As I was working on the upcoming Arlington Historical Society newsletter, it reminded me of an article I read recently. Though the article was about genealogical societies, it essentially said that many nonprofit organizations are struggling, and a newsletter—no matter how spectacular it may be—isn’t going to save them. I think about that perspective often, especially now.

When I became Vice President of the Arlington Historical Society a few weeks ago, I asked our Executive Director where to focus my efforts. She gave me three main objectives: fundraising, engagement, and partnerships. None of these directly include producing our newsletter, though there is some overlap.

Newsletters can seem a bit old-fashioned. Generally, if I want to know what an organization is up to, I check their website or social media. I receive a few newsletters myself—some are interesting, others don’t quite hit the mark. Ultimately, it’s still just an email, and when you receive an infinite number of them, they can easily blur together.

That said, I enjoy creating our newsletter and believe it adds value. Not everyone is on social media, so it helps us reach a different audience and provide a snapshot of our efforts.

However, I agree that our newsletter won’t save us; it should simply be part of a diverse portfolio of offerings and outreach. One shouldn’t spend too much time on it when there is more critical work to do, especially in a leadership role. As a nonprofit, we must focus on what drives impact and uses our resources efficiently. That means making tough choices on where to dedicate our time—and remembering that newsletters and social media posts should be a slice of the pie, not the whole thing.

Yet, I’ve also learned rather quickly that you must still make time for the “fun stuff.” For me, that’s writing and sharing stories about local history. Even though my focus is more strategic these days, I shouldn’t lose sight of what excited me about this work in the first place.

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Blog post by Jason S. Sullivan, 07-01-26