptions, donations, and events.
That was the advice Penn State Class of 1992 alumnus Kevin Naff offered to the current Collegian staff during his Alumni Interest Group roundtable on Nov. 14. Naff, a former Collegian opinion page editor, is now the editor and co-owner of the Washington Blade, the nation’s oldest and most acclaimed LGBTQ news publication.
Grants, Naff said, are potentially the most lucrative funding stream available to student media organizations like the Collegian.
“There’s a lot of opportunity – now more than ever – in the grant world, for journalism,” Naff said. “But there’s a lot more competition than there used to be, so your applications have to be laser-focused.”
In addition to a distinguished and award-winning career as a journalist and author, Naff has extensive fundraising and nonprofit experience, having served on the boards of directors for the Collegian Alumni Interest Group and the Penn State LGBT Student Resource Center as well as the Washington, D.C., Chapter of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Maryland Corporate Council, and Live Baltimore.
Naff, who said he has been writing grants for journalism-related projects since 2016, offered his assistance to Collegian staffers interested in applying for similar funding.
In addition to grants, Naff advised the Collegian staff to establish more online newsletters and to market them to the wider Penn State community of students, faculty, parents and alumni as a means of expanding the publication’s reach and soliciting additional financial support.
“Expanding the newspaper’s subscriber base will pay dividends,” he said.
The Collegian also should consider partnering with other student organizations to sponsor signature events, such as a “Best of State College” special issue, which serves to increase readership and prompt local businesses to purchase advertising.
“It is a great ad driver, and it’s great for community interest and promotion,” Naff said. “It’s good for the Collegian brand. It’s just feel-good all around.”
To view the full November roundtable discussion, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJIHKTP3FGk
