*Giving Tuesday Update!* This Giving Tuesday, or #GivingNewsDay as some call it, we want to show our appreciation for your support. That's why we're offering our new black t-shirts to anyone who makes a new recurring donation of $5/month or a one-time donation of $75. Or, donate $10/month or $150 one-time and we'll give you a Shoestring SWAG bag, one of our totes filled with a t-shirt and gifts we've got left from years past, while supplies last. All donations will be matched by NewsMatch AND generous local donors, tripling your impact! To claim your gift, leave a note with your donation letting us know what you'd like and relevant sizing information, and we will hand-deliver it by mid-December. Reach out with any questions to theshoestringmag [at] gmail.com. Thank you so much for helping power local news into 2025!

Since The Shoestring's founding in 2017, a rotating cast of editors and freelance reporters have built a journalistic practice in which our reporting leans not on press releases, but on years-long relationships with our community, investigations into public records, and on showing up in places overlooked for too long by the legacy newsrooms of western Mass.

The result is that The Shoestring

• has built up an archive of reporting that digs into local budgets as the moral documents they truly are;
• listens to and uplifts the voices of those impacted by wage theft, union busting, overzealous policing, and unfair housing trends; 
• follows tips and public records wherever they lead us. 

And we’re just getting started.

We’ve accomplished a lot as an organization that has never had more than three freelancers holding down its core team. With your support and partnership, we can be so much more. Informed by feedback from our audience, our advisors, and our freelancers and interns, we envision The Shoestring as an outlet that

• has a dedicated reporter for each of the Connecticut River Valley’s biggest cities as well as full-time investigative staff. 
• hosts a robust internship program to continue training the next generation of local journalists. 
• has a physical space so our community always knows where to find us, and where we can host events, create and build relationships, and put people in touch with their local journalists. 
• pays staff and freelancers competitive rates to retain talent and knowledge of our communities so we can provide you with the best reporting possible.

Your tax-deductible donation to The Shoestring is used to pay local reporters and editors to produce free and accessible public-service journalism for everyone in western Massachusetts. And we’re not just saying that we couldn’t do this work without you: the vast majority of our funding comes from readers and listeners like you chipping in what they can once a year or every month, be it $5, $10, $25, or more.  

Without this solid base of readers to whom we’re accountable, The Shoestring would not exist.

With income inequality continuing to worsen, The Shoestring will always keep our reporting free and accessible to all. By giving what you can, you’re securing quality local news for yourself and for members of your community who can’t afford to give anything. Thank you for giving generously, whatever that means to you.

Thank you for supporting independent news for western Mass, and for sharing this fundraiser on social media or emailing and texting it to friends!

If your donation is under $500 and you would like a tax receipt, please make a note with your donation. Those interested in donating by check can do so following instructions at theshoestring.org/donate. Please reach out with any questions to theshoestringmag [at] gmail.com.

ABOUT US: The Shoestring is an independent news publication in Western Massachusetts that provides in-depth and accurate journalism covering local politics, culture, and power. We bring you the stories, perspectives, and context that no one else does, from Northampton and across the Connecticut River Valley.

Read more at theshoestring.org