The Oxford American is embracing a new strategy in hopes of generating revenue: memberships.
The magazine, which focuses on Southern culture, literature and music, announced the tiered memberships earlier this month. The benefits from taking part in the memberships vary based on the contribution.
A $100 contributor is recognized as a “member” and will receive four issues of the quarterly magazine, a thank-you note, a gift subscription, a 10 percent discount in the magazine’s store and a listing as a supporter on the Oxford American website. The largest contribution level — $25,000 — earns a person a spot in the “Publisher’s Circle,” which comes with the perks of every other membership tier as well as a house party sponsored by the magazine.
“OA editors, writers, music, and food: the whole shebang right in your living room (or in your backyard),” according to a listing on the membership page.
Publisher Ray Wittenberg said in an interview last week that, as a nonprofit organization, the magazine has to do fundraising and usually makes an appeal for contributions in the fall. So far, fundraising for the year is in “good shape,” he said.
The idea for the memberships came from other literary nonprofits that have successfully deployed it, including McSweeney’s of San Francisco and the Southern Foodways Alliance at the University of Mississippi. Wittenberg said other cultural nonprofits, including the Smithsonian Institution, also use the model.
“We just thought it was a good fit for us,” Wittenberg said. “We have a readership that’s pretty passionate about the magazine, and we thought this was just a good way to organize their support.”
This isn’t the first time the magazine has gotten creative with its fundraising efforts.
Late last year, the magazine used the crowdfunding website Kickstarter to offset the costs of its December Southern music Issue — raising $53,757 from 1,008 donors.
Wittenberg said the magazine, which has more than 13,000 subscribers and a $1.6 million annual budget, would consider using an online fundraiser again. But he said that while other groups have now used Kickstarter for ongoing operational costs, Oxford American will ask for funds for a specific initiative.
Wittenberg said those initiatives could include fundraising for a special vinyl release of the issue’s compilation CD.
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