Development
‘Next generation of tote bags and mugs’: NPR launches ad-free podcast bundle for new station donors
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For now, the bundle is available only to new members of 34 stations.
Development
Membership fundraising held its own in first weeks of coronavirus lockdown
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CDP’s analysis of early 2020 fundraising shows sustainers are living up to their name.
Development
Growth in sustainers helped stations hold on to more donors in FY2018
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But to continue growing income and increasing donor value, stations will have to get better at upgrading sustainers.
Development
Annual fundraising study finds significant gains for both radio, TV stations
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The Target Analytics State of the System report reflects growing listening to public radio news and underscores “startling” payoffs from PBS’ Passport service.
Development
While sustainers are growing, experts say public radio still needs new donors
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Efforts to build sustainer files have shifted from conversion to acquisition, according to a recent study by Target Analytics.
Development
Public TV sustainer growth may be slowing, but still shows progress
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Sustainers “are still the best possible source of membership revenue,” said Michal Heiplik of Contributor Development Partnership.
Development
Philadelphia’s WXPN reaches membership milestone
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The station’s donor base grew 11 percent over two years.
Development
Why stations should look to younger sustainers for bequests, major gifts
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Findings from a new survey suggest that public media should focus on cultivating sustainers for decades to come.
System/Policy
Fred Jacobs: “To a great degree, public radio has two audiences”
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The audience researcher discusses findings of his company’s latest Public Radio Tech Survey.
Development
Pubcasters see upside from promoting EFT payments to sustaining members
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Donors who give via electronic funds transfers are more likely to renew and reduce headaches caused by credit-card data breaches.
Development
Sustainer programs are growing but still show room for improvement
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Nearly every public radio station now executes a sustaining membership program, but the latest analyses of fundraising performance reveal that very few of them could be described as effective or successful.
Development
Stations retool pledge drives to account for rise in sustainers
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DENVER — An increase in sustaining memberships has provided a welcome source of stable income for some public radio stations, but it has also prompted some to rethink their strategies for on-air fund drives. Under a sustaining membership, a donor sets up automatic monthly contributions to a station instead of giving on an annual basis. That reduces the pressure during on-air fund drives to convince listeners to renew their memberships, and stations are responding by redoubling efforts to enlist new members during pledge campaigns. Executives from two stations described their approaches in a July 10 panel discussion here at the Public Media Development & Marketing Conference. “Our drives are no longer a renewal machine,” said Jacquie Fuller, on-air fundraising manager for Minnesota Public Radio.
Development
Target breach disrupts sustainer giving, cash flow at pubcasting stations
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Public broadcasters continue to count their losses from last year’s massive consumer data hack of the retail giant Target as they scramble to reclaim donors.
Arizona PBS
PubTV stations move to pitch sustainer gifts during pledge
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“Sustainers,” as this increasingly commonplace breed of member is called, renew at higher rates than those responding to traditional pledge pitches.
Development
Basic memberships: More trouble than they’re worth?
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Basic memberships offered during pledge drives and in direct-mail appeals are a time-tested enticement for converting pubcasting viewers and listeners into contributors, but station-based development staff are perplexed about how to set the rate for this donation level. Some pubcasters are weighing whether to stop offering basic memberships altogether. A survey conducted this fall by Plymouth, Mass.–based direct-marketing consultant DMW Direct found that most stations charge below $50 for a basic membership, and few have adjusted the rate within the last five years. The basic median rate among the 41 public TV and radio stations that participated in the survey is $40, but 16 stations reported to DMW that they charge less. These rates are far below average gift amounts for public stations.
Development
Winning members at their doors
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One of the most promising new membership initiatives to come along for public television in years doesn’t involve phone banks, on-air pitches or premium packages. It’s door-to-door canvassing, the grass-rootsy technique for talking up causes and soliciting donations face-to-face.
Development
Why don’t more stations adopt ‘sustainer’ ways?
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Public radio stations have widely adopted sustaining-member programs over the last several years. Because of this, one might assume that a significant number of sustainers contribute to public radio every month. However, the reality for most public radio stations is quite the opposite.
Development
Sustainers: more efficiency and stability, shorter pledge drives
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After a decade, sustaining members have given four times as much, net
Everywhere you look these days, there’s a different message on the state of the economy: the Dow is up, the Dow is down, hiring is up, the recovery is jobless. If anything is certain, it’s that the outlook remains very uncertain. It’s a genuine blessing, therefore, that sustaining members can put a little more certainty into your station’s life. Since Minnesota Public Radio began its sustaining member program in 2007, it has revolutionized the way we generate financial support from our audiences. Sustaining members take a step beyond those who commit to a year of monthly gifts on their credit card or through their bank.