ABOUT LOOKOUT MEMBERSHIP

  1. What does it mean to be a Lookout Santa Cruz member?
  2. Is Lookout’s membership program the same as a subscription?
  3. How much does a Lookout membership cost?
  4. Who do you donate 10% of membership purchases to?
  5. What are the perks of being a Lookout member?

TECHNICAL MEMBERSHIP QUESTIONS

  1. Can I share my Lookout membership?
  2. When I sign up to become a Lookout Santa Cruz member, how will I know when my purchase is complete?
  3. How do I sign in and stay logged in?
  4. I forgot my password, how do I reset it?
  5. How do I update my account information, like my email address?
  6. How do I update my credit card?
  7. If I want to stop auto renewing my membership, how do I do that?
  8. If I want to cancel my membership, how do I do that?
  9. How do I get a receipt for a membership transaction?
  10. Is there a way to update all my information in one place?
  11. It looks like I might have two memberships, why is that?
  12. How do I know if my membership has expired?
  13. Will you update me before I auto renew?

OTHER MEMBERSHIP OFFERS AND NEWSLETTER QUESTIONS

  1. Do you offer bulk membership discounts for businesses and organizations?
  2. Can I give Lookout membership as a gift?
  3. Is there a Lookout app I can use?
  4. How do I sign up for newsletters?
  5. I already have an account, how do I update my newsletter preferences?
  6. Do you have a student or educator discount?
  7. How does your Student Access Program work?

Is your question not on here or have more questions?

Reach out to Brittany Ramirez at membership@lookoutlocal.com

  1. What does it mean to be a Lookout Santa Cruz Member?

Being a Lookout Member means you have paid to get full access to our site and to support our work and mission. Plus, members receive additional special benefits such as member events, and first access to special events and experiences, Lookout merchandise, and more. You can become a Lookout member here.

  1. Is Lookout’s membership program the same as a subscription?

It’s similar, but not the same, and includes features and benefits beyond a typical subscription. We all buy subscriptions to things we like. In the business, that’s called a transactional relationship. We hope you like Lookout content a lot and that we give you great value for your money.

Membership implies more, and is a better word to describe our relationship with you, our readers, and our community. In Lookout’s case, with our unique “Read, lead and help others” community betterment model, readers get the value of our deeply reported, trustworthy journalism and also tangibly support civic improvement with their membership.

  1. How much does a Lookout membership cost?

Below is our regular pricing, but stay tuned to special offers and membership deals, which may run on our pops ups and on our membership page.  

  • $17/month – our standard monthly membership cost with no ongoing commitment
  • $187/year – one-time payment for unlimited access to Lookout all year

If you are financially unable to make this happen, please send us an email membership@lookoutlocal.com, we want our content to be accessible. 

For information about our free student and educator memberships click here.

  1. Who do you donate 10% of membership purchases to?

We’ve donated over $22,000 since Lookout began by giving 10% of every membership to a local nonprofit. Currently, when you become a Lookout member, 10% of your membership will go to United Way of Santa Cruz County, Your Future is Our Business, Reggie Stephens Foundation or the Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County.

  1. What are the perks of being a Lookout member?
  • Support Local Journalism. Your membership directly pays our journalists, dedicated to covering Santa Cruz life in the fullest sense. Keeping you informed about topics that matter and up to date on all the arts, food and events that make Santa Cruz great. 
  • Gain unlimited access to all our news coverage. You can read all the articles on our site and be in the know about your community. Make sure to save your login to all your devices for easy reading wherever you go.
  • Support your community while you support us. Lookout gifts 10% of your new membership to a local non-profit in the Santa Cruz Community. 
  • Access to Rotating Member Perks. We get special tickets to events, discounts to restaurants and other deals throughout the year that we share with you! Keep an eye out for our perks on the Member Center to snag the ones you want.
  • Have Santa Cruz insider experiences. Meet our Lookout correspondents and enjoy exclusive member experiences such as curated tours, private tastings, and behind-the-scenes experiences.
  1. Can I share my Lookout membership?

You are welcome to share your membership within your household. You can do this by simply sharing the email address associated with your membership and your Lookout sign-in password. Since Lookout Santa Cruz is largely paid for by reader membership, we ask you not to share more widely. 

  1. When I sign up to become a Lookout Santa Cruz member, how will I know when my purchase is complete?

When you complete your membership purchase, you will receive an email from Lookout Santa Cruz with the subject line “Thank you for becoming a Lookout Member.” Please be sure to check your email spam folder if it doesn’t arrive in your primary inbox.

  1. How do I sign in?
  1. Select the ‘Sign in’ button in the top right hand corner

  1. In the pop-up window, enter the email address of your member account and either:
    1.  Click send authorization code
    2.  Click sign in with password 
    3. Sign in with Google

If you choose authorization code, you will need to check your email for a 6-digit code that you can type or paste into the form and click “Sign in”. 

If you choose a password, you will log in with your member email address and password. 

If you choose Google sign in, you will click that button and sign in with your Google information. 

9. I forgot my password or have not set one yet, how do I reset it?

There are two ways to reset your password, you can: 

  • Select the ‘Sign in’ link in the top right hand corner.
  • In the resulting form, select the “Reset password” button.
  • Check your inbox for an email with a link and instructions to reset your password.
  • After resetting your password, you’ll need to log in with that new password. 

OR

  • Select the ‘Sign in’ link in the top right hand corner.
  • In the pop-up window, enter the email address of your member account and click send authorization code. 
  • Check your email for a 6-digit code that you can type or paste into the form and click “Sign in”. 
  • Visit your account settings by clicking the My Account link at the top-right and set a password. 

If you are having any trouble, reach out to membership@lookoutlocal.com and we can set one for you.

10. Why has my saved log-in session expired?

Log-in sessions last a maximum of 30 days, for security reasons. Your browser may also expire sessions on its own. This may happen periodically, depending on your browser’s settings. If your browser data or cookies are cleared, our system will no longer remember your past activity.

11. How do I update my account information, like my email address?

  1. Sign in using the instructions above. 
  2. Click the My Account link at the top-right
  3. Here you can change your name, password and newsletter preferences.
  4. Make sure to hit save changes

If you want to change your email address, please email membership@lookoutlocal.com and we can make that switch for you, so you don’t lose any of your access. 

12. How do I update my credit card?

  1. Make sure you are logged in (use above instructions if need help signing in)
  2. Select My Account in the top right
  3. Select the Payment Methods tab
  4. Update credit card information and select Save changes

13. If I want to stop auto renewing my membership, how do I do that?

Please email membership@lookoutlocal.com to change your status from auto-renewal to manual renewal. 

14. If I want to cancel my membership, how do I do that?

If you would like to cancel your membership, please email membership@lookoutlocal.com to let us know why you would like to cancel and we will help you.

15. Will you update me before I auto renew?

Yes! You will receive an email 30 days before your membership is set to renew and this will give you the reminder of the upcoming membership charge to your credit card. Please be sure to check your email spam folder if it doesn’t arrive in your primary inbox.

16. Do you offer group membership discounts for businesses and organizations?

We do. Whether you’re looking to purchase memberships for your employees, or offer them special discounted memberships, Lookout has flexible plans to meet your needs. Business memberships begin at 3 individuals or more, and can be tailored per company or organization. Contact membership@lookoutlocal.com to get in touch.

17. Is there a Lookout app I can use?

Not at this point, but we’re working on one. However, there’s an easy way to get to us on your phone. You can add our colorful logo to your home screen, making your own app-like icon for quick tapping.

  • For iPhone users, you’ll need to use the Safari browser on the phone to do that.
  • For Android users, you’ll need to use the Chrome browser on the phone to do it.

Here’s the detailed explanation:

Add Lookout to your phone

The Lookout Santa Cruz website can function like a mobile app on your iPhone or Android device.

On an iPhone or iPad:

  1. Launch the “Safari” app.
  2. Enter www.lookoutsantacruz.com in the URL field.
  3. Tap the icon featuring an arrow coming out of a box along the bottom of the Safari browser.
  4. Scroll to the bottom and tap “Add to Home Screen.” The Lookout wave icon will appear. Click “Add” or “Save” in the upper righthand corner to add it to your homescreen.
  5. Safari will close automatically and you will be taken to where the icon is located on your screen.
  6. For quick check-in reference, you can move the icon around your home screen by holding it down and choosing “Edit Home Screen.”

On an Android phone:

  1. Launch the “Chrome” app.
  2. Enter www.lookoutsantacruz.com in the URL field.
  3. Tap the menu icon (3 dots in upper right-hand corner) and tap “Add to Homescreen.”
  4. You’ll be able to enter a name for the shortcut and then Chrome will add it to your home screen.
  5. Move it to your home screen for quick check-in reference.

Bookmark Lookout to your desktop computer

  1. From the web browser of your choice, type LookoutSantaCruz.com.
  2. Go to the bookmarks menu. Click “Add bookmark” or “Bookmark this tab.”
  3. Name the bookmark whatever you like. We suggest Lookout Santa Cruz. Those words will now be in your saved bookmarks.

18. How do I sign up for newsletters?

  1. Go to our Newsletter page
  2. Choose from the 7 newsletters we offer that you would like to receive to your email 
  3. Click “Sign up’ 

19. Do you have a student or educator discount?

No, even better! Lookout memberships are FREE for UCSC, Cabrillo, local high school students and local high school educators. 

For Students: Click here to learn more, sign up and gain access. 

For Educators: Click here to learn more, sign up and gain access. 

20. How does your Student Access Program work?

Students, now more than ever, need access to trustworthy, factual, non-partisan news. With Lookout’s special Student Access Program, they get it. 

This program only starts with access and works to engage local students with news, projects, contests and scholarships. Read more about our student engagement programs here. 

We also have an educator page for teachers which includes lessons, quizzes and media literacy curriculum. 

We are so happy to offer these programs which have been funded by generous donors and grants. We do seek to serve other deserving groups. Please contact CEO Ken Doctor at ken@lookoutlocal.com to talk about supporting these programs. Reach out to Jamie Garfield, director of Student Engagement for more information on programs or any class visits jamie@lookoutlocal.com

Is your question not on here or have more questions?

Reach out to Brittany Ramirez at membership@lookoutlocal.com