Hispanic Journalists Tighten Financial Belts

The following is an open letter from National Association of Hispanic Journalists:

HISPANIC, LATINO, MEXICAN, MINORITY, CIVIL RIGHTS, DISCRIMINATION, RACISM, DIVERSITY, LATINA, RACIAL EQUALITY, BIAS, EQUALITY

NAHJ President Michele Salcedo

Saludos,

The convention numbers are in. Without allocating the cost of staff time to the convention, we made money.

I wish I could tell you that’s good news, but here’s why it’s not: When staff time and other overhead are factored in, our profit is more than wiped out. The convention is NAHJ’s main moneymaker, and we were counting on making a substantial chunk of our revenue for 2010 from the convention. Falling short means we have to find other sources of income. With an economic climate as tough as the one we’re in, that’s no easy task.

I know that you share the board’s and my concern about NAHJ’s finances. I wanted to take a minute of your time to update you about what the board and staff are doing to return NAHJ to financial health and, as we come to the end of the year, how you can help.

Executive Director Iván Román has done a good job of trimming expenses. That’s not just my opinion, but the report of Financial Officer Russell Contreras and an independent financial advisory committee after reviewing our third quarter numbers. Where we’ve fallen short is generating revenue and getting it to come in at a steady rate.

Iván continues to look for places to trim. But the reality is that we can’t cut our way out of this situation, and more trimming isn’t immediately going to help us with cash flow or pay our pending bills, including staff salaries.

Here’s what we’re doing

Ivan continues to try to collect money that’s owed us, of course, for starters.

At last week’s meeting, the board voted to nullify chapters that have been inactive for more than a year and reclaim their share of membership dues. That money is allocated annually in a 50-50 split between national and chapters so they have money to cover local programs and events. We also voted as an emergency measure to suspend the dues split with active chapters for one year. For 2011 only, 100 percent of the dues will go to national, boosting revenue. New chapters in the process of formation are exempt.

Our 2011 membership campaign is in full swing with personal invitations from the board to lapsed members, asking them to renew. The half-price campaign launched on July 17 put us close to 1,700 members, up from 1,375. The current push to get lapsed members to renew should result in our goal of 2,010 members in 2010.

How you can help

First, be sure to renew. Just click here: NAHJ membership renewal

Look around your newsroom and among your contacts. Are there people who should join NAHJ but haven’t, either folks who have let their membership lapse or who were never members? Encourage them to join. You know the benefits of membership.

Don’t know what to get that hard-to-buy-for friend or family member for the holidays? How about an NAHJ membership? It’s good through Dec. 31, 2011, making those who join eligible for the membership registration rates for the 2011 convention, June 15-18 in Orlando. Yes, we’re going to Disney World!

As the year draws to a close, NAHJ can help cut your income taxes. How? With a contribution. Because NAHJ meets the IRS requirements as a charitable organization, your contribution is tax deductible. Ready now? Click here: Donate to NAHJ. Just about any credit card will do the trick.

Finally, my heartfelt thanks for your support throughout this year, especially to the hardworking board. There are no quick fixes to returning NAHJ to solid financial ground, but I’m confident it can be done with the backing and generosity of members like you. You are what makes NAHJ great.

Gracias, y a sus órdenes,