KPCW Fundraising Principles

I.   GENERAL

Public broadcasting is guided by the constitutional guarantees of a free press and by the regulatory framework established by Congress in the Radio Act of 1927, requiring that broadcasters operate in the "public interest, convenience, and necessity."

Our independence is deeply rooted in American values of freedom of speech and of the press, both protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution and the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.

At KPCW, we aim for respectful relationships with our donors and a clear understanding among donors and others about our fundraising operations. Our public service depends on donations of all sizes from many different sources. We maintain the trust and confidence of these donors and our communities by making clear the purposes and uses for which we seek their support, making every effort to understand a donor’s intent and, after accepting a gift, working to fulfill KPCW’s mission of informing and connecting our community.

KPCW maintains editorial standards that bring rigor and integrity to our work, and clear boundaries between funders and our editorial process. Within that framework, we keep donors informed about operations, welcome their suggestions and feedback, and value their role as advocates in the community. As journalists who deal with a wide range of community issues, it is inevitable that KPCW staff will talk with experts and officials who work at organizations that fund us. Those individuals, however, will have no influence on the news coverage itself. Under no circumstances do we skew our reports for personal gain, to help KPCW’s bottom line, or to please those who fund us. Decisions about what we cover and how we do our work are made by our journalists, not by those who provide KPCW with financial support.

With regard to individual donors, we adhere to a Donor Privacy Policy to protect personal and confidential information obtained during fundraising activities or through our ongoing relationships with our donors. We do not exchange or rent our donor lists to other organizations.

II.    DISCLOSURE OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT

KPCW discloses, on air and online as appropriate, the sponsors and underwriters of specific programs, areas of coverage, or other activities. We acknowledge any business, organization, foundation, and individual that is a financial supporter of KPCW as appropriate with verbal and written acknowledgement of such support and broadcast announcements associated with the program.

KPCW keeps a list of donors and additional FCC-required information about the sponsors in a public file.

KPCW does not accept anonymous gifts for the production of specific programs.

KPCW publicly lists major donors who provide general support, where we have received permission to do so. KPCW reports the overall costs of fundraising, including personnel, consultants, special events, and related support costs as part of our annual Internal Revenue Service 990 filing and audited financial statements, which can be found at kpcw.org/reports.

III. GIFT ACCEPTANCE POLICY

KPCW retains the right to decline gifts for a variety of reasons, including those that would create the impression of influence or endorsement by an individual or organization, or that could harm the reputation of KPCW.

KPCW gives careful attention to contributions and grants that support specific programs, projects, and activities. KPCW seeks to avoid both the actuality of and the appearance of inappropriate influence. We reserve the right to refuse any donation for any reason, including, but not limited to, perceived conflicts of interest, potential audience misconception regarding a funder’s role or influence, and perceived impact on our reputation, integrity, or fundraising ability.

KPCW does not accept funding for ongoing news and information programming from political parties and candidates for public office.

KPCW does not accept funding that would obligate us to provide coverage of a topic we would not have covered with general funds or that requires more extensive coverage than the topic’s value or importance warrants.

IV.   CONTACT INFORMATION

Please contact KPCW with questions or concerns about our Fundraising Principles.

Email: Contact KPCW's Development team: donate@kpcw.org

Phone: (435) 649-9004