With your help, Hillsider makes progress
On behalf of The Hillsider Board of Directors, I am pleased to report that we continue to make progress in our service to the community through the newspaper you are holding. We are not "out of the woods" yet, but our position has become stronger with each of the three issues that Editor Naomi Yaeger-Bischoff has produced since June.
First, the board wishes to commend Naomi for her hard work, patience, sense of humor and flexibility. Naomi has done a great job. Her gifts as a photographer and writer are evident everywhere in this and previous issues. Naomi has done much to establish and build relationships within the community -- and she is always on the move finding stories and photos, meeting with advertisers, and connecting with the heartbeart of the Hillside.
Naomi has also been persistent in her efforts to develop her graphic design skills and master the complexities of desktop publishing software. One of the reasons we are only running a 12-page issue this month is to reduce some of the stress on Naomi as she takes larger responsibility for graphic design and layout. When you have a chance please give Naomi a word of encouragement and thanks.
Second, the board thanks the many advertisers in our neighborhoods who have been supporting The Hillsider with their business. A number of these advertisers have shown their trust in us by making advance payments on their ads, allowing us to print The Hillsider. We are deeply appreciative of that trust and working very hard to deepen that trust.
The financial position of The Hillsider is steadily improving thanks to the confidence and support of our advertisers. As this improved position translates into a growing operating reserve fund, we will be able to expand coverage of the community, increase our size, and explore the possibility of adding color.
Right now, one of our bigger challenge is translating our advertising sales into cash flow in order to build our bank account. Moving to a monthly publication schedule means that there is a shorter billing and payment cycle (which I handle).
I have a "day job" with a nonprofit organization and I know firsthand the challenges of paying the bills in as timely a manner as possible. It is from this position that I appreciate the challenges our advertisers face in the area of cash flow.
With this said, Advertiser Friends, whatever you can do during the next few months to keep your Hillsider accounts current will help us better serve our community. Thanks!
Another thing advertisers can do to help us is to provide "press ready" advertising in the proper size. Naomi will communicate with you about this. Providing advertising in this manner will really help this lean organization. It is worth noting that we have only one (under)paid part-time position (Naomi), five volunteer board members (all working full-time in some capacity), and a modest number of contributors/helpers.
By the way, we continue to need additional board members and volunteers -- growth in these areas will have a major influence on the Hillsider’s direction. Please contact Naomi or any board member to join with our efforts.
Third, the board wants to thank our readers. The last two issues have each had a couple of letters to the editor -- and this reflects that the paper is both being read as well as sparking reflection and conversation. To the best of my knowledge, this is the most letters to the editor in two consecutive Hillsiders that we have ever had. Feel free to send letters to the editor to The Hillsider. This is your paper and your forum for learning about and speaking about what is important to you in our neighborhoods. Letters are a priority to print!
Finally, a word of thanks to PrintCorp which prints The Hillsider each month. PrintCorp has been a great business to work with, helping us identify and address technical aspects of the printing process. We deeply appreciate their patience, flexibility and helpfulness.
On behalf of the Hillsider Board of Directors,
--David Clanaugh, Hillsider Treasurer
On behalf of The Hillsider Board of Directors, I am pleased to report that we continue to make progress in our service to the community through the newspaper you are holding. We are not "out of the woods" yet, but our position has become stronger with each of the three issues that Editor Naomi Yaeger-Bischoff has produced since June.
First, the board wishes to commend Naomi for her hard work, patience, sense of humor and flexibility. Naomi has done a great job. Her gifts as a photographer and writer are evident everywhere in this and previous issues. Naomi has done much to establish and build relationships within the community -- and she is always on the move finding stories and photos, meeting with advertisers, and connecting with the heartbeart of the Hillside.
Naomi has also been persistent in her efforts to develop her graphic design skills and master the complexities of desktop publishing software. One of the reasons we are only running a 12-page issue this month is to reduce some of the stress on Naomi as she takes larger responsibility for graphic design and layout. When you have a chance please give Naomi a word of encouragement and thanks.
Second, the board thanks the many advertisers in our neighborhoods who have been supporting The Hillsider with their business. A number of these advertisers have shown their trust in us by making advance payments on their ads, allowing us to print The Hillsider. We are deeply appreciative of that trust and working very hard to deepen that trust.
The financial position of The Hillsider is steadily improving thanks to the confidence and support of our advertisers. As this improved position translates into a growing operating reserve fund, we will be able to expand coverage of the community, increase our size, and explore the possibility of adding color.
Right now, one of our bigger challenge is translating our advertising sales into cash flow in order to build our bank account. Moving to a monthly publication schedule means that there is a shorter billing and payment cycle (which I handle).
I have a "day job" with a nonprofit organization and I know firsthand the challenges of paying the bills in as timely a manner as possible. It is from this position that I appreciate the challenges our advertisers face in the area of cash flow.
With this said, Advertiser Friends, whatever you can do during the next few months to keep your Hillsider accounts current will help us better serve our community. Thanks!
Another thing advertisers can do to help us is to provide "press ready" advertising in the proper size. Naomi will communicate with you about this. Providing advertising in this manner will really help this lean organization. It is worth noting that we have only one (under)paid part-time position (Naomi), five volunteer board members (all working full-time in some capacity), and a modest number of contributors/helpers.
By the way, we continue to need additional board members and volunteers -- growth in these areas will have a major influence on the Hillsider’s direction. Please contact Naomi or any board member to join with our efforts.
Third, the board wants to thank our readers. The last two issues have each had a couple of letters to the editor -- and this reflects that the paper is both being read as well as sparking reflection and conversation. To the best of my knowledge, this is the most letters to the editor in two consecutive Hillsiders that we have ever had. Feel free to send letters to the editor to The Hillsider. This is your paper and your forum for learning about and speaking about what is important to you in our neighborhoods. Letters are a priority to print!
Finally, a word of thanks to PrintCorp which prints The Hillsider each month. PrintCorp has been a great business to work with, helping us identify and address technical aspects of the printing process. We deeply appreciate their patience, flexibility and helpfulness.
On behalf of the Hillsider Board of Directors,
--David Clanaugh, Hillsider Treasurer
