[caption id="attachment_1342" align="alignright" width="189" caption="Joel Kramer"]<img class="size-full wp-image-1342      " title="Joel Kramer" src="http://www.journalismaccelerator.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/joelkramer.jpg" alt="Joel Kramer" width="189" height="173" />[/caption]

An interview with <a href="http://www.minnpost.com/about/" target="_blank">MinnPost’s Joel Kramer</a> by JA’s <a href="http://www.journalismaccelerator.com/about/ja-launch-and-beta-crew/">Tram Whitehurst</a>

<em>Joel Kramer is the editor and CEO of MinnPost, a nonprofit news site serving the Twin Cities and Minnesota.</em>

Founded in 2007 with $850,000 in initial funding, MinnPost has grown into one of the most respected nonprofit news sites in the country.

According to Kramer, the site had revenue of $1.25 million in 2010, about 25 percent of which came from advertising and corporate sponsorship. The remainder came roughly equally from foundations and members. About 2,400 members contribute amounts ranging from $10 to $20,000 a year.

“We’re doing quite well,” Kramer said. “Advertising and sponsorship revenue is rising, which is the plan. <strong>In 2010 we had our first surplus</strong>.”

MinnPost actively reaches out to advertisers and sponsors, Kramer said. They have a director of advertising and advertising support staff.

<strong>Sponsors are on annual contracts.</strong> They can sponsor content, departments and events. For example, the “Community Voices” section is sponsored by United Way.

<strong>Sponsors have no control over content</strong>, but they receive a variety of benefits, including public acknowledgments on the site. Kramer said four major sponsors account for about one-third of sponsorship dollars.

<strong>Advertisers can buy space on the site on a weekly basis</strong>. Their rate is based on the size and placement of the advertisement.

As for those looking to start a nonprofit news site of their own, Kramer said it’s important to have a significant amount of startup money.

“It’s very difficult to raise money the first year,” Kramer said. “Advertisers and sponsors want to see more of a history, and membership takes a while to build.”