Question Nine: Do you have any ideas for new approaches to fundraising for Pacifica?

 

 

WBAI Listener-Sponsor candidates

Marian Borenstein

I would suggest the possibility of seeking funding sources internationally within collaborative efforts to achieve common goals around such issues as the global economy and human exploitation, global environment and initiatives for family support and stability, and the right of our children to grow and develop. I believe that outside donors and foundations with similar goals could be found to underwrite such an effort.

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Rolando Bini

Buying our own building in a much less expensive area in another borough, and paying mortgage instead of rent. Make sure the building is big, rent the extra space and get some extra income (funding). The WBAI building will become a living organism to promote social chance: a Community Center where meetings can be held and where the community will be welcome all the time.

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Tibby Brooks

Through my various Movement organizations, I am aware of a progressive sector (often attached to the non-profit community) with sufficient disposable income to patronize high-ticket Left cultural events, such as award dinners, art auctions, and benefit concerts. Justice and Unity emphasizes the need for a full-time Development Director right here at WBAI, whose job will be to seek out novel fundraising approaches and tap our collective talents to make it happen. On the grass-roots level, I believe it is the fiduciary duty of every Board member to either give or get money for the station: I do both, and am especially glad that I have convinced many in my organizations that it really is fun to person the phones during the pledge drive. And after the drive is over, it’s time for Board members to go and help the Premiums Department mail out those premiums and phone those listeners who have not fulfilled their pledges.

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Omowale Clay

We must have a full-time Development Director as soon as it’s financially feasible. This is something that Justice and Unity has consistently fought for over the years.

We must build a WBAI “branding” that will utilize the station’s popularity among its loyalists – then build outward to its many supporters who can advertise the station through clothing, buttons, stickers.

We can explore ways to further utilize some of the station’s best prior programs to package them as premiums.

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Carla Cubit

Pacifica could consider adding the PayPal donate button on all of its websites, leaving donation forms in local businnesses, distributing leaflets to individual businesses and organizations, placing ads in local newspapers, free CD's of programs distributions, creating social networking sites; ie, MySpace profiles and posting in forums and classified ads on the Internet for fundraising.

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Lisa Davis

Again, digital distribution. We should make some of our content – not all – available for downloads for a small contribution. There are quite a few creative ways in which this could be done. I have been one of the National Board members who’s been very supportive of steps to increase the digital distribution of our programming. Once a structure for this is fully in place, it will set the stage for a powerful fundraising idea: a Pacifica record label, using digital files that progressive musicians have agreed to let Pacifica use for airing and fundraising under specific terms. Also, because WBAI has not had a Development Director for many years, I am working with other National Board members on a plan to have Pacifica finance a shared fundraising professional who would start by helping WBAI get out of its current financial problems.

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Wellington Echegaray

In working with the Membership, Outreach and Fundraising Committee, I hope to be inspired to help come up with new ideas for fundraising. I understand that many people at the station and on the board are working very hard on new fundraising ideas, and I am very willing to help develop new fundraising ideas.

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Sara Flounders

Here again better use of the online archives with a fund appeal and a link to a donate site that is at the bottom of EVERY file would generate a significant increase in donations. Entire organizations now sustain themselves with on-line donations. Greater awareness about donating to the station could be raised if during each program, the programmers were encouraged to make at least one announcement that this station relies totally on its listeners for support, please be generous, followed by how to make on-line donations and/or where to send mail donations. Fundraising should not be done ONLY during a fund drive.

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Robert M. Gold

I believe that there should be more of an effort to have members become "Sustainers" by making monthly contributions via their credit cards or checking accounts.

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Seth Goldberg

Many, but they all hinge on changing control at the station. Then we can reforge old alliances with communities which are today censored in the wider media. An example is the censoring of progressive jewish opinion which opposes current right wing US and Israeli opinion. WBAI already has programming which is already tuned into this scene. There is a wider point as well. Diversity to me and all of the other independent candidates to whom I have spoken means diversity of ideas, not so much diversity of national, racial, or ethnic identity. With this change comes more audience, more fundraising, more amity and a much stronger station.

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Jennifer Jager

Improved and expanded programming will bring in more money. Professional fundraisers with connections to wealthy progressives might help.

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Kenneth Laufer

Bring back the free music store (with voluntary admission price.) and other concert series featuring unusual music not found in many places, such as contemporary classical music. Also, trying to get premiums that are given free to WBAI so we can charge less for them and therefore get more listener-sponsors.

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Pat Logan

The idea of novel sources of fund-raising for Pacifica is in the main a mirage. Certainly Pacifica can organize bigger and better events; send out larger or better targeted mailings. But as is the case with longer fund drives the results diminish until they reach a point of counterproductivity.

Like it or not, when it comes to Pacifica fund-raising there are two essential variables: listeners and programming. The size of the first is dependent upon the quality and availability of the second. The reverse is also true. The size of the listenership, as reflected in their contributions, allows stations to put more or less resources into production. So Pacifica must improve and diversify programming and create more outlets to reach a broader audience in order to raise more money. Period.

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Don Mathieson

no answer submitted

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Lee McClure-Come

Better more diverse programming will bring in more listeners. The present amount of on-air fundraising of about 25% of air time is scaring away listeners. The irresponsible and unreal fiscal policies of the current JUC majority of the WBAI Board has depleted reserves to the point that they have to use up 25% of air time on fundraising.

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Stefan S. Neustadter

At this juncture, I'm focused on WBAI and see two options at the outset...re-visit our policy on foundation and individual monies, community events to raise money and awareness. We should be the event precipitant, not just the recorder.

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Bok-keem Nyerere

We should be creating fundraising carts, especially for fundraising via the internet. There should also be more off-air fundraisers. There should be a full-time Development Director. Justice and Unity has proposed the development of a Pacifica record label that could bring forward independent non-corporate musicians and poets, and I believe this would help to attract new listenership to the station and network, besides raising funds directly. I’m quite willing to participate in a station promotion campaign, since I have a great deal of experience in that area.

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Bernardo Palombo

no answer submitted

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James Ross

Better programming!! WBAI has some excellent stuff, but not all the time and not at the best hours. People donate because they want to support our programming. Let's give them as many reasons as possible to donate.

WBAI/Pacifica is listener-sponsored radio. I think it is appropriate that the bulk of our income come from listener-donors. Listener-sponsorship gives WBAI freedom to do what it does.

We can increase the number of donations by staying in better contact with former donors. Also, WBAI's fund drives reportedly have a lot of organizational problems - too many premiums, not enough advance preparation, etc. The result is many times people don't get premiums, and they become turned off. This needs investigation by the LSB. Naturally (stop me if you've heard this before) the LSB under Justice and Unity control has done nothing about it.

We have to treat our donors with great respect.

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Marianella Trioche

Members of the LSB should be encouraged to publicize and participate more closely with the station’s different fundraising activities – whether those held on the air or off the air, such as dinners for major donors. Board members together with volunteers should help the premiums department to mail out premiums, if they need such help to speed up delivery to donors.

I will help carry out an idea of the Justice and Unity Campaign: board members should do phone banking to encourage those who have pledged but not fulfilled their pledges to do so. We should also mobilize retired people to help with direct-mail and other off-air methods of fundraising.

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