Three Things for the week of November 30, 2020

Three items from journalism, media and the nonprofit sector worth noting.

Change Is Coming To The FCC in 2021

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai announced today (Monday) that he will leave the FCC when President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office on January 20, 2021.Pai was first appointed to the FCC in 2012 by President Obama and became Chairman in 2017.

With Pai’s exit, Democrats will have a majority on the Commission. Variety is reporting that Jessica Rosenworcel, the senior Democrat on the commission, is one of the leading candidates to succeed Pai as chair of the FCC. Another contender is Mignon Clyburn, who served on the commission from 2009–18. She is the daughter of House Majority Whip James Clyburn, whose endorsement of Biden was key to his securing the Democratic presidential nomination. Mignon Clyburn has been named to Biden’s transition team for the FCC.

One of interesting policy decisions to watch as it relates to broadcast is how the FCC will deal with the potential implementation of AM Digital, which is being seen by some as way to save the ailing AM radio broadcast band.

Turn Your Donors Into Sustaining Members with a Donor Advised Fund

Erica Waasdorp is a leading expert on monthly giving and in a column today suggests that now is a good time to ask your contributors to use a Donor Advised Fund for their monthly sustaining gift.

While one could assume that this idea is targeted at older, more affluent donors, the 2020 Giving Report from Fidelity notes that we’re seeing a growing number of Millennials begin to choose donor-advised funds to support a more strategic approach to giving.

While the overall demographics of donors continue to skew older — the average age upon opening is 55 — Millennials established 13 percent of all new Giving Accounts in 2019.

And monthly giving aligns well with younger donors who are used to paying for services on a monthly basis.

Since we’re now in this period between Thanksgiving and year-end, asking your donors to give through a DAF should be part of your strategy not only to generate significant revenue in the next month but, by asking for a monthly gift, will help increase year-around revenue for a nonprofit.

Tracking the New Money Investing in Journalism and Storytelling

In a graphics-friendly piece in the Columbia Journalism Review, Savannah Jacobson explores the new money that is going into journalism and storytelling that’s helping both traditional and start-up organizations move away from advertising as a primary revenue source.