Question 1

Accepted Answer

1. Customize

Use the find-and-replace function to add your station’s name, website, phone number, and any other desired station-specific information to make them your own. Look for fields in brackets and all caps, for instance, [STATION], [PHONE], and [CITY/REGION].

2. Print

Print one script per page for your station’s format(s).

Print as many copies as you need to assemble a master deck for:

A master deck for each day of your drive with four case scripts and four close scripts per break.
A separate deck for the last day of your drive with three case scripts and five close scripts per pitch break.

Remember, these are just your master decks. You can make multiple copies for additional drive days later.

3. Organize

For each break select four case scripts and four closes. For the last day of your drive, select two closes for every case script you select, in order to get more closing messages across to your listeners.

Download Greater Public's break outline, and use it as a cover sheet for each pitch break so pitchers know which messages they will use.

4. Shuffle

For most of the days of your drive you can use the same scripts with some simple shuffling. This reduces your workload and ensures that your listeners will hear your most effective messages.

Don’t worry about using the same messages more than once. Just make sure to mix up the order of the scripts so you’re not using a particular set of scripts at the same time every day.

For example:

The scripts you use in the 6 o’clock hour of Morning Edition on day one become your 7 o’clock hour scripts on day two.
You can create two day’s worth of scripts by mixing up the scripts in this way, using the first set on days one, three, five and seven and the others on day two, four, six, etc.

You can use any of the scripts more often if you want to get a particular message across with increased frequency.

5. Vary Ask Amounts

It's important to mix up the amounts that you are asking donors to give during the pitching hour, and include asks for your mid-level or gift club in your drive pitching. That may be by asking for a $100 a month gift or an outright gift of $1,200. We encourage you to include a mid-level ask with a 4:1 ratio, or once an hour, but discuss with your staff and decide what makes sense for your program.

6. Plan Set-Ups & Incentives

You will save time if you do not integrate your set-ups (transitions from regular to fundraising programming) and incentives (thank-you gifts, sweepstakes offers, and challenges/matches) into each of your assembled breaks.

Give your set-ups to your pitchers and ask them to rotate them throughout their pitch shift either randomly or in accordance with your programming.

Integrate incentives - especially thank-you gifts - on the fly throughout your drive based on the performance of different incentives.

It’s advisable to schedule and integrate challenges and sweepstakes prizes into your assembled breaks.

Keep your incentive scripts separate from your assembled case/close script packets, giving incentive scripts to your pitchers throughout your drive as needed.

Note:

Each script contains on-air copy, plus pitch points below so you have the flexibility to use the script either word-for-word or as a general guide. You can also use both options: For example, start with a case script, move on to a close, then go back and focus on the bold pitch points as the second case and close of the break.

Question 2