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We invite members to call in during the drives and leave us a voicemail talking about why they love and support the station. Then we package those into testimonial spots that run during the following drive. They’ve been successful because new voices tend to cut through and they give us a chance to brag without us bragging about ourselves.
Scheduling drives around school calendars is not something I had considered before, definitely food for thought.
I totally appreciate the challenge of balancing the need to fundraise with your audience’s sense of when that may or may not be appropriate. That is an ongoing conversation for us as well.
I’m interested to hear more about your pre-drive email campaign. For the past few years, we’ve been on-air fundraising in an UnDrive format, each drive lasting several weeks. So all of our email appeals were contained within the dates of the drive. As we transition back to a more traditional on-air drive, I’d love to discuss what email cadence has been working for WAMU.
How long has your station conducted on-air fundraising? For a few decades now.
Have you been involved in the planning process? I’ve been involved in the planning process for the last two or three years.
What other elements of fundraising do you need to be aware of at your station as you plan your on-air campaign? I am involved in most aspects in drive production, particularly messaging (email, direct mail, and on-air). Outside of fundraising, I am always trying to be aware of other station initiatives that will overlap with an on-air campaign — programming, events, etc.The last day of any drive is always the most successful for us as well. I’m also interested in honing in the right duration for drives — long enough to catch as many listeners as possible without fatiguing our pitchers or our audience.
Hi, I’m Alexandra Castle, Senior Manager, Member Acquisition at KCRW in Santa Monica, CA. KCRW is a hybrid news and music station. I’ve been at KCRW for 4 years, which accounts for all my public radio and fundraising experience.
As my colleague Kim Ishikawa already mentioned, KCRW has spent the last few years fundraising in an UnDrive format with no live pitching, only spots and live readers. We’re working on adjusting the format with particular attention to bringing in new members, especially sustainers.
I’m eager to learn how other stations conduct their on-air fundraising and develop compelling pitches.
