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We're able to focus our attention on publishing impactful journalism in the public interest, and publish it for free for all to read, because we have the support of Tyee Builders. Tyee Builders are readers who contribute a bit of money — at a level and frequency of their choice — to support our editorial budget.

This core of supporters — making up about 1 to 2 per cent of our daily readership — enables us to pay our writers, keep our articles free and open to all, and not bombard our readers with annoying ads while you try to read.

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If you'd like to join thousands of readers who help make independent journalism possible, consider joining Tyee Builders. Thank you.

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You made it all the way through the article – I hope that means you liked it (or if not ‘liked’ it, gleaned some useful information from it). Tyee articles are known for being quite lengthy, so we appreciate when people spend some quality time with our work.

Listen, I’ll get to the point – the article you just read was made possible because our non-profit newsroom was able to pay a talented journalist to research and write it. And we can only afford to do that because of our business model, which relies on a certain percentage of our readers signing up for our paid membership program called Tyee Builders.

The traditional business model for journalism in Canada has been completely disrupted, and we’re witnessing a slow collapse as corporate newsrooms buy up distressed publications, lay people off, and suck the value out of them before declaring bankruptcy. And it doesn’t help that tech giant Meta has blocked Canadian news on their Facebook and Instagram platforms.

There is another way and we are carving the path.

Between 1 to 2 per cent of people who visit The Tyee contribute financially, but amazingly, that small percentage is enough to fund half of our overall budget. And it means we can operate without a paywall, too. 1 per cent of people giving means 99 per cent of people get access to quality, fact-based journalism from a talented team of journalists who live and work in B.C., Alberta, and across Canada. We think that’s pretty remarkable.

If you’re concerned about the way journalism is heading in Canada and you’d like to do something about it, consider joining Tyee Builders and contributing an amount that works for you.

— Jeanette Ageson, Publisher

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Tyee News
Media

Thank You! Our Member Drive Passed Its Goal by 20 Per Cent

The Tyee is set up for a great 2022, thanks to our supporters.

Jeanette Ageson and Robyn Smith 3 Jan 2022TheTyee.ca

Jeanette Ageson is publisher of The Tyee. Robyn Smith is editor of The Tyee.
TyeeBuilders783.jpg
We welcomed 783 new monthly supporters and nearly as many one-time supporters by our deadline on Dec. 31. Momentum carried us even further, to 790 monthlies by Sunday evening!

Happy New Year to all our readers, and we extend an especially warm welcome to our hundreds of new Tyee Builders.

In December, we issued a challenge to our readers: sign up to our paid membership program, Tyee Builders, and help us keep up our momentum and do even more impactful journalism in 2022. We call the program Tyee Builders because that’s what our members do — they help us build our newsroom. Over the past two years, we’ve doubled our staff team, brought on new regular contributors and have increased the number and quality of our stories. And we’re able to keep it all open and accessible for all to read because of our members.

Our goal was to bring on 650 new monthly supporters, and we’re happy to report that at midnight on Dec. 31, our campaign deadline, 783 new monthly supporters had signed up, and just about as many others chipped in one-time contributions. And additional contributions keep trickling in. To see a list of people who contributed to this campaign, go to our donation page and scroll down. Amazing!

This puts us in a strong place to transition to a new business model. Our status as a non-profit begins… now! In the weeks to come, we will be saying more about the good things this means for The Tyee and our community.

Our deepest thanks to all who signed up for helping us prepare for an even better 2022, and for helping us prove that our paywall-free, reader-supported business model has a bright future. What an incredible boost to our team’s already high motivation. What a tribute to the promise and power of independent journalism.

Now, back to work. [Tyee]

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