May 15, 2016

You Can’t Please Everyone

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This cracks me up. The first two emails I got about our new site design, about five minutes apart, were these:

  • Reader #1: God that is really ugly.
  • Reader #2: I love your new artwork! Kudos to the graphic designer!

I like the new design myself, though I’ll confess that the logo is…very large and orange. That said, does anyone want to help me guess what the graphic elements are supposed to mean? There are eight:

  1. Microphone
  2. Two arrows
  3. Map pin?
  4. Pencil
  5. Cat
  6. Speech bubble
  7. Outstretched hand
  8. Check mark

Half of these are pretty obvious. But what about 2, 3, 7, and 8?

DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

DECEMBER IS MAKE OR BREAK

A full one-third of our annual fundraising comes in this month alone. That’s risky, because a strong December means our newsroom is on the beat and reporting at full strength—but a weak one means budget cuts and hard choices ahead.

With only days left until December 31, we've raised about half of our $400,000 goal—but we need a huge surge in reader support to close the remaining gap. Whether you've given before or this is your first time, your contribution right now matters.

Managing an independent, nonprofit newsroom is staggeringly hard. There’s no cushion in our budget—no backup revenue, no corporate safety net. We can’t afford to fall short, and we can’t rely on corporations or deep-pocketed interests to fund the fierce, investigative journalism Mother Jones exists to do. That’s why we need you right now. Please chip in to help close the gap.

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