WHO WE ARE
What is The Contributor?
The Contributor has been Nashville’s street paper for 11 years and is all about helping people who want to help themselves. In the last 11 years, The Contributor has served over 3700 vendors (people who have experienced homelessness) who have sold over 6 million papers, earning and contributing over 15 million dollars to the local economy, making it one of the largest street papers in the world. In fact, the name Contributor was chosen to symbolize that instead of becoming burdens on society, our vendors contribute to the community. By selling the paper to the community and keeping the profits, vendors earn their own income and restore a sense of dignity as micro-business owners. There are many other street magazines and newspapers in North America and around the world with a similar model. You can visit the International Network of Street Newspapers website for more information. For more information regarding our team and funding, please visit givingmatters.civicore.com/thecontributor.
What do you mean by "legitimate income"?
The definition of legitimate income is income that is substantiated and can be used to apply for housing. To apply even for subsidized housing, you have to make some verifiable income. Our database can verify the number of papers vendors buy, which can be extrapolated as an income source to be used on housing applications. Panhandling (begging) is not legitimate income. It cannot be verified.
Why do you sell a paper?
Paper sales are protected by the First Amendment. Think of the paperboys in days of yore. Our readers also gain a singular understanding from the voice of our vendors through which empathy with our neighbors experiencing homelessness and poverty is fostered.
What difference does it make if I take the paper?
Take the paper when you buy the paper!!! Otherwise it is just panhandling. Keep the dignity in the transaction. Reinforce our vendor's business skills. Many also publish in the paper-so please value their work. They earn incentives. They earn gear. Their sales numbers go up when you take the paper because they must replenish their stock, and that is the path to housing.
I don’t have any cash on me, how can I get a paper?
Vendors TAKE VENMO! Scan the QR code on your vendors badge or search for The_Contributor. Please put in your vendor’s name and badge # if you know it in the “What’s it For” section. Your vendor will receive 100% of the proceeds. We also have subscriptions.
The Contributor has been Nashville’s street paper for 11 years and is all about helping people who want to help themselves. In the last 11 years, The Contributor has served over 3700 vendors (people who have experienced homelessness) who have sold over 6 million papers, earning and contributing over 15 million dollars to the local economy, making it one of the largest street papers in the world. In fact, the name Contributor was chosen to symbolize that instead of becoming burdens on society, our vendors contribute to the community. By selling the paper to the community and keeping the profits, vendors earn their own income and restore a sense of dignity as micro-business owners. There are many other street magazines and newspapers in North America and around the world with a similar model. You can visit the International Network of Street Newspapers website for more information. For more information regarding our team and funding, please visit givingmatters.civicore.com/thecontributor.
What do you mean by "legitimate income"?
The definition of legitimate income is income that is substantiated and can be used to apply for housing. To apply even for subsidized housing, you have to make some verifiable income. Our database can verify the number of papers vendors buy, which can be extrapolated as an income source to be used on housing applications. Panhandling (begging) is not legitimate income. It cannot be verified.
Why do you sell a paper?
Paper sales are protected by the First Amendment. Think of the paperboys in days of yore. Our readers also gain a singular understanding from the voice of our vendors through which empathy with our neighbors experiencing homelessness and poverty is fostered.
What difference does it make if I take the paper?
Take the paper when you buy the paper!!! Otherwise it is just panhandling. Keep the dignity in the transaction. Reinforce our vendor's business skills. Many also publish in the paper-so please value their work. They earn incentives. They earn gear. Their sales numbers go up when you take the paper because they must replenish their stock, and that is the path to housing.
I don’t have any cash on me, how can I get a paper?
Vendors TAKE VENMO! Scan the QR code on your vendors badge or search for The_Contributor. Please put in your vendor’s name and badge # if you know it in the “What’s it For” section. Your vendor will receive 100% of the proceeds. We also have subscriptions.
OUR VENDORS
How does The Contributor benefit the lives of its vendors?
The Contributor provides a unique and flexible opportunity for individuals to build a micro-business. The causes of homelessness are complex and diverse, but the common factor among vendors is their desire and willingness to earn income. Vendors keep all profits including tips from the sale of the newspaper and they manage their own financial resources. We also have a dedicated housing navigator that assists with housing, health insurance, documents, and Snap benefits. We know that 70% of our vendors are homeless when they begin selling report getting into housing after 6 months of selling the paper. We provide a community that is often the only family many vendors have. And our customers and vendors tell us that an intrinsic value of the interaction they have with each other is meeting and becoming friends with someone they may not normally know.
What do I do if I see a vendor in distress or behaving in a questionable manner?
Call us! We have a strong community with our vendors. We have vendor training, biweekly meetings, and a code of conduct we expect our vendors to follow. If customers feel a vendor is violating the code of conduct, they need to call us, we flag the account, and before the vendor can sell any more papers, we discuss it with them. We have a 3-strike system. 6.3 million copies sold in 11 years and no serious injury of any vendor.
Call us with any question, concern or compliment!
How long can someone be a vendor?
Many of our vendors are transitional, seeking traditional employment once stabilized. Others will be vendors for life. It is up to the vendor. We have partnerships with businesses in Nashville. The Contributor is good for downtown. The Contributor is good for tourism. The Convention and Tourism Corporation tells us that conventioneers who call ask about panhandling in Nashville. Visit Music City tells them Nashville has a program in place-The Contributor! We refer our vendors to a variety of companies if they wish to obtain alternate employment.
How do I know my vendor is selling a Contributor and not a knock off paper?
All our vendors wear yellow badges and many wear Contributor gear with our logo.
The Contributor provides a unique and flexible opportunity for individuals to build a micro-business. The causes of homelessness are complex and diverse, but the common factor among vendors is their desire and willingness to earn income. Vendors keep all profits including tips from the sale of the newspaper and they manage their own financial resources. We also have a dedicated housing navigator that assists with housing, health insurance, documents, and Snap benefits. We know that 70% of our vendors are homeless when they begin selling report getting into housing after 6 months of selling the paper. We provide a community that is often the only family many vendors have. And our customers and vendors tell us that an intrinsic value of the interaction they have with each other is meeting and becoming friends with someone they may not normally know.
What do I do if I see a vendor in distress or behaving in a questionable manner?
Call us! We have a strong community with our vendors. We have vendor training, biweekly meetings, and a code of conduct we expect our vendors to follow. If customers feel a vendor is violating the code of conduct, they need to call us, we flag the account, and before the vendor can sell any more papers, we discuss it with them. We have a 3-strike system. 6.3 million copies sold in 11 years and no serious injury of any vendor.
Call us with any question, concern or compliment!
How long can someone be a vendor?
Many of our vendors are transitional, seeking traditional employment once stabilized. Others will be vendors for life. It is up to the vendor. We have partnerships with businesses in Nashville. The Contributor is good for downtown. The Contributor is good for tourism. The Convention and Tourism Corporation tells us that conventioneers who call ask about panhandling in Nashville. Visit Music City tells them Nashville has a program in place-The Contributor! We refer our vendors to a variety of companies if they wish to obtain alternate employment.
How do I know my vendor is selling a Contributor and not a knock off paper?
All our vendors wear yellow badges and many wear Contributor gear with our logo.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Why should my business advertise in The Contributor?
Customers who buy The Contributor have a positive attitude about the newspaper and the visible benefit it provides our vendors. By advertising in The Contributor, you can share in that connection with your target audience by also improving the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty. Visit our advertising page for more information.
What is the Speaker's Bureau?
Vendors and staff want to speak at your local church or community and share our mission! Please visit request a speaker for more information.
Why should I donate to The Contributor?
Our income stream is made of $0.50-at-a-time purchases made from our vendors, matched by contributions, ad sales and sponsorships from multipliers like you. Because our vendors are business owners, your donations are seed-money investments in their businesses and multipliers in their pockets. Every donated dollar multiplies four to seven times as profits in the pockets of our vendors.
Customers who buy The Contributor have a positive attitude about the newspaper and the visible benefit it provides our vendors. By advertising in The Contributor, you can share in that connection with your target audience by also improving the lives of individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty. Visit our advertising page for more information.
What is the Speaker's Bureau?
Vendors and staff want to speak at your local church or community and share our mission! Please visit request a speaker for more information.
Why should I donate to The Contributor?
Our income stream is made of $0.50-at-a-time purchases made from our vendors, matched by contributions, ad sales and sponsorships from multipliers like you. Because our vendors are business owners, your donations are seed-money investments in their businesses and multipliers in their pockets. Every donated dollar multiplies four to seven times as profits in the pockets of our vendors.
Do you accept VENMO?
We do! Our VENMO account name is @The-Contributor, which you can also reach through a QR code printed on every paper. Be sure to include the vendor's name and badge number, which they often write on the paper as well. We will give the money you transfer directly to the designated vendor.
We do! Our VENMO account name is @The-Contributor, which you can also reach through a QR code printed on every paper. Be sure to include the vendor's name and badge number, which they often write on the paper as well. We will give the money you transfer directly to the designated vendor.