ELi Seeks to Raise $15,000 by June 3

Today East Lansing Info (ELi) launched a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of raising at least $15,000 by Friday, June 3.

ELi is seeking the funds to make improvements to our website, which provides timely news and information of, by, and for the people of East Lansing. We are also planning to hire a dedicated Government editor to keep up with the substantial amount of government and political activity in and affecting East Lansing. The funds will also secure general operations for our non-profit news service.

ELi’s last fundraiser, held in October of last year, aimed to raise $10,000 and raised almost $15,000. This fundraiser’s goal of $15,000 is based on that success, but because it is run through Kickstarter, the structure of the fundraiser requires that we raise at least $15,000 by June 3 to obtain the donations pledged.

A recent survey of ELi readers indicated significant value of ELi among local residents. Analytics of our site show a steadily increasing and widening reader base, and the number of story ideas and tips received from readers continues to swell. The ELi website is now up to 1672 page “likes,” and the organization recently welcomed Travis Stoliker to the Board of Directors.

The Kickstarter campaign includes a video explaining why ELi requires funds to operate, and Kickstarter allows supporters to monitor progress of the campaign in real-time. The campaign includes various “bonus” incentives for donors.