Please Print or Write Legibly

1
Please Print or Write Legibly

• Your name
• Your station and location
• What do you need most for your station?
• How do you currently fund your station?
• (college funded, underwriting, pledge drive?)

2
Pledge Drive vs. Institutional Funding

• Youre not competing against other programs or
  projects.
• Administrators are grateful to be relieved of
  making hard choices.

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Pledge Drive vs. Underwriting

• Fund raising becomes a shared responsibility, not
  just one persons.
• Minimal production and scheduling
• No proof of performance
• Potential underwriters call you!

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Why a Pledge Drive?

• Colleges are strapped for money
• Your station could be costing your institution a
  lot of money.
• Radio licenses are still a valuable financial
  asset (i.e. marketable).

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Why a Pledge Drive?

• If your station isnt part of the solution,
• Then its part of the problem.

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What You Need

• A telephone
• A computer
• A simple accounting database software
• Peachtree Accounting
• Quickbooks

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What You Need

• The Will To Do It.

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The Pledge Drive Timeline

• Making It Happen

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As far In Advance As Possible

• If it does not exist already, establish
  a separate account number for funds
  specifically for the station.
• Money must be earmarked for the station, not for
  general funds.
• This is an FCC Guideline

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As far In Advance As Possible

• Work with the college IT department to establish
  an on-line giving website.
• You must have a method to take credit card pledges

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As far In Advance As Possible

• Decide on a theme for the Pledge Drive.
• Decide on a specific use for the money that
  youll convey to your listeners.

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As far In Advance As Possible

• Establish a list of stations, with addresses,
  emails, telephone numbers and fax numbers in your
  area.
• A state broadcasting directory is a good start
  but also use the web and phone book. Connect
  with friends and former students at the station.

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Six Weeks Prior to the Drive

• Finalize T-shirt design and cap design. Visit
  vendor to check on item.
• Vendor must have examples of work on site, do not
  view and select from catalogs. If quality is
  unacceptable, go out for bids on items.
• Specify shirt brand, color, one ink, two inks,
  etc.
• Make sure they have photoshop and can receive
  designs over the web.

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Six Weeks Prior to the Drive

• Check to make sure lots of bumperstickers, paper,
  toner and envelopes are on hand.
• Your software package will specify an window
  envelope size. You will also need 1000 small
  security envelopes for enclosure for remittances.

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One Month Prior to the Drive

• Finalize a Pick-Up-And-Pay Party location and
  time.
• Include this information on your customized
  Peachtree Accounting or Quickbooks invoice.
• Put your graphic logo on the invoice template

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One Month Prior to the Drive

• Print letters and information sheets to
  businesses asking for donations.
• Begin airing Appeals to Businesses for
  donations of gift certificates to be used as
  premiums.
• DJs should begin personally contacting
  businesses for gift certificates.

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Three Weeks Prior to Drive

• Send first letters/fax/email to all local radio
  and TV stations, asking
• for guest DJs.
• Dont forget the college
• dignitaries - Chairperson,
• Dean, President.

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Three Weeks Prior to Drive

• Send memo to authorities requesting special
  parking areas be set aside for guests.
• Coordinate with your campus TV station

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Three Weeks Prior to Drive

• Ask campus restaurants to supply food for the
  staff and volunteers during the drive.

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Two weeks Prior to the Drive

• Arrange for extra telephone lines and handsets to
  be set up in work area.
• Establish a Pledge Drive Phone number, usually
  your request line.
• Do not answer the request line during the Drive

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Two Weeks Prior to Drive

• Send a second letter/Fax to local stations,
  asking for guest DJs.
• Prepare a detailed script for the people who will
  answer the telephone. If you are taking pledges
  on paper, write Print Clearly on it a million
  times.

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Two Weeks Prior to Drive

• Write and record several generic Pledge Drive
  Drops asking for pledges to air during Pledge
  Drive Week.

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Two Weeks Prior to Drive

• Work the PR angle. Notify the local paper,
  college newspaper, local stations, and the Public
  Information Office at your institution.
• Establish a sign-up sheet for your DJs to sign
  up for time to answer the phone. The rule of
  thumb is three hours of telephone answering for
  each hour on the air.

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One Week Prior to Drive

• Get telephone confirmation of Guest DJ times.
• Send confirmation emails, including maps to the
  station, to guest DJs.
• Enter premium items in data base.
• Label premiums.

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Pledge Drive!
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Fun and Chaos! Be flexible and enjoy the
ride Take pictures of your guests and post
them on your website or use for publicity. Use
Twitter and Facebook. Ask Special Guests to
record appeals. Have a script outline
ready. Keep a daily total of pledges received,
announce, and post it.
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Pledge Drive!

• Announce the name of everyone who pledges on the
  air.
• You cannot thank people enough!
• They love hearing their name on the air!

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Week One and Two after the Drive

• Arrange for extra staff hours to be around to
  distribute premiums.
• Send thank-you letters to all the guest DJs.
  Tell them the total pledge amount.

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Three Weeks After the Drive

• Arrange a work day to have staff mail the
  Reminder letters, and to make follow-up phone
  calls for Returned, wrong address letters.

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Four Weeks After the Drive

• Hold the Pick up and Pay Party

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Six Weeks After the Drive

• Submit final tally and/or donation sheets to the
  institutions financial office.
• Announce total return.

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Non-Monetary Benefits

• Builds station teamwork
• Connects you to your listeners
• Provides Ratings without paying for Arbitrons
• Positive publicity for the station
• Live, spontaneous programming!

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John OnderdonkKSYM-FMSan Antonio College

• jonderdonk_at_alamo.edu