KPCW is halfway through its Summer Pledge Drive.
The fundraiser began Monday, August 19th. The public radio station raised $30,470 in the first day, and $36,835 in the second day. The station is trying to raise $175,000 by the end of the week. KPCW will continue with the on-air pledge drive through Thursday, 6pm. The station's online auction will close Friday, 6pm.
All but a few of the pledge drive hours are sponsored by a nonprofit organization. KPCW President and General Manager, Renai Bodley Miller, said it is part of the station's mission to support all area nonprofits by giving them discounted underwriting, and inviting them to come on the station's news and public affairs shows. The station also offers nonprofits free public service announcements, which the volunteer DJs read twice an hour.
"Twice a year we ask other nonprofits to help us, by hosting an hour of our pledge drive. That way they can share with the public how this nonprofit radio station supports them, in hopes their supporters will realize that by helping KPCW, they support their own organization, " Miller said. "It's a much more listener-friendly way to produce a radio pledge drive. Instead of hearing the same voices over and over, the audience hears about different nonprofits, and how they help our community, too, and how KPCW helps them spread the word about their mission."
The nonprofits can also find a matching grant sponsor for their hour. The sponsor will give the hosting nonprofit a grant, as long as the nonprofit raises the same amount of money for the radio station during their hour. KPCW Fundraising Manager, Wendy Gourley, came up with the idea.
"We kicked off the matching grant program this year, and so far the first two nonprofits who participated, Habitat for Humanity, and Summit Land Conservancy, benefitted by raising the funds necessary in their hour to get their own matching grant," said Gourley. Habitat for Humanity earned a $5,000 from an anonymous donor, and Summit Land Conservancy received a $10,000 matching grant from David Wiener.
"Summit Land Conservancy had a $5,000 matching grant from Wiener," said Miller, "but Cheryl Fox and her Board President, Kathleen Nichols, got the phones ringing early and raised the $5,000 fairly early in the hour, so Wiener offered another $5,000 matching grant. We ended up raising more than $11,000 for KPCW in that hour, and Summit Land will get $10,000 from Wiener."
Miller said the Summer Pledge Drive, one of two pledge drives the station holds each year, raises 20-25% of the station's $1.6M annual operating budget. To donate to the station, call Wednesday or Thursday between 7am - 6pm at 435-649-9004, or donate online any time on the station's website.
