When you work with BlueLena we empower you not only with the best tools and technology, but experienced revenue strategists and hands-on support from our team of experts
Build loyal audience relationships, diversify revenue, and ensure a long and successful future for your journalism and reporting.
Great journalism builds trust. Trust leads to support. Growing that trust and support as a business requires effective strategy, experienced leadership, and reliable execution systems.
BlueLena Advisory brings together an accomplished network of media industry executives, strategists and consultants to help independent and nonprofit news organizations accelerate growth, strengthen operations and diversify revenue.
Our consulting partners have led successful audience, fundraising, and revenue programs at leading media organizations including the New York Times, BBC Media, Texas Tribune, Chalkbeat, the American Journalism Project, Fairfax Media, McClatchy and more. We now deliver this expertise to publishers through tailored consulting, strategic advisory, hands-on implementation, team training and professional development.
Whether you are launching a publication or newsletter, starting a membership program, expanding major gifts, developing sponsorship and event revenue, or pursuing other new strategies, BlueLena Advisory offers the expertise and support to help you advance with confidence.
We help publishers turn opportunities into measurable results.
Our approach: strategy backed by execution
We go beyond recommendations by helping build the systems that enable growth.
BlueLena Advisory combines executive expertise with practical, implementation-focused support.
Our consulting partners work directly with publisher leadership and operational teams to assess opportunities, set priorities, and develop strategies that can be executed with available resources.
Learning and growth are a journey, and we partner and involve you along the way.
Our approach emphasizes four principles:
( 1 ) Understand the opportunity
We begin by evaluating your organization, audience, market, revenue performance and operational capabilities to identify the opportunities with the greatest potential impact.
( 2 ) Develop an actionable strategy
We translate those findings into clear priorities, measurable objectives and practical plans tailored to your business model and available resources.
( 3 ) Build the systems for execution
We help establish the workflows, processes, tools, training and accountability needed to put strategy into practice.
( 4 ) Measure, learn and improve
We establish performance benchmarks and ongoing evaluation practices so your team can make informed decisions, adapt quickly, and continuously improve results.
Our goal is not to create dependence on outside consultants, but to strengthen your organization’s ability to grow and succeed long after our engagement ends.
Meet our expert network.
Experienced industry leaders. Specialized expertise. A shared mission to strengthen independent journalism.
BlueLena Advisory brings together professionals with deep experience in audience development, philanthropic and community support, market research, media and brand strategy, and guiding publishers through change.
CJ Ortuño | Principal Advisor
Fundraising Strategy, Major Gifts & Development Operations
CJ brings more than two decades of fundraising and nonprofit leadership experience, including work with Chalkbeat, Borderless Magazine, the American Journalism Project and Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. He specializes in building disciplined fundraising systems, developing major gift programs and strengthening development operations.
April Hinkle
Advertising, Sponsorship & Corporate Partnerships
April is the former founding Chief Revenue Officer of The Texas Tribune and previously served as Publisher of Texas Monthly. She brings extensive experience developing sponsorship businesses, corporate partnerships, advertising programs and diversified commercial revenue strategies.
Belinda Lush | Principal Consultant
Reader Revenue, Membership & Subscription Strategy
Belinda brings more than 25 years of international media experience, including leadership roles at Stuff, NZME, Lonely Planet, the Daily Mail and LEAP Media Solutions. She specializes in subscription and membership growth, pricing, conversion, retention and reader revenue operations, serving publishers across the United States and Asia-Pacific.
Emily Dresslar | Principal Consultant
Earned Revenue Strategy, Events & Business Innovation
Emily previously served as Director of RevLab at The Texas Tribune, where she helped hundreds of newsrooms strengthen their business operations and generate new revenue. She also led business operations for McClatchy’s Compass Experiment and brings extensive experience in publisher coaching, revenue innovation and program development.
Phillip Smith | Principal Consultant
Audience Growth, Acquisition & Conversion
Phillip is the founder of Journalism Growth Lab and has spent more than two decades working across journalism, technology and audience development. He specializes in audience acquisition, newsletter growth, experimentation and helping publishers build repeatable systems to attract and engage readers.
Comprehensive strategy and consulting services
Expertise across the entire audience-to-revenue lifecycle
While each publisher faces unique challenges, sustainable growth relies on integrated strategies to attract audiences, build relationships, and generate revenue.
BlueLena Advisory offers specialized consulting in five complementary practice areas.
Audience Development & Acquisition
Reach more readers, build direct relationships, and achieve repeatable growth.
Audience growth is essential for publishing success. Our consultants help publishers identify new audiences, expand reach, and develop systematic approaches to convert casual readers into loyal subscribers and supporters.
Led by Phillip Smith, Principal Consultant and founder of Journalism Growth Lab, this practice integrates market analysis, audience development strategy, experimentation, and coaching to build sustainable growth programs.
Our services include:
- Audience research, market sizing and growth opportunity assessments
- Newsletter acquisition and registered audience development
- Organic and paid audience acquisition strategies
- Social media audience conversion and channel optimization
- Registration and newsletter signup funnel improvements
- Growth experimentation, testing and performance measurement
- Audience engagement and conversion pathway development
- Team coaching and repeatable audience growth processes
We help publishers move beyond isolated campaigns to implement a disciplined, measurable approach to audience development.
Reader Revenue, Membership & Subscriptions
Turn audience engagement into lasting financial relationships.
Building a loyal audience is only the first step. Publishers also need effective strategies to convert reader relationships into sustainable subscription, membership, and donation revenue.
Our reader revenue consulting helps publishers optimize the entire customer lifecycle, from acquisition and conversion to onboarding, engagement, retention, and renewal.
Led by Belinda Lush, Principal Consultant and former Director of Reader Revenue at Stuff New Zealand, this practice brings extensive international experience in developing and scaling reader revenue programs.
Our services include:
- Reader revenue strategy and business model development
- Subscription, membership and donation program design
- Pricing, packaging and offer optimization
- Registration, paywall and conversion funnel strategy
- Subscriber and member acquisition programs
- Onboarding, engagement and lifecycle communications
- Retention, renewal and churn reduction
- Reader revenue forecasting and performance analysis
- Team structure, operating models and revenue management practices
Our approach aligns commercial strategy with audience behavior, enabling publishers to create sustainable revenue programs tailored to their market, mission, and organizational capacity.
Fundraising, Major Gifts & Development Operations
Develop fundraising systems that transform donor relationships into predictable revenue.
Effective fundraising requires more than successful campaigns. It relies on disciplined processes, clear accountability, strong donor relationships, and reliable performance measurement.
BlueLena Advisory helps nonprofit news organizations build the infrastructure and capabilities needed to grow contributed revenue over time.
Led by CJ Ortuño, Principal Advisor, this practice draws on extensive experience in nonprofit fundraising, major gift development, organizational strategy and revenue operations.
Our services include:
- Fundraising strategy and revenue systems assessments
- Major gift program design and implementation
- Mid-level donor identification, cultivation and stewardship
- Donor portfolio development and moves management
- Prospect research, wealth screening and donor segmentation
- Development operations, workflows and process design
- Donor retention, recurring giving and lifetime value strategies
- Fundraising forecasting, dashboards and performance management
- Board and executive fundraising engagement
- Development team coaching, training and fractional support
Through structured programs like our Revenue Systems Accelerator and Major Gift Accelerator, we help publishers build the systems, processes, and leadership practices needed for long-term fundraising success.
Advertising, Sponsorship & Earned Revenue
Diversify revenue by delivering value to businesses, organizations, and community partners.
Independent publishers have valuable assets: trusted brands, engaged audiences, strong community relationships, and opportunities to connect businesses with their target audiences.
BlueLena Advisory helps publishers convert these assets into sustainable earned revenue through advertising, sponsorship, strategic partnerships, and innovative commercial programs.
Led by April Brumley Hinkle and Emily Dresslar, Principal Consultants with extensive leadership experience at The Texas Tribune, Texas Monthly, McClatchy, and other media organizations, this practice provides strategic and operational support for developing diversified revenue streams.
Our services include:
- Earned revenue assessments and diversification planning
- Advertising and sponsorship program development
- Audience and advertising inventory analysis
- Product positioning, packaging and pricing
- Corporate sponsorship and strategic partnership development
- Integrated digital advertising and newsletter sponsorship programs
- Sales pipeline design, prospecting and forecasting
- Advertiser relationship management and CRM workflows
- Proposal development, fulfillment and renewal strategies
- Sales leadership, coaching and team development
- Revenue operations and commercial performance management
Our consultants help publishers develop marketable products, establish effective sales processes, and build long-term commercial relationships that support financial sustainability and protect editorial independence.
Events & Community Revenue
Transform community connections into sustainable business opportunities.
Events enable publishers to strengthen their brands, deepen audience engagement, and build new relationships with sponsors, advertisers, and community stakeholders.
Our consultants help publishers create event strategies that deliver meaningful audience experiences and support broader organizational and revenue goals.
Our services include:
- Event portfolio assessments and strategic planning
- Event concept development and business model design
- Ticketing, registration and pricing strategies
- Event sponsorship packages and sales programs
- Corporate and institutional partnership development
- Event marketing and audience development
- Sponsor fulfillment, stewardship and renewal planning
- Event profitability, performance measurement and optimization
- Integration of event audiences into ongoing engagement and revenue programs
From community forums and educational programs to sponsored experiences and signature annual events, we help publishers build event businesses that strengthen their journalism and create lasting value.
Flexible engagements customized to your needs.
Specialized expertise when and where you need it
Every news organization faces unique challenges. BlueLena Advisory offers flexible engagement models tailored to each publisher’s goals, resources, and stage of development.
Strategic Assessments & Revenue Audits
We provide focused evaluations of audience, fundraising, or commercial revenue operations, resulting in prioritized recommendations and actionable growth plans.
Customized Strategy & Implementation Projects
We offer time-bound engagements focused on specific opportunities, such as launching a major gifts program, accelerating newsletter acquisition, developing sponsorship products, or optimizing subscription conversion.
Executive Advisory & Fractional Support
We provide ongoing strategic guidance, leadership coaching, and specialized fractional support for publishers seeking experienced assistance without adding permanent senior-level roles.
Accelerators, Training & Cohort Programs
Our structured programs combine expert instruction, individualized coaching, practical tools, and implementation support to help publisher teams build new capabilities and achieve measurable progress.
Industry Partnerships & Network Programs
We deliver customized consulting, training, research, and program support for foundations, publisher associations, and journalism support organizations seeking to strengthen the business sustainability of multiple newsrooms.
Supporting publishers and the organizations that strengthen independent journalism
BlueLena Advisory works with independent and nonprofit news organizations at all stages of growth, from emerging digital startups to established regional and national media brands.
We also work with foundations, associations, and journalism support organizations to develop scalable training and consulting programs that extend expertise across publisher networks.
Our work includes individualized engagements, executive coaching, structured accelerators and collaborative programs such as the Level Up Mid-Level Giving Accelerator, developed with the Institute for Nonprofit News.
These partnerships enable us to combine specialized industry expertise with practical frameworks, helping more publishers develop stronger, more sustainable business models.
Let us help you build your next stage of growth.
Whether your priority is reaching new audiences, increasing reader revenue, strengthening fundraising, expanding sponsorships, or creating new business opportunities, BlueLena Advisory can help.
Our consulting partner network offers the experience, strategic perspective, and practical support needed to identify opportunities, overcome operational challenges, and build lasting capabilities.
Contact our team to discuss your goals and explore how BlueLena Advisory can support your organization.
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.