The best is yet to come

I don’t mean to brag, but I may have the best job on the planet. Let me count the ways.

• I work with a small but mighty staff that dispatches its duties with professionalism and pride.
• Our crack team of correspondents are as passionate as they are talented, delivering engaging features on a dizzying array of topics.
• Our publication is so beloved by our readers that they renew their own subscriptions and give them as gifts at an unparalleled rate.
• Our fiercely devoted advertisers lend their financial support month in and month out, providing the fuel that drives the magazine forward.
• Our board has always offered me the support and guidance I need to keep our enterprise on an even keel.
• And there’s a special thrill to serving the Chicago-area Italian-American community, with their deep ties to their heritage and each other.

To be a part of an enterprise like that is a dream come true, but that’s never stopped me from dreaming even bigger.

At present, Fra Noi is one of our nation’s best kept secrets: beloved by thousands but unknown to multitudes of Italian Americans and non-Italian Americans who love our culture as much as we do. Well, that’s about to change.

We recently expanded our board — infusing it with youth, skill and vigor — and we’ve set about the task of making Fra Noi the best magazine it can possibly be, and then sharing our revitalized publication with a much broader and more diverse audience.

It all started with a strategic plan ratified by the board in November. Among other bullet points, it mandates us to 1) maximize coverage of our cultural riches, 2) use social media to share that wealth with the community at large, 3) build stronger bridges to local organizations and 4) work with other publications to attract national advertisers.

We’ve made a lot of progress since then. New features have been weighed, and new revenue streams are being explored. New technologies are being brought to bear, and new social media are being rallied to expand our reach. We surveyed young adults to find out what they’re looking for in a magazine, and we’ve even discussed the possibility of changing the publication’s name. (More on that in a future issue.)

Our efforts will bear fruit in the fall, when we unveil a dramatically expanded Fra Noi filled with the very best that our heritage and community have to offer. Features long missing from the magazine will return, and others that have never graced our pages will make their debut.

As you can imagine, we’re going to need your help to make this dream a reality.

You’re already aware of the crowdfunding campaign we’ve launched to get us caught up with the impact that inflation has made on our bottom line. If you haven’t done so already, please contribute as soon as you finish reading this column, and please give as generously as you can.

To keep pace moving forward, we’re going to need to raise our subscription and advertising rates. But we won’t be doing that until you can bask in the glory of the new Fra Noi and know that your money is being well spent.

Last but not least, we’ll need an infusion of new ads to sustain this vastly improved version. If you own a business and want to help us make this dream a reality, reach out to me today at 708-338-0690 or info@franoi.com.

Remember, an ad in Fra Noi is more than an investment in your business, it’s an investment in your community and your culture. And starting this fall, your ad dollars will be going so much farther, helping us attract readers that were once beyond our reach.

“The Best Is Yet to Come,” Frank Sinatra crooned in the early ’60s, when Fra Noi was just starting out. No truer words could be sung about our beloved publication today. We look forward to working with you to take Chicagoland’s Italian-American Voice to the next level.

Andiamo!

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The above appears in the July 2023 issue of the print version of Fra Noi. Our gorgeous, monthly magazine contains a veritable feast of news and views, profiles and features, entertainment and culture. To subscribe, click here.