AJT Donation Model Starting Off Strong

Since October of last year, Atlanta Jewish Times has been operating on a new model: making subscriptions for home delivery completely free and asking instead that subscribers donate as much or as little as they want. AJT owner and publisher Michael Morris described the impetus for that change in an article written that month.

“The newspaper industry, like all printed media, is changing. Online news is commanding a larger share of viewer experience, the cost of paper, printing and distribution is rising significantly, and advertising dollars cannot quite cover the cost of creating a physical newspaper,” he said. “The bottom line, in order to produce the quality product the community currently enjoys, the AJT needs to raise additional funds to cover the gap between advertising sales and total expenses. The most effective way to entice new donors is to make the donation tax-deductible. Thus far, since I have owned the paper, I have funded this gap personally.”

There have been some significant updates since the switch to the new model. Perhaps most impressive, the average donation has been around $78, significantly higher than the $65 subscription cost of the prior model. There has also been an average of more than 50 donations a month.

“Whether or not someone chooses home delivery or picks the paper up at our distribution locations, any donation ensures the distribution to the entire community,” Morris said.

All donations will be made to the Atlanta Jewish Life Foundation, a 501c(3) nonprofit entity that supports a large portion of the AJT’s annual budget. Readers will receive an annual email notification that encourages donating to help support distribution costs.

In addition to the new model, Morris recently noted the creation of new community events, and the associated Atlanta Jewish Life Foundation, as more sources of income in line with the Atlanta Jewish Time’s goals as a community paper.

“To meet economic goals, many periodicals are creating new revenue streams and one of these new streams is community events,” Morris said, in a letter sent out to readers this month. “This is half the reason that the AJT created the new Atlanta Jewish Life Festival and has taken over the Kosher BBQ Festival from the Hebrew Order of David. The other reason is to further the paper’s mission of Keeping Jewish Atlanta Connected. Both events bring thousands of community members together for a family fun day.”

Morris continued, “The Atlanta Jewish Times is celebrating 100 years of continuous publication. In my opinion, it is still a valuable asset to the community providing unique content, written by local community members, about local community members, organizations and events, for every demographic of the local Jewish community. I trust you see the benefits the paper has given the community over the past century and are willing to meet with me to support the paper for the next generation.”

If you’d like to get free home delivery, or are already getting free home delivery but feel inspired to make a donation, please visit https://atlantajewishlifefoundation.com/