Last weekend, seven of us Real Changers drove to Portland for the North American Street Newspaper Association conference. I gave workshops in values-based vendor support and street newspaper fundraising and tried to be helpful. Exciting new papers are developing in Vancouver, B.C. and Denver, Colo., so I spent some time helping each of those teams get off on the right foot.
Real Change is the gold standard of North American street papers, and by virtue of having started Boston’s Spare Change in 1992, I’ve become the “old man” of the movement. This is brought to my awareness each year as I look around the room and note that most folks are around 15 years my junior and can easily drink me under a table. I don’t even try. They start to party at nine, and I head back to my dorm room to read, write, and drink water, and at the end of the conference I’m still wiped out. Go figure.
One of the things I always say is “quality equals dignity.” If one of the core values isn’t to create the best newspaper possible, they’ve not only undermined their vendors’ success, they’ve undermined their vendors’ dignity as well. Vendors need a newspaper that people want to read. Anything less is a pity purchase, and half-a-step from begging.
People respond to quality, and our circulation is up 17 percent this year. Your support has helped us get there. You make all the difference.
Read daily posts by Tim Harris at www.apesmaslament.org