It's no secret that the U.S. government has been looking to cut back on budgetary support of the environment, as well as put more priority on re-installing coal mining and pipelines. This proposition has alarmed numerous environment groups as well as concerned citizens who don't want to see their public lands taken away for corporate use.
In response to these cutbacks, The Guardian recently launched an initiative called This Land Is Your Land. The project aimed to fundraise $50,000 in order to publish a series of articles that would educate people on the threats to American public lands, as well as to support more reporting on environmental conservation.
One big crux of The Guardian's project is to hold politicians accountable for their actions when it comes to the environment, and it seems like their audience was able to get behind this mission - The Guardian met its goal of $50,000 within 31 hours(!), and has since upped it to $100,000. They're currently almost three-quarters of the way to their new goal.
This is a really great example of how journalism, politics, and fundraising can intersect. In these days when there's a lot of turbulence within both journalism and the political sector, it's worth exploring how political shifts can inspire grassroots movements within certain communities. Plus, the media is a great place to amplify a cause message, so always consider reaching out to media contacts when your nonprofit is looking to spread the word - you never know what kind of audience you could reach.
