MURRAY – As cuts in federal funding for social programs push foundations to increase their payouts and shift their priorities, one fundraising initiative offers a solution for funders and nonprofits alike: NewsMatch, a national collaborative funding model that helps boost nonprofit newsrooms like The Murray Sentinel.
NewsMatch packages the promise of a matching gift with training and tools designed to empower nonprofit newsrooms like The Murray Sentinel to do more than earn the match: it teaches them how to engage small-dollar donations and major gifts, cultivate investments from local businesses and community foundations and even stand up their own matching gift incentives.
During the 10th annual NewsMatch fundraising campaign in November and December 2025, The Murray Sentinel and more than two-thirds of the 407 participating news organizations attracted additional matching gifts from individuals and institutions in their communities – exceeding the seed funding provided by NewsMatch for the fourth consecutive year.
These newsrooms also attracted a record number of first-time donors. During a year marked by federal cuts and financial uncertainty for nonprofits, more than 100,000 individuals donated to INN Network newsrooms, up 34 percent from the previous year. Overall, Institute for Nonprofit News member newsrooms leveraged $7.1 million in pooled investments from NewsMatch to generate nearly $70 million in individual donations and matching funds from their communities.
“What the numbers show us is that the collaborative fundraising model pioneered by NewsMatch is a proven and replicable recipe for increasing the capacity of nonprofit organizations to attract support from their communities,” said Karen Rundlet, INN executive director and CEO. “By positioning institutional philanthropy as a starting point, not an end goal, and coupling that with coaching and resources, NewsMatch has shown how even small nonprofits can build strategic relationships and strengthen their operations for the long haul.”
During the 2025 NewsMatch campaign, The Murray Sentinel secured $43,737 to support its 2026 operations, including $35,173 raised during the November-December campaign and $8,580 in pledged monthly gifts.
Highlights of The Sentinel’s 2025 Truth Takes a Village fundraising campaign include:
- $12,113 raised from individual donors
- 104 individual donors, including 56 new donors
- 16 new recurring donors, increasing monthly support from $430 to $715
- $10,000 in local matching funds
- $18,000 from NewsMatch, including $15,000 in matching funds – the maximum available – and $3,000 in performance bonuses
“NewsMatch helps make it possible for The Murray Sentinel to secure much of the support we need for the coming year in a single campaign,” said Sentinel Founder and Editor Jessica Paine. “That means we can spend less time chasing dollars the rest of the year and more time focused on delivering the free, independent, high-quality local news our community needs.
“We’re deeply grateful to the neighbors, local businesses and community partners who helped us exceed our goal for the second year in a row and fuel the continued growth of The Murray Sentinel.”
For more details on how NewsMatch operates and year-over-year results, visit the NewsMatch Press Room.
