Publication analysis
About the publication
Title: The Chronicle of Philanthropy
ISSN: 1040-676X (Print) and 1943-3980 (Online)1
Website: http://www.philanthropy.com
Purpose, objective, or mission: Per their website, “From deeply reported stories on the big ideas that shape the work of charities and foundations to the practical guidance in our online resource center, only the Chronicle of Philanthropy provides nonprofit professionals, foundation executives, board members, and others with the indispensable information and practical advice they need to help them change the world.” 2
“Our news and opinion pages fuel the national conversation about the role nonprofits play in society. The Chronicle’s special reports, benchmarking data, and popular webinars are essential information for nonprofit professionals. 3
Target audience: Nonprofit professionals, foundation executives, board members, etc. 4
Publisher: Chronicle of Higher Education, Inc. 5
Peer reviewed? No.
Type: Civilian publication.
Medium: Print and online.6
Content: News stories, opinion pieces, tips and advice, people and awards. 7
Frequency of publication: The print edition is published twelve times a year, while the website is updated daily.8
About the publication’s submission guidelines
Location of submission guidelines: https://www.philanthropy.com/page/contact-us/
Types of contributions accepted: “The Chronicle of Philanthropy welcomes news pitches that pertain to nonprofit organizations and foundations.” 9
What Kinds of News Stories Do We Prefer?
- We’re writing for a national audience, so if you have a compelling local story, it should also be relevant to nonprofit practitioners across the country.
- If we’ve just written about a similar development at a different organization, we probably won’t cover it again soon.
- We like: Stories about best or innovative practices in fundraising and managing organizations. Profiles of interesting (and especially effective but lesser-known) charity leaders, fundraisers, and donors. New trends in giving or fundraising. Anything that our readers can learn from and adapt to make them more effective.
- We usually don’t cover: Galas. Celebrity events. Groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings. Gifts of less than $1 million unless they are out of the ordinary. 10
Submission and review process: “Send pitches to either one reporter or one editor or, if you’re not sure, copy no more than two staff members on one message. BCC’ing or sending separate emails to multiple people can lead to confusion and will likely delay our response.” 11
“Use your email’s subject line to state your purpose: “Story idea about a successful billion-dollar capital campaign,” for instance. Avoid being cute (“You’ll never guess what WE did!”) or vague (“Press release from Such-and-Such Organization”). We’re eager to hear your news, but we’re pressed for time, and these types of subject lines make it more likely your pitch will be deleted without being opened.” 12
Editorial tone: Official and straightforward.
Style guide used: None specified.
Conclusion: Evaluation of publication’s potential for LIS authors
This publication provides the potential for publishing to an audience interested in fundraising techniques, strategic planning and budgeting, and community work with nonprofits. Writing to this audience could help promote the LIS field to potential investors and community partners.
Audience analysis
About the publication’s readers
Publication circulation: Philanthropy.com has 257,000+ unique monthly visitors online, the newsletter has 160,000+ recipients each week, there are 20,000+ paying subscribers representing the most loyal audience in the nonprofit world. 13
Audience location: The Chronicle writes primarily for a national audience though their reach extends across the globe. All articles are written in English.
Reader characteristics: “Decision makers at four in five of the largest and most influential charitable organizations in America read the Chronicle to advance their missions.” 14
75% of the top 400 American fundraising charities and 90% of the 50 largest private foundations are premium readers. 51% of individual subscribers at fundraising nonprofits and 84% of individual subscribers at private foundations are executive leaders, 49% of individual subscribers at fundraising nonprofits work in development or fundraising.” 15
“84% of readers consider The Chronicle of Philanthropy essential to their understanding of the nonprofit sector and philanthropic world. 72% use the information in The Chronicle to make a decision.” 16
Knowledge of LIS subject matter: The majority of the subject matter does not deal with LIS information. While it is better that LIS jargon is not used, the information that any LIS writer wished to share with the readers of this publication would be common between both LIS and philanthropy readers.
Conclusion: Analysis of reader characteristics and their potential impact on authors
It is obvious from recently published articles that all writings presented to the editors of this publication should have a forward spin on them. Articles should focus on the needs or interests of the reader. An article on black men in nonprofit organizations—or lack thereof—not only gives numbers and explains why there are fewer in this demographic working non-profit, but also discusses solutions. Any LIS related article must look at the LIS world from the eyes of that world’s grant writers and fundraisers.
Last updated: November 27, 2020
Comments are closed.