A change is gonna come 🦋
A change is gonna come 🦋
Like Sam Cooke said, but different.
Hello!
This week the newsletter will look different because there won’t be a curation or interview; I needed a break. But before I get into what I want say about this newsletter going forward…
I want to acknowledge what is happening in Lahaina (Maui - Hawaii). For those unaware, wildfires that started due to a hurricane event have caused death and massive destruction to homes; sites of cultural, historical and ecological importance; and businesses. You can read more here.
These fires were the deadliest in the U.S. in over 100 years. Here are some CTAs from Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action, while links to give direct aid to individual families can be found here. Please support however you can.
TLDR - What’s Next
I hope you will still read about the upcoming newsletter changes* and why, but the quick download is to:
Please pitch to guest curate and / or be interviewed! I would like guest curations and interviews to be in 2 of the 4 newsletters that go out each month. Also, nonprofit workers can pitch guest curations now!
Reminder: Anyone who pitches gets a discount on ads/sponsorships.
Follow on Instagram @unofficialsocialchair for more content. Some sections of the newsletter are going away but may show up there! Also would love to engage with you all more.
Donate to support SLI’s first project! Last month’s feedback survey showed interest in a curriculum series dedicated to a particular topic. So, I’m fundraising to do a series on reparations movements that will require extra research and some programming (talks, resource guides). More about the project in the link, and paid subscriptions if you’d like to donate that way are 20% off through 9/5.
*Changes will be effective as of September 13th (no newsletter 9/6 for Labor Day).
More Context re: What’s Next?
Trying to get ahead of burnout.
Some may question why the need to announce changes or updates and my reply is that I like to transparent. I love doing this newsletter and I am so grateful for all of the positive affirmations I have received about this work.
But as I said in last week’s newsletter, I have been job searching since being laid off while trying to freelance to make ends meet. And that’s just on the professional front. I am not saying this to complain; I just want to be honest about the fact that the rate I am going at is not sustainable long-term.
So what does that mean for the newsletter?
It will continue, but it will change! I am grateful for feedback I received from the 3-month survey, because it has helped me decide on some things going forward.
Guest curations twice monthly (hopefully): The past few weeks of guest curations have helped my bandwidth immensely so this is a CTA to submit more! I’d like to have two per month. October - December is open!
Also, if you work for a nonprofit, you can now pitch to guest curate podcasts too! Please keep in mind that it is best to curate on issues that are in your general focus area as an organization and that if you share calls-to-action, only one should be from your organization.
Interviews, limited but sustained: I love doing these but I need to be more realistic about how many I can do. Therefore, I will do up to two interviews a month, and they will be shared in guest curated newsletters so I’m not curating and preparing interviews in the same edition. October - December is open!
What happens if there are no guest curations / interviews pitches? I’ll improvise! My hope is that it won’t come to this because I love sharing work from you all, so please pitch!
Shorter newsletter: In part informed by the survey and post analytics; in part informed by our attention spans these days. The headline is I am getting rid of the “Coming Up,” “Act of Joy” and “Keeping the Faith” (good news) sections. Some of this content may shift to Instagram.
And lastly, SLI is still free but…new content will require financial support: There was great interest in a special curriculum and conversation series—deep dives over 3-4 newsletters into a specific issue (e.g., reparations, renewable energy). I would love to do this, but to do it right will require some funding because I’d like to pay experts to participate in events and/or help with materials.
I don’t want to paywall a new content series if I can avoid it. I’ll also acknowledge I know grants could be a route to go, however there aren’t always some available for this type of work (I know…I subscribe to a creator grants newsletter) and applying for grants is resource-intensive, especially for one person.
So if we want to see new things, I’d be appreciative of any donations or classifieds bought that can support these types of endeavors. And if you have grant-writing expertise and would be willing to volunteer your time, I’m open to that too!
In short, how you can help:
Pitch me! Again, would love some guest curations or interviews for October, on.
Fund this! The newsletter will continue to be free but I would love to be able to cover monthly expenses ($70/month) and fund new initiatives, like the very first curriculum series. So far I receive $22/month less the transaction fees. To this end, if you would like to support, paid subscriptions are 20% until September 5th, whether you choose monthly ($4) or annual (~$43).
And if advertising or being a paid subscriber is not your preference, but you still want to give, there is always an option to donate any amount.
Engage! Follow on Instagram, share this newsletter and send feedback.
Thank you! And up next…
If you made it this far, thank you so much for reading! I know I didn’t curate this week, but here are some highlights from past editions:
Climate anxiety + a podcast about Hip Hop (8/11 was the 50th anniversary!)
⏭ Check back next week for an interview with Freeway Phantom producer Jaime Albright, who did last month’s guest curation “Missing, Murdered and Forgotten”.
The 8/23 curation will be about the state of K-12 education while 8/30 will be about higher education. I am still accepting episode pitches for these topics here. I would love to see pitches from our non-U.S. based community as well!
Until next time,
🧡 Ayo
Founder & Publisher of Sounds Like Impact