The rest of the increase in individual donations was related to the first year of our four-year growth by capital campaign to Take MinnPost to the Next Level. The campaign goal is $1 million, and we’ve 2011 Year End Report received nearly $600,000 in commitments so far. Half the $600,000 pledged was paid in 2011. Donors Taking MinnPost to the Next Level who have made campaign pledges have a C after their names on the donor list. Minnesota readers turned to MinnPost a lot more We appreciate the continued generous support often in 2011. of Minnesota foundations. In 2011, $317,000 (less than 21% of revenues) came from new grants from Visits to the site by Minnesotans rose 32%, from 2.8 Bush, million to 3.7 million. Compared with our first full the Elmer L. and Eleanor J. Andersen, year, 2008, visits by Minnesotans are up 145%. Carolyn, Central Corridor Funders Collaborative, McKnight, Pohlad Family and Saint Paul Those Minnesota visitors looked at 7.6 million Foundations. Grants received in 2011 were for pages, up 24% from 2010 and up 124% from 2008. general operations and special projects. The 2011 grant total is lower – in dollars and percentage of Including non-Minnesotans, we had more than 11 revenues – than the $466,350 received in 2010. This million page views in 2011, up 21% from 2010 and fits with our long-range plan to reduce reliance on 103% from 2008. foundation dollars. And there are many other measures of the rapidly Revenue from advertising and sponsorship grew growing enthusiasm for MinnPost: More than strongly for the third consecutive year. In 2011, 14,000 people follow our main Twitter feed, up ad/sponsorship revenue was $385,865, an increase 75% in one year, and 5,600 people have liked our of 25% from 2010. main Facebook page, up 60%. With growing revenues, we invested $241,138 more Why is MinnPost’s readership growing so rapidly? in spending in 2011 – on more reporting, developing As one reader put it recently, “Other media tell you a new website (which will debut in February) and a what happened. MinnPost tells you why.” Telling membership director. We ended 2011 with a surplus you the why, about Minnesota politics and policy – of $21,669. That’s two years in a row that MinnPost and also about arts, business, education, the has been modestly in the black. environment, health, sports and other subjects – is central to our mission, and in 2011 we produced a Heartfelt thanks to our hard-working editors, lot of exciting journalism and added some terrific technology and business staff, contract and new players to our team. A report on journalism contributing journalists, advertisers and sponsors, highlights of the year starts on page 2. Board of Directors, Advisory Council, Greater Minnesota Advisory Group, MinnRoast sponsors, Original reporting and analysis are expensive, and volunteer comment moderators, MinnRoast and we’re happy to report that readers are also stepping birthday party planners. up more with their dollars. And an extra thanks to all our donors, from Copy Revenue from individual and corporate donors and Boys and Girls to Media Moguls. Your names are from MinnRoast rose a whopping 69%, to $815,252. listed in categories starting on page 7. Please let us Some of this increase came from 6% growth in know of any omissions or changes in your donor annual membership revenue. Thanks to 690 first- listing. time donors in 2011, our total donor base grew to 3,324. And 651 people, almost 20% of our total To readers who haven’t yet become donors, please donor list, became sustaining members by the end of consider this a personal invitation to join the 2011. Sustainers have an S after their names on the MinnPost family. We cannot do this without you. donor list. For more about sustaining membership go to www.minnpost.com/donate/sustaining. Joel Kramer Laurie Kramer Editor and CEO Chief Revenue Officer 1 Journalism Highlights of 2011 leadership and spending, and Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch resigned for having an inappropriate relationship with a staff member. From Minnesota’s Capitol to the halls of Congress, Cyndy Brucato, well-sourced with GOP leaders, the past year has been one of governmental chaos reported on what was behind the abrupt change in and confusion. And with two Minnesotans in the GOP leadership and Doug Grow kept our readers middle of a hard-fought presidential campaign, informed on what the changes will mean for there’s been plenty to keep MinnPost’s journalists Minnesota government. busy. They responded by providing our readers with fresh insights and thoughtful analysis of these big And, of course, we covered – and continue to cover stories and many other developments in 2011. – the never-ending public and legislative debate over a new stadium for the Vikings. The presidential campaign got rolling in 2011 and two Minnesotans – Rep. Michele Bachmann and MinnPost was on top of news away from the U.S. former Gov. Tim Pawlenty – were among the early Capitol and Legislature, too. top-tier candidates. MinnPost has some of the best political reporters in journalism, and we made good Cynthia Boyd, writing MinnPost’s Community use of their talents. Eric Black and Washington Sketchbook feature, documented the toll the Great correspondents Derek Wallbank and Devin Henry Recession continues to take on Minnesota’s most focused on the Pawlenty and Bachmann campaigns, vulnerable people and reported on programs and and our journalists hit the campaign trail – in Iowa, efforts to make a difference. New Hampshire and Florida – with the candidates. David Brauer continued his must-read coverage of To supplement our in-depth campaign articles, we the Twin Cities media scene, while Brian Lambert also introduced a new feature on the site, called kept readers informed on what other news MinnPOTUS, offering brief news items and insights organizations are reporting in the Daily Glean, now about the Bachmann and Pawlenty campaigns, as expanded to a morning and afternoon format. well as reports on what the candidates’ competitors are doing and saying. Susan Perry’s Second Opinion kept readers up to date on consumer-health news, and Beth Hawkins’ Another major national political story was the Learning Curve notably included the Anoka- gridlock in Washington and the battles between Hennepin controversy over bullying and President Obama and GOP congressional leaders. Minnesota’s efforts to obtain a waiver from the Our Washington reporters closely followed the high- NCLB law. Max About Town offered Max stakes political brinksmanship of the debt-ceiling Sparber’s take on 2011 arts trends. vote and other developments, reporting on our congressional delegation’s votes and views. We covered the busy – but largely disappointing – Minnesota sports year. Jim Klobuchar returned to Back in Minnesota, there was plenty of politics too – chronicle the endless on-field miseries of the sometimes very partisan and bitter. Republicans took Vikings, while reporter Pat Borzi and blogger Aaron over the Legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton and Gleeman covered the many travails of the Twins GOP leaders couldn’t agree on a state budget, a season. Borzi did get to highlight the year’s one dispute that resulted in a government shutdown. bright spot – the championship Women’s Basketball Doug Grow led our team on that story, with help Association run of the Minnesota Lynx. from Eric Black, Joe Kimball, James Nord, Cyndy Brucato and others. We significantly expanded coverage of city government with the launch of a new daily feature As part of shutdown coverage, we published our first called Two Cities. Reported by Karen Boros in scientific-sample poll, capturing Minnesotans’ Minneapolis and Joe Kimball in St. Paul, Two Cities attitudes about the shutdown and who is to blame. focuses on developments in both city halls. Joe is a MinnPost regular. Karen, who worked for CBS After leaders finally settled the budget crisis, big News in Chicago and was City Hall reporter for news continued to come out of the state Capitol. The WCCO-TV, just joined our team of journalists. state Republican Party found itself in turmoil over 2 Journalism highlights, continued in Minneapolis, and crowdsourcing efforts in which readers participated in reporting on a topic or issue. MinnPost added other talented reporters in 2011: MinnPost even gave its readers an opportunity to balance the state budget at a time the governor and • Don Shelby, one of the nation’s most prominent legislative leaders were arguing over just how to do broadcast journalists, joined MinnPost to report that. Based on extensive research by journalist about the environment, energy and other issues. Sharon Schmickle, our tech staff created a budget calculator that readers could use to come up with a • Devin Henry, a graduate of the University of balanced budget. It was a popular – and informative Minnesota and former editor-in-chief of the – feature that only MinnPost offered. Minnesota Daily, was named Washington correspondent after Derek Wallbank left to take We soon had produced so many data-based and a position with Bloomberg News. interactive presentations that we were able to create a Maps & Data page on MinnPost. We also • Steven Dornfeld, a former government reporter for the Minneapolis Tribune and the St. Paul produced specialized Topics Pages bringing together Pioneer Press and editorial writer at the St. Paul valuable and timely information. The first three newspaper, took over reporting and writing focused on Minnesota politics, with pages on the Cityscape articles after Steve Berg left MinnPost Governor’s Office, the Senate and the House of to develop his own consulting business. Representatives. • Beth Hawkins expanded her role at MinnPost, Two special series were grant-supported.