Compensation Study 2020

The Institute for Nonprofit News Member Compensation Survey provides targeted compensation and benefits data for specific job roles at newsrooms across the INN network.  This data is our benchmark for the nonprofit news industry; the 2020 survey collected input from 91 INN members of all sizes, coast to coast. Some highlights:
Highlights

Average outlet budget of $1.87 million, 50th percentile $770,000
Average 13 full-time employees, 50th percentile 6 full-time
Average outlet age of 13 years, 50th percentile 9 years
Average reporter salary: $58,858, 50th percentile salary: $57,650
About half of participants have a paid time off (PTO) or vacation policy, providing an average of 19 PTO or 13 vacation + 11 sick days in employees’ first year
Outlets provide an average of 10 paid holidays. 36 percent of responding organizations offer paid parental leave; among that 36 percent, they pay an average 92% of regular wages for an average of 9 weeks

Additional details in the full report:

Insurance benefits
Retirement contributions
Full compensation data for these positions: Executive Director/CEO, Editor-in-Chief/Executive Editor, Development Director, Managing Editor, Engagement Editor, Editor, Beat Reporter, Reporter, Data Journalist, Visual Journalist, Membership Manager

This survey was conducted by Pearl Meyer, a nationally-recognized advisor to Boards and senior management teams in the areas of compensation strategy and design. Cost

Members that participated in INN Index and the compensation study: Free
Startups that become members or are provisional members of INN (defined as organizations launched in the past 18 months): $100
New members (joined after the compensation study was completed): $200
Members who completed the most recent INN Index but skipped the compensation study: $400
Members who skipped both the most recent INN Index and the compensation study: $600
Non-members: $800

If you'd like to purchase this study, please contact Chief Network Officer Jonathan Kealing at jonathan@inn.org.

INN launches partnership with LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation

Members of the Institute for Nonprofit News will soon have low-cost access to LexisNexis, a powerful reporting and research tool, thanks to a new partnership with the LexisNexis Rule of Law Foundation. As part of the partnership, INN members will have heavily discounted access to two key LexisNexis tools — LexisNexis News and LexisNexis Diligence — as well as a guaranteed price for the LexisNexis public records tool, SmartLinx. Members can choose from the available options to create the LexisNexis tool that makes the most sense for their organization. "In my time with INN, the single thing I've heard from members most often is, 'Can you help us get affordable access to LexisNexis?' I'm so glad that we can finally help nonprofit newsrooms get lower cost access to this powerful reporting tool," said Jonathan Kealing, INN's chief network officer.

INN Selects Eight Newsrooms To Receive Google News Initiative-Funded Sponsorship Training

Today, INN announces eight newsrooms selected for the first-ever cohort for the Ignite Sponsorship, a pilot program funded by Google News Initiative that will enable well-established nonprofit newsrooms to increase their earned revenue from sponsorships. Currently, income from sponsorship of content or events makes up a small portion of revenue at most news nonprofits — in INN’s 2019 Index, revenue from earned sources made up on average 12% of the 108 reporting organizations’ total revenue. INN sees sponsorship as a significant revenue growth area for our members. “I’m really excited about the potential for members to build their organizational capacity to grow earned revenue and further reduce their reliance on foundation support, said Fran Scarlett, INN’s Chief Knowledge Officer. At the end of the program, INN expects cohort members, with the tools, training and coaching provided, to be able to increase their earned revenue by a minimum of 15% with a target of 30% growth by June 2022.

The INN Box: Business & Strategy Office Hours

Announcing:  Business strategy & planning help for nonprofit newsrooms! INN is excited to launch The INN Box: Business & Strategy Office Hours for INN member news organizations, starting Feb. 1. Most INN members went into business because of their passion for investigative and public service journalism, yet to sustain the organization, they’ve had to expand their business acumen. This juggling act can be challenging.