In a recent post I talked about independent news organizations and how they raise money to support investigative journalism.

To follow up, I spoke with David Beers at the Tyee on how they have been able to produce informative and engaging content with reader donations.

After a six week fundraiser the Tyee was able to raise $36,000 from readers to hire independent journalists who would examine issues that matter to British Columbians.

The first example, Rough Weather Ahead by Chris Wood, looks at how global warming will affect British Columbia and possible solutions.

I wasn’t interested in starting an organization that wouldn’t pay seasoned writers. That way we know what they find out is accurate and well researched, said Beers.

Wood conducted more than 30 interviews and reviewed major provincial, municipal and federal scientific studies.

The story came out on the same day as the London bombings, but still led the local news. It has since been picked up by other radio and TV outlets. Essentially the Tyee achieved its goal of producing great content and they did it with the support of their readers.

It’s interesting to note that while the Tyee uses reader donations, the site began by building a coalition of organizations that felt excluded from the mainstream media and wanted to invest in The Tyee. This included a venture capital firm, a labor organization and a social justice foundation. Which allowed the editors to build a quality site and start posting ten original stories a week that could trickle into the media.

“You don’t start by asking readers for money, you do that later after you’ve demonstrated you are making an impact. It’s only then that you can make the case ‘what if we weren’t here,’” said Beers.