By Jacqueline Munis, The Monitor
As members arrive to celebrate NABJ’s 50th anniversary, this year’s convention may feel emptier compared to last year’s record turnout in Chicago.
The 2025 NABJ Convention, being held in Cleveland, faces funding challenges, with registration more than 1,000 lower than the number of attendees last year and fewer sponsorships publicly posted.
NABJ Executive Director Drew Berry said at a board meeting Tuesday that registration stood at about 3,000 attendees, though the official count won’t be known until Saturday, when registration closes. NABJ’s 2024 convention in Chicago drew 4,336 registrants and the 2023 convention in Birmingham, Alabama, drew 3,606 guests. The organization’s Miami convention in 2019 set a record 4,105 registrations.
Nearly 60 of last year’s sponsors did not return and only 17 new sponsors replaced them, according to an analysis by The NABJ Monitor. Other high-level sponsors who committed over $100,000 in the past committed less money this year.
The convention is a key revenue generator that sustains NABJ year after year. However, this year’s lower turnout and sponsorship losses are raising alarms about NABJ’s fundraising strategies as Berry announced a budget shortfall of between $600,000 and $800,000 on Tuesday.
“[I am] surprised that this year doesn’t have as much turnout as last year or the years before, because this is the 50th anniversary, and [I] feel like given the history of NABJ, this would be the year that people would want to show up,” said Shanaé Hart who is attending her fourth convention.
Some pointed to this year’s location as one reason they didn’t attend.
“If you ask me, are you going to go to Cleveland or are you going to go to Atlanta? I’m going to go to Atlanta,” said Ruth Allen Ollison, a longstanding NABJ member.
Ollison typically attends the convention, but she “couldn’t pull away” from her business that was affected by DOGE cuts, her outreach ministries and her grandchildren. “It just wasn’t enough for me to leave my family and my responsibilities,” she said.
Below is a audio produced piece on low attendance for the 2025 NABJ Convention by reporter Sigourney Bell.
Others pointed to just not being able to afford to attend. Asar John works part time at Skylight, a nonprofit media startup, and also works as a freelancer. He attended two conventions as a student and hoped to go to the convention this year. After he didn’t get a grant, he couldn’t afford it.
“I definitely feel like I’m missing out on some great networking opportunities because I really did want to attend this year,” John said.
Alma Gill, who has attended NABJ since the 1990s, said she found the conventions in Birmingham and Chicago disappointing. She noticed more no-show panelists and said it felt “segregated” between print, broadcast and digital reporters compared to previous conventions.
She also saw people walk by founding members without acknowledging them, which made her believe that there was not enough “respect for elders” or the history of the organization.
“I just didn’t feel like I would get my money’s worth or be satisfied.” she said, adding that many attendees are still dear friends and colleagues.
Berry said he was aware of affordability issues and said he was working toward alleviating barriers toward attending. He pointed to “heavy anti-DEI headwinds,” the economy and companies paying for fewer employees to attend as sources of lower turnout.
Berry said the organization has been meeting with media companies and foundations. He added that fewer companies are sending their employees for financial reasons, in part due to some companies “paying ransom to the government,” referring to recent settlements between the government and the parent companies of ABC and CBS.
Comcast NBC Universal, CBS, CNN, Nexstar and the New York Times all have leveled down their sponsorships, according to NABJ sponsor lists.
NABJ declined to comment on the number of sponsorships lost or retained.
While NABJ will not know how much over budget they will be until the end of this year, Berry is “not freaking out” he said, adding that NABJ is in the “best financial shape in the history of this organization.”
Berry declined to comment on specific fundraising strategies NABJ is using to adjust to lower revenue “because we’re not going to tell our competitors what we’re doing.”
Despite this year’s shortfall, NABJ has not cut any programming for members and has a $5 million “rainy day investment fund,” he said. A full financial report will be released on Saturday ahead of the business meeting.
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