Carmento Floyd, wife of WSU President Elson S. Floyd, fields pledges at NWPR fund raiser.
Photos by Shelly Hanks, WSU Photo Services
‘Super Thursday,” held on Oct. 23, was Northwest Public Radio’s (NWPR’s) most successful day of fundraising to date. Pledges from 2,400 supporters were cleared by the call center or taken online, with another 100 calls and online pledges received in the days following the campaign. The total raised was $271,000: with 54 percent via phone pledges and 46 percent via online pledges.“We focused on the numbers of pledges instead of our usual dollar goal”, said Membership Director Sarah McDaniel. “We wanted everyone to know that gaining individual members is more important than the amount of money given. On one side of the spectrum were many first-time givers who pledged 20 or 30 dollars. On the other side were Leadership Circle folks who pledge one thousand dollars or more. The average gift was about 106 dollars.”
NWPR main control room, with staff (left to right) Gillian Coldsnow, Sueann Ramella (looking in from adjacent studio), Roger Johnson, Tom Hungate and Sarah McDaniel
NWPR joins a number of public radio stations across the country enjoying a strong fundraising season despite stock market downturns and dour financial predictions. Station Manager Roger Johnson thinks it may well be part of a renewed interest in citizen action. “This is a pivotal election year. Everywhere you turn you are reminded of the importance of voting, and of supporting your candidate of choice. I think this has played a part in our success. We also were relentless in our pre-drive promotions. I believe listeners will often manifest your expectations. Ours were primed and eager to participate.”
Volunteers from WSU, the University of Idaho and communities such as Walla Walla, Moses Lake, Tri-Cities and Ellensburg converged at the Communication Addition (CADD) call center. Carmento Floyd, the president’s wife, is a long-time public broadcasting supporter who took calls that day. She also volunteered for KBAI, housed at the University of Missouri in Columbia. Floyd and other volunteers were impressed by the Web interface. “No more paper and an easy form. This is a piece of cake.” she said.
NWPR Program Host, Thom Kokenge takes a moment to joke with colleagues during “Super Thursday.”
46 percent of the pledges were made online. “Online communication and membership maintenance are becoming central to our efforts,” said Membership Representative Sue Sheppard. “Just two years ago, 17 percent of our fall membership campaign came from on-line pledges. That percentage has almost tripled since then.”
The Edward R. Murrow College of Comm CADD call center, fully staffed with volunteers.
Northwest Public Radio now sends e-mail membership reminders to its listeners, as well as a monthly “e-newsletter” to a growing list of subscribers. That, along with web promotions and robust web content have beefed up online transactions in recent years.
The next Northwest Public Radio pledge drive will be in March of 2009.
The next Northwest Public Radio pledge drive will be in March of 2009.
