Annual Report 2016

We set out to integrate the practice of solutions journalism — rigorous reporting on responses to social problems — into the daily news.
Our Impact
in 2016
Curriculum | Newsroom practice change | Network | Dissemination
1
Curriculum
SJN’s curriculum is the foundation of all we do. It provides an accessible explanation of the craft, with specific modules aimed at beats, issue areas, and different media.
TOPLINE STATS
6
journalism schools
integrated the solutions approach into course curricula
2
Newsroom Practice Change
In its first four years, SJN has focused on intensive newsroom engagements to demonstrate proof of concept for solutions journalism.
TOPLINE STATS
10 news organizations produced solutions journalism focused on violence prevention
7 Mountain West newsrooms produced “Small Towns, Big Change,” a solutions-focused regional collaboration
16
news outlets joined our Philadelphia Reentry Reporting Collaborative, covering recidivism and prisoner re-entry through a solutions lens
The Seattle Times’ award-winning “Education Lab,” now in its fourth year, reported story pageviews 102% higher and social shares 230% higher than regular education coverage
3
Network
SJN’s network strategy responds to the question: How do we drive the adoption of solutions reporting among more journalists with lower investment?
TOPLINE STATS
2,443
members
Reached within 7 months after the launch of new website and online network, The Hub
557
members reached at our Facebook discussion group
57%
Twitter followers increased
with an average reach per month of 136,000 impressions
Time on new website up 24.4%, with users viewing 21.1% more pages per visit
Launched local communities in Philadelphia and D.C.
4
DISSEMINATION
SJN’s dissemination activities are concerned with accelerating the diffusion of solutions stories into society and, in turn, building demand for more and higher-quality solutions reporting.
TOPLINE STATS
1,579
stories
in the Solutions Story TrackerTM, a searchable archive of tagged stories
presented at
over 40 industry events, including: Sundance Film Festival, SXSW Interactive, IJF International Journalism Festival, AEJMC, ASNE, ACES, SPJ, Muslim Public Affairs Council, New Mexico Press Women Association, JAWS, AJPA
87
media citations
of SJN and/or solutions journalism, including articles in Nieman Lab, BBC, Tow Center for Digital Journalism, Poynter, and the Columbia Journalism Review
Spreading
the Practice
The Solutions Journalism Network’s operating expenses grew by 68% to $3.8 million for the full year 2016.
This was up from $2.3 million total expenses in 2015. Program expenses associated with newsroom collaborations, journalism school work, as well as the growth of our national network accounted for 87% of total expenditures in 2016, as compared to 72% in 2015. The total overhead ratio—including expenses associated with fundraising—was 14% in 2016, as compared to 28% in 2015.
A note regarding grants payable: During 2016, SJN restated its accounting for outstanding commitments on sub-grants payable to newsrooms. Grants payable as of December 31, 2014 and 2015 had not previously been recorded. SJN’s 2015 financial statements have now been restated to reflect those sub-grant commitments
Organizationalcapacity
updates
During 2016, SJN continued to strive to adhere to best practices in non-profit administration, and during the course of the year:
• SJN became a fiscal sponsor to Honey Guide Media, Inc., a newsroom partner, under a sub-grant agreement through an SJN project grant that was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.• SJN has been pleased to continue working with Raich, Ende and Malter as its independent auditor in 2016. In addition, SJN continued to retain Kiwi Partners for selected accounting support.
Governance
The organization elected Nathalie Laidler-Kylander to the board of directors during the first quarter of 2017. Ms. Laidler-Kylander joins the board in her capacity as Managing Director of the Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, a new grantor for the organization in 2016
Funding partners
Our People
Team & Members
Coordinators & Consultants in 2016
Catherine Cheney
Bay Area Coordinator
Nina Fasciaux
Europe Coordinator
Jean Friedman-Rudovsky
Philadelphia Reentry Collaborative Project Editor
Ben Goldfarb
Mountain West Project Editor
Joanne Levine
DC Coordinator
Sabrina Vourvoulias
Philadelphia Reentry Collaborative Project Editor
Holly Wise
Director of Journalism School Engagement
Board Members
Board Members
Dominic Rovano
serves in an advisory role to the Finance and Audit Committee of Solutions Journalism Network. He is a member of the American Society of CPAs and the New York State Society of CPAs, serving as Vice Chairman of the NYSSCPA Employee Benefits Committee.