Dear Cavalier Daily alumni,
You know from your experience as a Cavalier Daily staff member how much the CD matters to the UVA community and beyond. The CD has a long history of independent student journalism, and you are part of that tradition.
As you are probably aware, UVA has no financial or editorial control over The Cavalier Daily. This ensures the CD can report on the university free from censorship, funding disputes, and other issues that student publications often face. But this is only possible with alumni support. Without your past donations, the CD might have lost its independence, been evicted from its offices, or shut down entirely.
I’m writing to tell you about a persistent threat to the paper’s independence, a plan to secure its long-term future, and an exciting new way for you to help.
This summer, the staff’s coverage of the forced resignation of the university’s ninth president, Jim Ryan (Law class of ’92), underscored the importance of the paper’s independence. Free to cover all aspects of that story without favoritism or fear of reprisal, the CD enlightened the community, the Commonwealth, and the country in ways unmatched by even the largest national media organizations.
Unfortunately, this independence is as fragile as it is indispensable. Newsrooms across the country have suffered during the transition from print to digital media. Based on several years of financial data, we estimate that The Cavalier Daily will need at least $12,000 in annual financial support in the years ahead to offset chronic revenue shortfalls.
To provide this level of ongoing, long-term support, we need to raise at least $300,000 for the CD’s endowment fund. After several years of fundraising, we had $80,000 on hand. Then, a few weeks ago, a pair of generous donors stepped forward to offer up to $200,000 in matching grants. Thanks to these historic contributions, we have the chance to build a robust endowment for the CD. Every dollar donated before the end of this year will be tripled and will help fund student journalism on Grounds for the foreseeable future. Our $300,000 goal for this fundraising campaign is well within reach.
This Saturday, September 27, you will receive a call from a current CD staffer. Please, pick up the phone and learn from the current generation of student journalists how much your donation would mean. Our donors have agreed to match both cash donations and three-year pledges, so you need not give your full donation immediately. If you’d rather, you can skip the phone call entirely by signing into our donation portal and giving or pledging there. Either way, your tax-deductible dollars will have three times their normal impact at a critical time for The Cavalier Daily’s future.
If you have any questions about this campaign or other thoughts on how we can maximize our odds of success, please feel free to email me at alexisgravely15@gmail.com. Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Alexis Gravely (Col class of ’19, Educ class of ’19)
President
Cavalier Daily Alumni Association