WLRN-FM Fundraising FAQ

WLRN-FM is changing its approach to on-air fundraising beginning September 2010, splitting the October pledge drive into two shorter drives in September and December.

We hope this FAQ helps you understand the importance of listener support to WLRN and our fundraising strategies.

WLRN and Friends of WLRN

WLRN Radio and TV are licensed to the Miami-Dade Country School Board.

Friends of WLRN is a nonprofit organization, incorporated in 1974, whose purpose is to support WLRN Public Radio and Television. Friends raises more than $7 million annually through individual giving by listeners and viewers, institutional on-air underwriting, and other grants and sponsorships from private individuals, corporations, and foundations.

The Importance of Listener Support

WLRN relies on listener contributions to pay for the programs you hear everyday. The total cost of our network programs from NPR, PRI, and American Public Radio is about $1,000,000 each year. This is above and beyond the general operating costs of the station.

The cost of our network programs continues to rise, in part because NPR charges us based on the amount of listening done to NPR News on WLRN. The more you listen, the more we pay. We’re glad to provide you with these NPR programs but, more than ever, we need listeners to pay for what they use.

Listener contributions are also crucial to the development of new programs and specialized news coverage. While our partnership with the Miami Herald helps you stay on top of local and state news, WLRN must invest in additional programming to fully cover South Florida and the state with the clarity, accuracy, and thoroughness that is unique to public radio.

In the last year, listener support helped WLRN bring you extended coverage of the earthquake in Haiti and its aftermath. Listener support also helped us launch The Florida Round-Up, our widely acclaimed weekly report of local and state news. And your contributions helped fund Under the Sun, our ongoing series that focuses on life in South Florida.

WLRN-FM On-Air Fundraising

We believe your time is valuable and we strive to spend as little of it as possible asking for money. Here’s the schedule for our three major on-air fund drives in FY 2011:

September 2010: Weds 9/29 – Weds 10/6

December 2010: Weds 12/1 – Wed 12/8

March 2011: Dates TBD -- (9 days)

This is the change compared to previous years. We have replaced our longer October pledge drive with two shorter drives, one in September and one in December. We believe this new schedule will help us meet our goals without having to add fundraising days, which was the case in the past two years.

As part of our effort to keep fundraising to a minimum, the three major WLRN fund drives will begin with just a single hour of on-air fundraising on the first day of the drive. Our goal is to raise a day’s worth of money in that single hour so you hear more of the news and discussion programs you tune-in for with fewer interruptions. Portions of the weekend are also fundraising free.

In addition to the three major on-air drives, WLRN holds mini-campaigns around Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.

Goals

On-air fundraising accounts for little more than half of the money WLRN raises from listeners each year. The balance of listener contributions come through direct mail, email, and personal solicitations.

The budget plan for FY 2011 calls for WLRN to raise just under $2.1 million through on-air fundraising and challenge grants.

How You Can Help

The best way to help WLRN is to make your contribution outside of the pledge drives. Raising more money off-air keeps on-air pledge goals lower. That keeps fund drives to a minimum. Specifically you can:

Join as a sustaining donor. (add link here) Sustaining donors give $10, $20, even $50 per month via credit card on an ongoing basis. Your membership automatically renews each year. It’s easy to change your sustaining status. Just contact Friends of WLRN to increase, decrease or stop your sustaining membership.
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Offer a challenge grant. Challenge grants are contributions made to the station for use during the on-air pledge drives. Challenge grants are offered on-air to encourage other listeners to become new members or to renew their membership on time. They are an effective way to get donations more quickly during the drive and that helps keep on-air fundraising to a minimum.
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Make a credit card contribution on-line Giving on-line with a credit card is the green way to give. It cuts down on paperwork, mailings, and staff time.
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Questions? Please contact the Membership Department at Friends of WLRN. membership@friendsofwlrn.org