Peter Jarvis, center, makes a point while discussing politics with other Morristown residents. Kevin Coughlin the Editor for MorristownGreen.com hosted a Potluck luncheon at the home of Rebecca Feldman in Morristown, where a small number of local residents joined in a political discussion surrounding the upcoming gubernatorial election in November. Photo by Thomas E. Franklin
Collaborative journalism is having a moment right now, but it’s more than just a buzzword. As budgets and staff sizes continue to shrink in local newsrooms, collaboration has become one crucial way to expand coverage and reach.
Last year, in partnership with the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University and New America Media, we launched Voting Block NJ, a collaborative initiative that brought together 25 newsrooms that serve New Jersey to cover the state’s gubernatorial election. Our effort resulted in more than 70 stories and over two dozen community events, called Political Potlucks, that invited the public into the conversation and reporting process.
If you’re interested in doing something like this, the report provides insight into how the project was organized, its effect on newsrooms and audiences, and key lessons and recommendations.
We’re hoping to take the lessons from our work in New Jersey to other communities with Reveal Local Labs, our new initiative aimed at supporting local investigative reporting and fostering collaboration. As we move into this next phase of our work, here are three key takeaways from Voting Block NJ:
RELATIONSHIPS MATTER.
Voting Block partners said they joined the collaborative due to a pre-existing relationship with the coordinating partners. When launching a collaborative project, start with organizations you know and keep building from there.
ESTABLISH REGULAR LINES OF COMMUNICATION AMONG PARTNERS.
Voting Block partners stayed in touch via email, Slack and weekly conference calls. Partners said they found the conference calls the most effective mode of communication. Future projects should consider organizing an “all-team” weekly or monthly check-in to ensure that all partners are on the same page and have ample opportunity to build relationships.
SET COMMON IMPACT GOALS AND EVALUATION METRICS.
Identify key goals for your collaborative project, such as expanding the size and engagement of your audience, and agree to share certain data in order to evaluate your project. For example, partnership agreements can include sharing audience reach indicators (unique page views, downloads, broadcast numbers, etc.).
In 2016, the Dodge Foundation began its equity journey in earnest, culminating in a strategic plan centered on a vision for an equitable New Jersey. In 2020, as mobilizations for racial justice swept the country and the pandemic abruptly exposed the devastating impacts of structural racism and inequity on people’s lives, we answered the call of these crises to imagine a new way and then to put action to our words. Now, six years later, we are fully immersed in this work.
Building on the lessons learned over the past few years, we are entering into 2023 with a strengthened commitment and launching new program priorities centered on racial justice, which is the focus of the Dodge Foundation going forward.
The Dodge Foundation is excited to welcome Malcolm McClain as Program Officer, growing the Program Team’s capacity and ability to support our partners. Malcolm brings practical programmatic experience and deep research skills that will advance our vision of a more just and equitable New Jersey.
In our most recent round of funding, the Dodge Foundation made two major, multimillion-dollar grants to projects focused on power building and economic resilience.
