The Contributor (street paper)

The Contributor
The June 2010 front page of The Contributor
Type Twice-monthly street publication
Format Magazine
Founder(s) Steven Samara, Tasha French, Tom Wills, and Will Connelly
Editor J. Holly McCall
Founded 2007
Political alignment Homeless advocacy
Circulation 110,000 monthly
Website .thecontributor.org

The Contributor is a weekly street magazine published in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The publication's content focuses on various issues such as politics, music, art, culture, sports, homelessness and poverty. It is written by local journalists as well as people experiencing homelessness or working within the homeless community. The magazine's editor is J. Holly McCall and the creative media director and designer is Megan O'Neill.

As an organization, The Contributor is a nonprofit social enterprise providing economic opportunity with dignity to people experiencing or who have experienced homelessness and poverty. Vendors purchase the magazine for $2.00 and sell to their customers for $5.00. The organization's executive director is Lauren Dougall.

History

Some of the more than 400 homeless and formerly homeless vendors of The Contributor.
Some of the more than 400 homeless and formerly homeless vendors of The Contributor.

The Contributor was established as a newspaper in 2007 by a core group of volunteers. The first issue was published in November of that year and had a circulation of about 800 copies. The paper publishes consistently on a monthly basis and expanded its circulation and vendor network to become the highest-circulating street newspaper of its kind in North America—circulating more than 100,000 papers per month.[1][2][3][4]

In 2010, The Contributor received 501(c)(3) status, becoming an independent non-profit organization. One of the founders of The Contributor, Tasha French, received the Tennessee Titans Community Quarterback award for their volunteer efforts with the paper.[5] The award came with a $10,000 grant.

In 2017, The Contributor participated in the Center for Nonprofit Management's Social Innovation Catalyst. Through the 9 month long program, The Contributor was able to develop a full business plan for sustainability and increased earning potential for vendors with input from other social enterprise leaders and industry experts. The program included in-depth planning and market research, leading to the successful transition from a newspaper to a magazine in April 2018, and to more thorough vendor programming. These changes also included a move to Room In The Inn, another local organization serving the same and similar populations, and developing a working partnership which gives Contributor vendors access to a range of services.

The Contributor is one of many street publications in the United States. Others include Real Change in Seattle, Washington and Spare Change News in Boston, Massachusetts.

Affiliations

The Contributor is a member of the North American Street Newspaper Association and the International Network of Street Papers.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Farmer, Blake. "'Street Papers' Sold By Homeless Are Thriving".
  2. ↑ "Nashville homeless newspaper sales keep soaring". The Tennessean.
  3. ↑ "'Contributor' Could See Record Sales In 2010". Archived from the original on 2013-01-31.
  4. ↑ "Newspaper Distributed By Homeless Sees Record Sales".
  5. ↑ "Tasha French Winner of the 2009 Titans Community QB Award".
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