Get The Westsider back in print!
Donation protected
It's our 2nd birthday & we need your Westside love, to cover one whole year of print and distribution costs.
Just 3,000 people donating $10 will cover our editing, distribution and print for 2017!
By the community, for the community.
The Westsider - The Voice of the West, is Australia’s largest, monthly, community run, printed newspaper!
It all began one night on the IWBSS facebook page, with a bunch of locals having a chat...
In just two years, we've delivered more than 150,000 papers that are all about you: life stories of locals that would never have reached beyond the kitchen table; the mysterious little bits of business hidden away in sheds, attics, leaky garages and down that alley; what’s happening in our schools, our art galleries, our theatres; which Westies have got dirt under their fingernails, smiles on their lips or tears in their eyes; and sport, sport, sport.
AND along the way we have shared valuable skills with 500 long-term unemployed, coaxed and upskilled more than 100 local scribes out into the open - vital work that someone has to do, so why shouldn't it benefit this community?
The wired, wired West
And yes we back it up with an online version and dedicated social media channels! But you can’t tear a photo off your laptop screen - There is nothing like the crisp crackle of a Westsider being unfolded, the smell of fresh ink, and the stains on your fingertips as you soak up local news.
The Westsider stats!
Audience reach - 25-30,000+ each month (Data shows each issue is read an average of 2.5-3 times)
150,000 papers printed so far, (7,000 - 10,000 monthly depends on $$)
500 unemployed people provided with training
Online publication updated weekly
Current social media reach of 12,000+ on Facebook and Instagram and twitter
Suburbs we deliver to:
Printed newspapers are distributed at shared community spaces where your customers/neighbours/kids hang out!
Footscray, West Footscray, Braybrook, Seddon, Yarraville, Spotswood, Kingsville, Williamstown, Sunshine, Newport, Altona and beyond when we can.
Volunteers include:
Writers, sub-editors, photgraphers, social media managers, drivers, students, finished artists, consultants, event reporters and more!
They all pitch in every month to get this paper out.
The very first pallet of papers!
Celebrating the first run with a beer at Two Birds!
FAQ
How is the money used?
11 print runs of 20-24 pages of 7,000 papers $22,000
Driver/distributor of papers - $5,500 (we currently pay someone $500 per month)
Managing Editor/Operations Manager for one year - $10,000
Who gets the money?
Open News is the organisation that provided our seed funding and resources to get started. The founder is dedicated to citizen journalism and his company manages all funds for us. Any funds that go above our desired amount, will keep us going longer or add more pages to the paper!
Why crowdfunding?
Chasing advertising chews up a lot of our resources, which is why we have taken a 3 month hiatus from printing. We basically got tired! We still accept advertising but would love to focus on producing content instead!
Does anyone get paid?
We have a dedicated editor who has been donating at least 2 days of his time each week, to keep the digital and print editions running. AND he trains volunteers in social media, editing and anything else that needs doing. So, to make sure he sticks around, we will now cover the cost of his time!
I would like to advertise
Yay! For advertisers, we are running another campaign here to try and get funding in advance. We have the cheapest rates in town, so get on board!
PLEASE NOTE: we are running 2 crowdfunding campaigns on different platforms.
One for businesses because to buy advertising & this one for individuals. It's a put it out there and see what sticks scenario!
All funds raised go toward running the paper.
*all helpful suggestions on various new business models gratefully accepted and deliberately ignored :)
Just 3,000 people donating $10 will cover our editing, distribution and print for 2017!
By the community, for the community.
The Westsider - The Voice of the West, is Australia’s largest, monthly, community run, printed newspaper!
It all began one night on the IWBSS facebook page, with a bunch of locals having a chat...
In just two years, we've delivered more than 150,000 papers that are all about you: life stories of locals that would never have reached beyond the kitchen table; the mysterious little bits of business hidden away in sheds, attics, leaky garages and down that alley; what’s happening in our schools, our art galleries, our theatres; which Westies have got dirt under their fingernails, smiles on their lips or tears in their eyes; and sport, sport, sport.
AND along the way we have shared valuable skills with 500 long-term unemployed, coaxed and upskilled more than 100 local scribes out into the open - vital work that someone has to do, so why shouldn't it benefit this community?
The wired, wired West
And yes we back it up with an online version and dedicated social media channels! But you can’t tear a photo off your laptop screen - There is nothing like the crisp crackle of a Westsider being unfolded, the smell of fresh ink, and the stains on your fingertips as you soak up local news.
The Westsider stats!
Audience reach - 25-30,000+ each month (Data shows each issue is read an average of 2.5-3 times)
150,000 papers printed so far, (7,000 - 10,000 monthly depends on $$)
500 unemployed people provided with training
Online publication updated weekly
Current social media reach of 12,000+ on Facebook and Instagram and twitter
Suburbs we deliver to:
Printed newspapers are distributed at shared community spaces where your customers/neighbours/kids hang out!
Footscray, West Footscray, Braybrook, Seddon, Yarraville, Spotswood, Kingsville, Williamstown, Sunshine, Newport, Altona and beyond when we can.
Volunteers include:
Writers, sub-editors, photgraphers, social media managers, drivers, students, finished artists, consultants, event reporters and more!
They all pitch in every month to get this paper out.
The very first pallet of papers!
Celebrating the first run with a beer at Two Birds!
FAQ
How is the money used?
11 print runs of 20-24 pages of 7,000 papers $22,000
Driver/distributor of papers - $5,500 (we currently pay someone $500 per month)
Managing Editor/Operations Manager for one year - $10,000
Who gets the money?
Open News is the organisation that provided our seed funding and resources to get started. The founder is dedicated to citizen journalism and his company manages all funds for us. Any funds that go above our desired amount, will keep us going longer or add more pages to the paper!
Why crowdfunding?
Chasing advertising chews up a lot of our resources, which is why we have taken a 3 month hiatus from printing. We basically got tired! We still accept advertising but would love to focus on producing content instead!
Does anyone get paid?
We have a dedicated editor who has been donating at least 2 days of his time each week, to keep the digital and print editions running. AND he trains volunteers in social media, editing and anything else that needs doing. So, to make sure he sticks around, we will now cover the cost of his time!
I would like to advertise
Yay! For advertisers, we are running another campaign here to try and get funding in advance. We have the cheapest rates in town, so get on board!
PLEASE NOTE: we are running 2 crowdfunding campaigns on different platforms.
One for businesses because to buy advertising & this one for individuals. It's a put it out there and see what sticks scenario!
All funds raised go toward running the paper.
*all helpful suggestions on various new business models gratefully accepted and deliberately ignored :)
Organizer
Kelly Facespace
Organizer
South Kingsville VIC
Begin your fundraising journey
