90.9Fm WHYY is the Philadelphia NPR station.  They are member-supported, and just finished their winter fund-drive – and they exceeded their goal.  In this economy? How? 

They followed the rules – the basic guidelines of running a good development office.  Notice I said “office” –not “campaign.”  The campaign is the current focus, but what their development office does all year to connect with their donors is a large part of what makes their campaigns successful.   What else makes their campaigns successful? 

Goals

They set goals – lots of goals.  Plenty of benchmarks to get their donors excited and engaged.  Every donor wants to be the one who puts you over the top, who makes it all possible.  For WHYY hourly goals ensure that lots of donors have that chance.

Communication

They are a radio station, so they communicate well and easily with their audience.  But what do they communicate?  Let’s look at their key messages during a fund drive:

• This station is unique! – “Where else do can you listen to programs like this?”  They establish the “need,” and remind their listeners that the station is one of the few, if not the only, places on the radio where you can hear innovative, original programming, and independent, in-depth reporting on a wide variety of topics.

• We need you! -  “We need your support;” “We can’t do it without you;” “Only a small portion of our budget comes from the Federal government.”  They remind listeners constantly that they can’t provide this service without the support of their members.

• We appreciate you! – They tell their listeners “thank you” over the air, immediately as the calls roll in.  They give donors little thank you gifts – mugs, umbrellas, event tickets, a subscription to their monthly magazine… the list goes on.

• Please call now! – They ask for the money – over, and over, and over again.  3-4 times a year they do this, and they must ask people to call 1000 times every fund drive.  They ask until your ears bleed.   Yet, for some reason, people keep listening. 

Cultivation

Fundraising shouldn’t just happen during a campaign – it is a year-round job.  The station does a lot to cultivate their donors.  From a monthly magazine to clubs for donors of certain levels, WHYY works hard to stay in touch with their members year-round and inspire them to keep giving at higher levels.

How does all this apply to smaller nonprofits? It shows that if you are following the ‘rules’ – setting goals, giving your donors a reason to give, asking them to support you, and thanking your donors for their gift – your organization can meet its fundraising goals…even in “today’s economy”.