One of our key events each year since 1993, our conference is designed for nonprofit communicators: volunteers and staff who are responsible for telling their group’s story, through the news media or other channels. We bring them together with journalists looking for stories ‘off the beaten path’ and invite these sets of people to join in a dialogue on how to produce news that matters.

“Well-organized conference. Speaker has great passion & energy and used lots of great examples.” – Rachel Dziallo, Erie Family Health

Conference attendees get four key takeaways:

* Training: increase nonprofit communicators’ skills and understanding of the news process, allowing them to better access the media in ways that are effective;
* Sourcing: journalists get leads and sources from among a group that tends to receive ‘spot’ coverage rather than more focused and influential treatment;
* Skill-building: Connecting these two groups with web advocates and nonprofit technologists in order to develop a better understanding of new media to deliver their message and,
* Relationship-building: the conference builds relationships between nonprofit and news outlet personnel. Beyond more and better coverage of nonprofits, their constituents, and their issues, the outcome of our conferences has been understanding and consensus on where nonprofits fit in the news cycle.

Don’t take our word for it. If you’re wondering who comes and what they got out of it, you can download the evaluation from last year’s conference. You can also see what last year’s attendees had to say about the Making Media Connections conference by reading their survey feedback.

Promoting News That Matters
The Community Media Workshop believes that diversifying the voices featured in the news media leads to news that portrays society more fully and accurately. Such diversity in turn enriches democracy. Developing the natural talents and skills of everyday folks and non-profit communicators who advocate with these individuals and on their behalf is one crucial way to increase access to newsrooms. Providing channels, training, and support for journalists to increase newsrooms’ capacity to incorporate such voices is another crucial way to achieve the same goal, as is structural reform of the news media.