In June, we welcomed Lily Black to the team as our membership manager to lead and build out this initiative. Black oversees our readership revenue program for all of Voice Media Group’s publication websites (Westword, Dallas Observer, Miami New Times, Phoenix New Times). She moved to Colorado from North Carolina in 2019 after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Asheville with a degree in music business management.
Black has years of experience working in nonprofit fundraising and membership development, previously with Amp the Cause and Swallow Hill Music. Her background in music-centered event management overlaps with her love of the arts, culture and community engagement.
With her help, we are happy to announce a partnership with the Gaylord Rockies Resort. Support Westword by becoming a recurring member before August 31 for a chance to win a two-night-stay package at the Gaylord Rockies. Members can expect more community partnerships like this one in the future as a way to show our appreciation.
Members-only events
We're also happy to announce other member-exclusive benefits, such as editorial events, ad-free experience, merch and tickets to our signature events (get ready for Feast on September 28!).
In September, Westword will host our first members-only event: a happy hour to celebrate the release of our annual Fall Arts Guide and discuss the Denver arts scene. Members will get a tour of the Westword office (and all of our murals, both inside and out), hear from our editors, and more. Stay tuned for more information.
About Westword’s membership program
From the day it was founded in 1977, Westword has been free to our readers. We remain dedicated to providing our local journalism to everyone at no charge, regardless of financial status. How do we do it? We've always relied on advertisers to generate the revenues that make our rent and pay our staff. Most of those early advertisers were local mom-and-pops, and their support meant we were able to give our newspapers away.
For several years now, media organizations large and small have been hit by a perfect storm of financial pressures. As readers shifted from print to online, advertising rates dropped. Tech giants began sucking up most of the remaining local advertising dollars. This shifting market has led us to completely rethink how we operate.
We remain committed to keeping our journalism free and avoiding paywalls or mandatory subscriptions. But the long-term challenges that organizations like ours face in generating advertising dollars aren't going away.
We want to keep covering Denver the way it deserves to be covered. That means remaining independent and avoiding paywalls — but still bringing in enough money to fund our journalism.
We recently sent our members a survey asking why they give. Here are some of the responses:
- “I love being able to support local journalism. Westword has helped me feel connected to Denver and the people here.”
- “I've lived in Denver since 1981 and have always read Westword, and supporting anything local is very important to me.”
- “I want local journalism free from external funding influences."
