New Hampshire Public Radio was cited for outstanding performance in fundraising.
NHPR, based in Concord, ranks among the most efficient public radio outlets in converting listeners into givers, and it raises more net underwriting revenue per listener-hour than peer stations, according to DEI’s Benchmarks analysis, which evaluates fundraising performance across the public radio system.
The New Hampshire network’s achievements in major-gift fundraising are especially impressive, according to Joan Kobayashi, g.m. of KMFA in Austin, Texas, who announced the award this summer during DEI’s Public Media Development and Marketing Conference in Pittsburgh. NHPR’s program for soliciting donations of $1,000 and higher has increased its revenues 60 percent over the past five years. The gains are especially notable because New Hampshire ranks near the bottom of all 50 states in charitable giving, she said.
DEI presents its Benchmarks Award annually to recognize stations that raise more net revenue relative to their audience size than peer stations, or that make dramatic improvements in their fundraising results. Winners are chosen from DEI’s Benchmarks analysis, which evaluates performance according to fundraising expense, audience size, peer groups and the Community Financial Support Index, which evaluates a station’s ability to withstand losses in federal and state subsidies.
NHPR also stands out by this measure, ranking in the 90th percentile of the financial support index among stations in its peer group. “If all federal and state subsidies went away, our winner would be able to pay nearly all of its bills with the money it raises” from membership and underwriting revenues, Kobayashi said. “Only a handful of stations in the country can say that.”