Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
We owe you one. In fact, we owe you so much more than that.
When we asked you in July to help us raise $28,000 to technologically transform Fra Noi, we knew what it would cost to make the leap but we only dreamed we’d be able to cover it with a single crowdfunding campaign.
Two months and more than 250 contributions later, we’ve not only met our lofty goal but also exceeded it because of your astonishing generosity. In sums large and small, your contributions surged in like a strong backwind.
The grand total billowed beyond $30,000, with more than half of it coming from a handful of contributors who gave between $500 and a mind-boggling $10,000. To every single one of you, from dollar donors on up, we offer our most profound thanks.
We’ve done several crowdfunding campaigns over the years, with most of them aimed at covering the projected shortfalls that have dogged us in an increasingly challenging publishing environment. But this one was different.
Fra Noi is in the best financial shape it has ever been, owing to the steadfast support of our readers and advertisers. This time around, we needed your help not merely to survive but to grow and thrive.
Here’s what your current investment in Fra Noi will make possible:
1) the replacement of an antiquated design program with a state-of-the-art one that will serve us for years to come;
2) the introduction of a digital version of Fra Noi to complement our print version;
3) a dramatic redesign of the print version that will make the digital version possible;
4) a revamped website that better showcases what our print and digital versions have to offer;
5) an expanded social media presence designed to drive traffic to the website and encourage subscriptions to both versions.
Your generosity in pursuit of these particular goals is truly amazing. In the past, the very existence of Fra Noi was at stake and you always responded in spades. This time around, most of our efforts are aimed outward, at bringing Fra Noi to the attention of Italian Americans and non-Italian Americans alike who haven’t had the pleasure. And yet, you gave more to this campaign than you have to any past one.
The least we can do is return the favor by making Fra Noi the best publication it can be, regardless of the version.
You can expect a striking new look from your redesigned Fra Noi: one that’s open, graceful and inviting. And you can also look forward to exciting new features that deepen our already vibrant celebration of culture and community.
To those of you who worry that our print version will be left in the dust when Fra Noi takes flight, allow me to set your fears to rest.
Fra Noi will always appear on the printed page, regardless of where it may roam in other media. That’s partly because of me. I’m pushing 70 and I’ve been a print journalist for 40 of those 70 years. I’ve got ink running through my veins, and no new digital bell or whistle will ever replace the satisfaction of holding a hard copy of our beloved publication in my hands.
I also think there’s a renewed place in the world for print versions of special-interest magazines like Fra Noi. It’s not unlike the rekindled interest in vinyl records in a music industry that’s heading in an increasingly digital direction.
But the times they are a-changin’ and we need to change with them to ensure our sustainability and long-term success. A digital version will bringing our once-hidden gem to the attention of whole new audiences, expanding our readership and advertising support in the process.
In the end, going digital benefits everyone, including the die-hard print fans among us. Your generosity has cleared us for takeoff, whichever version you prefer, and for that we are forever in your debt.
To view a list of contributors, click here.
The article above appears in the September 2025 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 view a sample copy, click here.
To subscribe, click here.
