The Great TV Auction

WCTE’s largest fundraiser asks for donations, then auctions off everything on live TV. This helps promote businesses in our community.

LPB’s The Helpers

Inspired by the words of Fred Rogers, LPB’s “The Helpers” is a digital series that aims to help people cope with their negative feelings by showing them that good things are still happening in their communities as their neighbors find ways to overcome their own challenges and fears.

HPM Young Leaders Council

In May 2018, Houston Public Media launched the Young Leaders Council with one overarching goal in mind: creating lifelong public media ambassadors. A nominating committee selected an inaugural class of 16 members following interviews with candidates. Ultimately, 30-35 young professionals will represent a cross section of the many communities Houston Public Media now serves and actively encourage others to engage with the station’s content.

Giving Tuesday

Instead of focusing on ourselves for Giving Tuesday, we chose to celebrate other local nonprofits. People nominated their favorite local nonprofits and then we awarded $1000 in underwriting to randomly selected winners.

KVMR – Ready to Respond

In November of 2018, KVMR raised over $43,000 dollars in just one day for the survivors of the catastrophic Camp Fire in Paradise, CA located just an hour and a half away from the station. In addition to KVMR’s commitment to supporting their neighbors through efforts like this, the station is also the official Emergency Broadcaster in the region. During summer 2019, a team of 10 broadcasters were trained to take the lead in case of emergency.

Young Artists Spotlight

Every spring, Valley Public Radio partners with local youth orchestras and symphony to host a 12-week-long series featuring live performances from talented student musicians from throughout the San Joaquin Valley. The performances are largely classical music,with some exceptions. Host David Aus interviews students in between their performances, and also serves as program producer. KVPR serves a wide and diverse region covering two markets (Fresno and Bakersfield) and Young Artists Spotlight is an opportunity to bring together our communities and celebrate the unique platform that Valley Public Radio brings our region.

Donate a Recorder

Donate a Recorder is a “give back” initiative that tackles a genuine need in our region while embracing the mission of WDAV – to build a community focused on classical music. Donate a Recorder combines fundraising, education, musical discovery and community engagement all in one initiative. When people make a membership gift on air or in renewal mailings, instead of receiving a CD, coffee mug, or baseball cap, they can choose the “Donate a Recorder” option as a benefit at the $100 level.

I just want to testify…

To celebrate the 65th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, PBS in Topeka created this two-hour community conversation with students and teachers from the segregation era. Shot in a modern-day Cinema Verite’ style on a single day in 2019, students and teachers from the four segregated Black schools in Topeka talked about their lives prior to and after integration. The five-part series included: Growing up in Topeka’s Black Community; Family, Friends, Neighbors; School and You (Segregation); School and You (Integration); and After-effects (outcomes, impact).

What Listening Looks Like

“What Listening Looks Like” asked people to show us where they listen to our radio services and had them take a selfie and send it to us to be shared on our website. We had an underwriter who would donate $5 for every photo submitted.

Artist Pint Glass

Each spring and fall for the last five years, WBHM has partnered with a local artist to create a design which is then featured on a pint glass that is given as a thank you gift exclusively during that fund drive. We only ask that the design be centered around the theme of public radio and feature our call letters.

Local Goodies Tote

It doesn’t get more local, or more public radio, than sourcing your pledge drive tote bags from a local textile manufacturer in your community.  Two years ago, we made a pledge to begin using local products and merchandise whenever possible as thank you gifts during our drives.  Then, in the Spring of 2017, we filled the tote bag with different snack items made in Baltimore and the surrounding area and called it our Local Goodies Tote! 

KVIE Art Auction

The KVIE Art Auction is an annual, live-televised fundraising event. Over 250 pieces of artwork are donated by artists throughout the greater Sacramento region, curated from hundreds of submissions. Local artists receive print, on-air and web recognition and several report gaining commissions as a result of the exposure.

Connect Card

WCNY created new Connect Cards, 2-in-1 member discount cards in 2016 to incentivize members to stay loyal.

Radio Boise Tuesday

Every Tuesday night Radio Boise hosts national, regional or local bands at Neurolux, Boise’s most popular music venue which donates 20% of drink sales to the station. The event features a Radio Boise DJ who spins before and after each show, promoting the station. Each show is broadcast live. The goal is to raise awareness about Radio Boise and raise funds, but also to provide a strong off-night show in the Boise market for emerging touring bands and indie headliners.

Mug Stops

Mug Stops is an event series where listeners are invited to have coffee with CVE and purchase $10 mugs to donate to the station. The fundraiser events bring the community and the station closer together, while promoting WCVE.

The KVIE Art Gallery

KVIE has been doing a live televised art auction (245 plus pieces over 3 days) for over 30 years. To support all the artists who donate work for the auction, we decided to open an art gallery in our station. We remodeled unused lobby space. Artists now show and sell work through 6 exhibitions each year. The gallery, open Mon- Fri, requires no additional staffing.

Community Purchase of KPLU-FM

In 2016, against all odds, KPLU-FM was successfully purchased by the community from Pacific Lutheran University for $7 million in cash and $1 million of in kind contributions. Details of this extraordinary community initiative have been well documented in Current and in The Pub #71.

Locally Produced Benefit CDs

In 2010 one of our WGUC announcers asked his musician friends to record an acoustic adaptation of a Christmas classic. The collection was compiled into a CD called the RING CD and Cincinnati Public Radio offered it as a gift during the fall fund drive. It became one of our most popular gifts; musicians loved being a part of the project; it is a strong LOCALLY produced CD. Results to date: 3,774 CD requests and $377,400+ raised from CD sales.

KSPS 150th Canada Day and $150 Appeal

KPS aired 7 hours of Canada-focused programming in celebration of Canada Day on July 1st. Half our donors live in Canada and we knew they’d appreciate the love. We also secured Canada streaming rights for many of the shows that we promoted on social media and through a targeted email series. Openers received an email on the morning of reminding them of the event and following up with an ask for a “celebratory” $150 donation in honor of the 150th Canada day. We received $3,200 from 24 donors, 3,100 digital streams and 175 likes, comments or shares.