Cardinal News, Virginia’s fastest growing independent news organization, reports the untold stories of Southwest and Southside Virginia and strengthens the voices of people in our communities who have been sidelined in the commonwealth’s political, economic and cultural conversations simply because of where they live.
We partner with sponsors who share our mission, wish to support our journalism and to reach our civically engaged readers.
Sponsorship opportunities include:
- Our Newsletters: Daily, Weekly (a digest of the 10 best-read stories of the week), Weather (a weekly newsletter with weather journalist Kevin Myatt), West of the Capital (a weekly political newsletter), The Weekend (a weekly events newsletter).
Reach 18,000-plus readers who have given us an open rate that exceeds industry average
- Our website, cardinalnews.org: with special opportunities to support our obituary and event pages
- Reach 100,000-plus unique monthly visitors · 250,000-plus monthly page views · 2.2 million page views in 2022
- Our Speaker Series: live events throughout our region
Learn more about who our readers are and the opportunities you have to connect with them in our media kit. Contact us for more information.
FAQs
Does Cardinal News accept ads?
Not at this time. Our IRS 501(c)3 nonprofit status prevents us from accepting ads unless we set up an even more complex accounting system that recognizes unrelated business income that is then subject to taxes if it exceeds a certain percentage of … well, you get the picture. It’s complicated.
Some nonprofit newsrooms are accepting ads and considering it as business income reasoning that every dollar supports its mission. Sounds good to us, but we’re not certain yet that the IRS views it the same way, so we will wait for further instruction.
What’s the difference between sponsorships and ads?
Sponsorships imply a deeper relationship in which the sponsor seeks an affiliation with a nonprofit in order to support its mission.
While the terms sponsorships and ads are often used interchangeably, ads generally are placed by a business to sell particular items or services.
Do you accept sponsorships from political candidates or parties?
No. Again, our nonprofit tax status bars us from engaging in any political campaign for or against candidates. There is an exception for voter education activities, and we know some nonprofit news organizations are dipping their toes into political ads by accepting only positive ones or ones they deem “educational.” The water is a little too murky, at this point, for us to wade in. Again, we will wait for guidance.
Will you accept every sponsorship offered?
We reserve the right to reject any sponsorship, including but not limited to those we deem fraudulent, misleading or illegal.
Can a sponsor have a say in news coverage?
Nope. No way. We maintain an impenetrable wall between donors and sponsors of any sort and our newsroom. We also believe in full transparency. You’ll find a list of our sponsors on this page.
What can I include in a sponsorship?
You may include your logo and a brief message or slogan. Let’s say you run a bakery. You could include a message saying your cakes are awesome but not that you are running a sale on cupcakes this week. We will add a clickable link to your website’s home page.
How much does it cost to sponsor a newsletter?
Pricing is $250 a day.
What about the website?
We have a variety of packages to fit your budget and that will allow you to sponsor specific content, such as events and obituaries.
Who has sponsored Cardinal News?
How do I find out more?
Contact us. We will be happy to help you select the best sponsorship opportunity for you.