It is our honor at The Sopris Sun to inform, inspire and connect community each and every week, while also fostering new journalists through our youth journalism program, el Sol del Valle and by opening the door to prospective writers, photographers and illustrators of all ages and backgrounds. In many ways, this nonprofit newspaper functions as a community-access model, similar to our beloved community radio station, KDNK.
Inspired by KDNK’s 40 years of succeeding with a membership model, The Sopris Sun now seeks to grow its base of sustaining “SUNscribers,” people who give $10 or more each month to assure we can pay our bills and keep the team whole.
The truth is, we need your support. The cost of everything is rising and we face an existential threat not unlike the 2008/2009 recession which ended our former newspaper, the Valley Journal. Thankfully, Carbondale’s community was determined to have a dedicated newspaper, and The Sopris Sun was born — among the first nonprofit newspapers to exist in the country.
Beyond the obvious benefits to our readers, The Sopris Sun is forging a new model for other newspapers to follow — more resilient and directly connected to the community in service.
What else distinguishes us from other free papers in the Valley? We are always local and always original. Carbondale and its surroundings have a fresh newspaper every week supplying bilingual coverage of events, businesses, high school sports, municipal meetings, school board meetings, county meetings and more, all while stoking the creative spirit with our Works in Progress fiction page and commitment to printing local art.
The reality is, such an endeavor does not come cheap. This paper costs us around $10,000 each week to produce. It’s an intimidating figure that our executive director, Todd Chamberlin, rises to meet with help from a passionate board of directors. That cost includes printing (around $1,300 per week), delivery, rent, dues, salaries, software, libel insurance, licensing content from our writers, photographers and artists — the whole gamut. Our employees work without insurance, accepting modest salaries, and our freelancers understand we offer the best rates possible though we’d like for them to be higher.
Working for a nonprofit, we fervently believe in the value of what The Sopris Sun does and represents. From each of our hearts, we see the crucial relevance of a local press for maintaining a vibrant and thriving community.
Now, a much-deserved word of gratitude for our faithful advertisers/sponsors. The traditional source of revenue for a free paper like ours — they currently cover 70% of our costs and in exchange share a message within our pages. We are honored to be chosen as a means of reaching people, and we certainly could not exist without their support.
We will not be able to maintain our current capacity relying solely on advertisers and a few fundraising pushes each year. The Sopris Sun needs a more steady, reliable source of revenue to continue and even expand its presence. Without this, we will inevitably have to start cutting back in the face of financial realities.
More than 2,500 free papers are picked up each week. Is it worth $2 each week to you? If so, please give $10 monthly to assure and strengthen us. As community media, we exist in relationship with our community.
If you appreciate our coverage of Garfield County, the governments of Carbondale and Basalt, our cartoons and puzzles, new businesses spotlights, guest opinions by locals, el Sol del Valle, events, sports, our Mother’s Day editions, etc. — know that we depend on your support to continue these things as you’ve come to expect. If there’s more (or less) of a particular type of coverage you’d like to see, know we are always open to hearing from readers at news@soprissun.com
Bigger papers, new kinds of stories, deeper reporting, more dynamic content… all of this will depend on donations. Help The Sopris Sun lead as a nonprofit, community-based news source. Help us modernize our web presence and become more effective at delivering digital content. Help us grow partnerships and stretch the bounds of what is possible, to become a model for other small communities to have a flourishing newspaper.
You may have noticed a growing list of “SUNscribers” appearing on our back pages in recent weeks. Our goal is to bring the total up to 250. Then, look forward to a solstice party on Wednesday, June 21, outside the Third Street Center at Bonnie Fischer Park — with a potluck and yard games — as we celebrate whatever success is achieved.
Know The Sun will always rise, but your direct support in the form of monthly giving makes us stronger, brighter and further-reaching.
Score a SUNscriber sticker by giving monthly at soprissun.com/donate or calling 970-510-0246.
We also accept donations of any size at any time, online or by mail at PO Box 399, Carbondale, CO 81623. If you’re interested in leaving a legacy gift, providing community journalism for years to come, contact our executive director, Todd Chamberlin, at 970-510-0246 or Todd@SoprisSun.com
Volunteering is another way to support The Sun. To help with events, deliveries, research or other areas of interest, contact news@soprissun.com