Rooted is Investigate Midwest's monthly members-only newsletter. As a donor who gives at least $60 a year, you receive an inside look at what our newsroom is working on, Q&As with reporters and more. Thank you — we're happy you're here.
A quick note before we start our summer campaign
Dear |FNAME|,
On June 16, Investigate Midwest will launch its annual summer fundraising campaign.
As a nonprofit newsroom, we rely on a mix of foundation grants and reader support to fund our reporting. Grants play an important role in helping us investigate complex issues, but true sustainability means growing our reach with more readers becoming sustaining donors.
Our investigative reporting remains free to read because people choose to support it.
Through July 31, you'll hear from us a little more often than usual. Along the way, we'll take you behind the scenes of our investigative reporting, share stories from the journalists and sources who make our work possible, and discuss how community feedback helps shape our coverage.
We'll also share examples of what happens after publication, from award-winning investigations to the ways our reporting is used by readers, researchers and communities across the Midwest.
We know fundraising emails aren't everyone's favorite. We also believe it's important to be transparent about how our newsroom is funded and why we ask for support.
In the meantime, thank you for reading, sharing our work and helping us grow. Whether you've donated, attended an event, responded to a survey, sent us a tip or simply spent time with our reporting, we're grateful you're part of this community.
— Lauren Cross, assistant editor & audience engagement manager
P.S. We've also welcomed two summer interns to the newsroom. You'll be seeing more from Paloma Sanchez-McGee and Caspar Dowdy in the weeks ahead. We're excited to share more about the work they're doing.
