A key message nonprofit news leaders heard during INN Days, the Institute for Nonprofit News’ annual conference, may run counter to some long-held ideals of journalism: Get involved.
Talk to lawmakers, speakers and experts urged. Collaborate with public media and other nonprofit news outlets. Form consortiums and connect on ways to bring more public funding to nonprofit news organizations.
“It is critical that lawmakers hear from nonprofit newsrooms, as you all are on the front lines of the information crisis facing our communities,” Mike Rispoli, senior director of journalism and civic information for Free Press, said during the opening session on June 16 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. “You can speak from firsthand experience about the good work you are doing, filling in gaps left by the commercial market, and how civic health is dependent on investing in trusted news and information.”
At INN Days 2026, held from June 16 to 18, multiple sessions focused on increasing revenue and community engagement.
The opening afternoon of the conference included a fireside chat between INN Executive Director Karen Rundlet and State Rep. Chris Rabb, a Democrat who represents areas of northwest Philadelphia in the Pennsylvania state legislature. Rabb supports an effort underway in Pennsylvania with Free Press to enact legislation that would create an independent consortium to provide funding for local reporting projects and create a fellowship program to place journalists in Pennsylvania community newsrooms.
Rispoli said that in at least half of U.S. states, there is movement around public policies related to local news. He urged the audience to get involved in advocacy and coalitions.
“I’m going to do my job, but I can’t do it alone, and I need the folks closest to the pain. You all are feeling the pain. I know folks who consume the news are feeling pain, but this is your job.”
U.S. Rep. Chris Rabb at INN Days 2026
But leaders may feel uneasy stepping outside of news gathering and operations roles, Rabb acknowledged during the fireside chat.
“Get over it,” Rapp quipped, drawing laughter from the audience.
“There will never be a better advocate for you and your profession than you in your profession,” Rabb said. “I’m going to do my job, but I can’t do it alone, and I need the folks closest to the pain. You all are feeling the pain. I know folks who consume the news are feeling pain, but this is your job.”
Across different sessions, INN Days speakers shared insights and other takeaways on policies and practices that can help bolster the news media industry, particularly in news deserts, and increase access to crucial information about government actions and what’s happening in their local communities.
‘Network or not work’
Relationships matter. Or, as Rabb put it, “network or not work.”
INN Days speakers stressed the importance of working across news organizations and industries for shared goals related to supporting news media. Those discussions would also include lawmakers who, like Rabb, might champion legislation.
It’s also a good idea, speakers said, to be able to point to examples of successful new legislation, policies and programs.
“Legislators love when you can tell them something has been done somewhere else, so it’s not a completely new idea,” said Eric Thurm of civic media campaign manager for Free Press Action.
The mere idea of lobbying, however, may make some news leaders queasy because of journalistic values and concerns over their organization’s tax-exempt status. Advocacy & Communication Solutions shared resources on its website that explain what nonprofits can and can’t do regarding advocacy and lobbying. Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)3 status are allowed to lobby in a limited way, but leaders should be aware of additional federal and state requirements. There are no restrictions on nonprofit advocacy, however, as long as the information shared is about goals and policy in general without referencing a specific legislation.
Find an advocacy champion
Akash Mehta, a cofounder and leader of New York Focus, suggested finding an advocate, such as a press association or a board member, to lead conversations with legislators and advocate for legislation to support news organizations. That’s a takeaway Mehta had after participating in lobbying days last year.
“It is uncomfortable, and it opens the door,” he said of lobbying, but “it could go down a route that we don’t want to go down.”
Legislators may not care about revenue for news organizations, but they do care about whether constituents are being served, said Tom Lappas, publisher of the Henrico Citizen. In a panel about how the Virginia Press Association and digital news outlets across the state pushed for legislation to allow online-only news outlets to carry legal notices, Lappas and others showed how what serves the public can also support the bottom line. That legislative change has generated six-figure revenue for small new outlets, including INN member Cardinal News.
Choose collaboration over competition
Partnerships and inter-newsroom collaborations are a way for nonprofit news outlets to navigate staffing shortages and funding struggles, such as the rescission of federal funds for public media outlets last year.
News leaders may also consider nontraditional partnerships, such as with local museums or libraries, said Jennie Ewing Liska, co-director of revenue and operations for Pittsburgh’s Public Source. Leaders should ensure potential partners share their values and work approach, Liska said. There’s also a necessary balancing act for partnerships, she said, particularly for small organizations: They “sometimes have to deprioritize certain partnerships because you don’t have the resources to invest in them.”
Prioritize the public, their voices and their needs
Cindi Lash, vice president of news for Pittsburgh Community Broadcasting Corporation, suggested being thoughtful about messaging when trying to engage support from people who don’t have strong feelings about media or don’t support it at all. Focusing on “lofty principles” of journalism won’t work. A more effective approach, she said, is to talk about community.
“What has your community lost? What does your community need?”
Think about tangible, relatable examples, such as not being able to find pictures of local baseball teams and marching bands or other community news, Lash said. Talking to people about what they’ve lost could help them better relate to the issue of supporting local news media.
Bring a cross section of perspectives to the table
Assemble a unified group of different types of news organizations — print and digital publications, broadcasters, nonprofits and niche outlets — to address lawmakers, Jeff Rogers, Illinois Press Foundation executive director and founding editor of Capitol News Illinois, suggested during a panel about newsrooms and public policy. Doing so makes a stronger case for support, he said, and shows how the outlets are impacting communities.
That approach “really helped us in Illinois with tax credits legislation that went through,” Rogers said.
Bipartisan support is also important, speakers said. Don’t assume a political party’s dominance in state politics makes it impossible to get legislators to back bills supporting local news organizations.
Across political party lines, Rispoli said during another session’s Q&A, the tenor of a conversation can change when the messaging focuses on “what does this thing do and how does it deliver for your community?”
To engage lawmakers to support local news in states where such legislation is not in the works, figure out who is excited about the issue, such as lawmakers who are former journalists, Thurm suggested.
“They’ve been open to have a baseline conversation,” Thurm said. Identify who in the statehouse would be the right champion. Who has an insider’s perspective and can get colleagues on board? That person would seem excited about the issue and adding their name to legislation.
“There are states where people would be more excited than we all would think,” Thurm said, “and who would be the person who would care about it and can make it feel navigable? It’s very achievable.”
