May was another banner month for Civic Capacity!
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.
If there is one thing I have learned about growing this newsletter, it is that this project is filling an unmet need; good, honest and quality analysis of the events that are shaping our local civic life. The growth of this project has exceeded expectations, and while that growth is good — getting new people in the conversation isn’t a bad thing — it does mean we are all looking at this project from a different perspective.
One of these different perspectives is that we have all learned about this newsletter at different times, so whether this is your first time interacting with Civic Capacity, or your 100th, we are going to take a look back at the previous month and go over some great ways you can interact with this effort.
In his book, Good to Great, Jim Collins talks about how organizations often through hard work and discipline achieve the “flywheel effect”. Through painstaking hard work, things start to become easier and the tangible results are clearer to see. Is this project at the point where the “flywheel effect” is starting to be seen? It certainly feels that way. This publication is certainly growing and expanding each and every day.
In May, Civic Capacity had 36 separate editions go out, a monthly record, which was also our anniversary month. We spent time talking about new plans for the Public Square in Troy and a multi-million dollar improvement to South Crawford Street. But, our most popular post last month was a discussion about what Troy’s East Side will look like with the demolition of the Spinnaker Property and the eventual demolition of the Van Cleve School.
Civic Capacity: Inside the Numbers
Throughout the month, our publication was growing. Our free subscriber list grew by a healthy 4.1%, right now 1,400 people are now receiving this newsletter when a new edition drops. Those generous individuals who make a financial contribution to our effort grew by 10% — since March 1st our paid subscriber base has grown by 82%!
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 32,938 separate views throughout the month, another strong month. That means in May, we had nearly 1,000 views of our work every day, which means more and more individuals are finding value in this project and that is heartwarming! Thank you!
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.
This publication was extremely grateful when one of our readers and an elected official, Jeff Schilling, took the time to provide a guest editorial to our publication. It is notable, because many times elected officials tend to be quiet. The community should thank Mr. Schilling for taking the time to not only articulate his views, but also adding to the rich conversation that took place around South Crawford Street.
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!
Feel free to share this information! Through informing and educating our community’s stakeholders, we are creating a stronger community.