Montclair Local’s growth journey with BlueLena

Background

Montclair Local, a nonprofit newsroom based in Montclair, New Jersey, and a proud member of the Institute for Nonprofit News (INN), joined the BlueLena community in January 2024. In less than a year, the organization has achieved impressive growth: a 28% increase in newsletter subscribers and a 19% growth in membership revenues. These gains are the result of a strategic partnership with BlueLena, leveraging its best-in-class audience management platform and expert consulting tailored specifically to the needs of nonprofit journalism organizations.

Challenge

Montclair Local faced a common set of challenges experienced by many independent news organizations: growing its reader base, deepening engagement with existing supporters, and building a sustainable membership and donor program. 

While its newsroom had a strong editorial voice and loyal local readership, its systems for managing audience relationships and revenue generation needed modernization to support its long-term goals for audience growth and business sustainability..

The Solution

Upon joining the BlueLena community and through its initial participation in the one-year BlueLena Academy accelerator program, Montclair Local implemented a multi-pronged strategy that included:

• Audience Growth & Engagement Strategy: BlueLena’s team of strategy consultants worked closely with Montclair Local to optimize its newsletter acquisition funnels, refine its onboarding journeys, and develop a cadence of editorial content designed to increase subscriber engagement.

• Data-Driven Membership Development: Using BlueLena’s audience management platform, Montclair Local was able to segment readers more effectively and tailor membership messaging based on engagement behavior and giving history.

Results

Since implementing BlueLena’s platform and strategies, Montclair Local has seen:

• 28% Growth in Newsletter Subscribers: Thanks to optimized sign-up flows, better audience segmentation, and targeted newsletter campaigns.

• 19% Increase in Membership Revenues: Driven by personalized engagement, improved donor lifecycle communications, and enhanced campaign reporting.

• Stronger Major Donor Pipeline: With the new CRM and Moves Management System, Montclair Local has laid the groundwork for long-term sustainability through deeper relationships with key supporters.

Working with BlueLena has given us the ability to connect and deepen our relationship with our readers in more personalized and effective ways. With their help, we’ve built automations and segmentation strategies that allow us to reach the right people with the right message—and it’s made a real difference in growing both our audience and our donor base.”

– Liz George, Publisher, Montclair Local

Conclusion

Following its completion of the BlueLena Academy program, this spring Montclair Local became one of the first dozen organizations to adopt BlueLena’s newly released CRM and Moves Management System, purpose-built for nonprofit newsrooms. This system enables the Montclair Local team to unify all of its first party data, identify high-potential donors, cultivate relationships with mid-level supporters, and implement a structured stewardship plan for major gift prospects.

Montclair Local’s success demonstrates how mission-driven newsrooms can accelerate growth and sustainability by investing in the right infrastructure and partnerships. With BlueLena’s purpose-built tools and expert support, Montclair Local is well-positioned to continue its essential work of serving the Montclair community with high-quality, independent journalism.

About Montclair Local

Montclair Local is an independent, nonprofit news organization founded in 2017 to provide in-depth, factual reporting on issues affecting Montclair, New Jersey. With a mission to strengthen the community through coverage of local government, education, culture, and public affairs, it became a nonprofit in 2020 and merged with Baristanet in 2023 to expand its reach and services. The organization is guided by a board that includes prominent media figures such as Kathleen Carroll, former executive editor of the Associated Press, and Stephen Engelberg, executive editor of ProPublica.

About BlueLena

BlueLena is a strategy consulting and audience management platform founded in 2020 to support the sustainability of independent local media. By combining cutting-edge technology with expert-driven services, BlueLena helps over 250 news organizations across North America develop and manage subscription, membership, and donation models. Its unique shared-resource management approach provides publishers, regardless of size, with access to enterprise-level tools and personalized support, enabling them to focus on high-quality journalism while building loyal, revenue-generating audiences. 

BlueLena is majority employee-owned, and backed by investors including Automattic (the parent company of WordPress), the Local Media Association, and Old Town Media.