The Month in Review - July 2024

A look back at another banner month for our publication

July - A Month of Diligence

This past July was a month of true diligence for this newsletter. Even when the summer is traditionally a quiet month, this newsletter was able to accomplish a noteworthy goal - a new edition each and every day.

It is quite a change from when this effort first started. The original goal was to come up with something every three days. But, as we did this work, it became quickly apparent from the feedback from our readers and the work being done in our communities, that there was an opening for something more — something daily. In the early days, our readers were willing to invest four or five minutes a day to learn something new about their community (or a nearby community) and the notebook I have always seemed to hold more ideas than the other third day scheduled allowed.

I threw the schedule away and, working on a “quantity over quality” mantra, went to work on delivering content that was timely and relevant. It just so happened, in July, there was literally something happening every day worth sharing. Now, I still have to work on the “less is more” mantra, some people still things the newsletter is way too long, but this is a work in progress and the solid footing will be found sooner rather than later.

As much as I might be the one producing and creating this publication, this is certainly by no means a “one man show”. There are scores of folks that have invested time, money, suggestions, and perhaps most importantly, encouragement, into this endeavor. This continues to underscore the fact that Civic Capacity is a community-based project. If things weren’t happening in our community, if people weren’t interacting, there wouldn’t be much to say. That is why your support as either a free or contributing subscriber to this project is critical!

One of the activities I want to undertake in this newsletter is to take time to look back at the growth of this project and bring forward new ways you can help support this effort.

The Big Story

One of the most noteworthy actions to happen last month was the annexation of nearly 300 acres in Bethel Township by the aggressive community of Huber Heights. This newsletter covered that annexation in depth in multiple posts — including one in which the Honorable Mayor of Huber Heights called me out for throwing gasoline on a fire (or something akin to that). Regardless, it has become painfully obvious I won’t be getting the key to Huber Heights any time soon. Oh well, I guess that is my loss.

But maybe I should take the time to thank the Honorable Mayor. Operating under the principle that “there is no such thing as bad PR”, his dramatization of this publication lead to new readers coming here. The post below, spelling out the annexation, garnered 3,000 views and is making me think that maybe we need to set up shop by creating a Huber Heights bureau of the Civic Capacity newsletter.

Civic Capacity: Inside the Numbers

Throughout the month, our publication was growing. Our free subscriber list grew at a 1.5% clip, right now 1,460 people are now receiving this newsletter when a new edition drops. Those generous individuals who make a financial contribution to our effort grew by 8% — Thank You Supporters!

If you have not become a paid subscriber to our effort, please consider it. With your paid subscription, you have access to all back issues of our newsletter and access to our paid-subscriber chat and the opportunity to comment on all our posts!

Our publication also had 30,353 separate views throughout the month; each day nearly 1,000 views of our work occurred, which means more and more individuals are finding value in this project and that is heartwarming! This actually a pretty impressive number. From what I have learned, efforts like this usually have a pretty hard slog in the Summer, so to see our readership remain strong in the face of other distractions, like vacations, national politics and the Summer Olympics, is pretty impressive.

Have Your Say!

If you have a contribution you want to make to Civic Capacity, please let us know! Whether it is a guest editorial, a letter to the editor or a column you wish to contribute, we would be happy to publish your ideas and your insights.

Unlike traditional media sources, you aren’t limited to word counts, nor will your ideas be stuck behind a paywall. We believe in the free exchange of ideas and welcome your contributions. Send your ideas to: william.lutz17@gmail.com.

A New Way to Support this Work!

If there is one thing I have learned over the past fourteen months, it is that our readers absolutely love the work being done here. There is a strong core of readers that can’t wait for the latest edition of this newsletter, and I get comments all the time that they love learning about their hometown, regardless of what town that is. Many of those readers want an option to support this work without signing up for a subscription.

Well, this publication is now listed on “Buy Me A Coffee”. Which is absolutely hilarious, because I don’t drink the stuff. However, the “Buy Me A Coffee” platform allows readers like you to put a few shekels in the pockets of “digital creators” like myself, in a one-off manner, without the hassle of a subscription.

But, I have had a few readers that want to know more about the platform works. Well, here is a quick rundown.

When you click the button below:

You will be transported to the Civic Capacity page on the “Buy Me A Coffee” platform. From there, you can choose to buy 1 coffee, 3 coffees or 5 coffees at a cost of $5 per coffee. Click on your level of support and a pop-up window will come up for you to enter your debit or credit card information and that’s it! You can also leave your name and leave a nice note. It’s a new way to support this effort and while I won’t purchase a coffee, I will certainly purchase a nice refreshing glass of iced tea, which is much more my style.

Of course, if you want to sign up for an annual subscription of $50, that would be helpful as well. Through your subscription, you are keeping local news and analysis free for everyone. Unlike other local publications, Civic Capacity doesn’t have annoying paywalls or monthly article limits. This newsletter has carved out a place as being one of the few places where residents can get fair and honest analysis of the decisions being made in our local communities. Your subscriptions help keep that work moving forward.

Sponsorship Packages Available for Civic Capacity

Looking at the readership of Civic Capacity, it is clear that we are creating a community of loyal readers that are becoming more engaged with their community; over the past month we have averaged over 1,000 readers a day to our newsletter. If you own or are part of a small business or an organization and would like to become a sponsor of Civic Capacity, we have developed a month-long sponsorship package. If you are interested, please email me at pinnaclestrategiesltd@gmail.com and we can get the conversation started.

Help Grow Our Publication!

One of the best ways you can help grow our publication and our community of civic minded and aware individuals is to share our work with your friends and neighbors — and for those that are sharing — Thank you! I am constantly amazed at the different social media groups and pages that are hosting this work. To those sharing this work, you are helping make your community a stronger place and you have my thanks!

Sharing this information is critical to help inform, inspire and involve more residents in their hometown.