Fund Drives - Had Enough?

I Really Shouldn't Complain...

I must have been responsible for over 100 drives in my public radio career. That makes me the root of all evil. I know how it goes. I know the pressure from corporate management to raise more. Radio ran surpluses, but we were all part of a larger company. The much larger goal became much more difficult when certain departments continually oozed in red ink. When this happens year after year...things should change.

The Heat is On

Every two months my local public radio station holds a fund drive. At least it has been that way since October. There was a drive in October...another in December, and now another in February. Then, of course, there will be the Spring drive in April, and the end of the fiscal year bash in June. Five drives in nine months! They've been doing it that way for years.

So What's the Problem?

Non-profits need to be careful about the impression that their in this business to raise money instead of providing a public service. Promising stuff like we can lop off a day in June if you pledge now is of little consequence. Recruiting sustaining givers may even out the revenue, but the number of campaigns remains the same. The listener is not going to remember the promise to shorten the fund drives. Or...They won't believe it either as soon as the next drive begins. The impression is of relentless fundraising.

It doesn't matter how short the drive. To the listener...it's a fund drive and listeners hate them. No matter the length, from the listener's perspective, the on-air drive is interrupting what they came to hear and what they've come to rely on hearing. PPM data shows that public radio stations lose half of their audience as soon as stations start asking for money. In the past, listeners have come back after the drive. That was before the impressive growth of other listening platforms that allow listeners to pick and choose what they want without listening to the drive. In the meantime On-air fundraising is becoming less efficient.

The collateral damage to a station's audience is immense. There's a quote from ARA that states raising money with on-air drives is a lot like trimming your toenails with a shotgun. That's not far from the truth. Look at the numbers. A Station with a weekly CUME of 200,000 holding a two week drive may get 3,000 pledges.  That's 1.5% of the weekly audience.

There's Got to be a Better Way

Slugging it out with the audience over a week or two is tiring and counter productive for the station and the audience. There are people out there that can help take the pressure off the on-air drive. Talk to them. Learn from the examples of others. Use all the tools that are at the station's disposal. For on-air drives leverage the audience early and get out.

Successful fundrives begin with the station's programming. Stations need to consistently appeal to their audience with content that meets expectations. Programming that disappoints causes tune-out and reduced loyalty. The best marketing and fundraising strategy is useless without effective programming. They go hand in hand.

Finally, remember that on-air drives are programming. The drives should be as good or better than the daily programming. Think about the drive from the listener's perspective...not the station's. The station's needs and goals mean nothing if you cannot put those needs and goals in terms of listener benefit and positive outcomes from the perspective of the listener.

Think Audience!