KPR wraps up spring membership drive with more than $275,000 in pledges

LAWRENCE – Kansas Public Radio’s spring membership drive ended Friday with a flourish of classical music.

After nine days of on-air fundraising, KPR ended its spring membership drive with $276,679 in pledges. At 9:30 a.m., Friday, April 18, during classical music with Mark Edwards, KPR wrapped up the Campaign for Excellence 2014 with pledges from 2,108 listener-members.

The membership drive began Wednesday, April 9, with more than $118,000 raised through a direct-mail campaign. Eight fundraising days later, more than $158,000 was raised on-air by pledges from new and renewing members.

“Our listeners came through when we needed them,” KPR Development Director Sheri Hamilton said. “We talked about the service they get from the station and how much they listen, and the listeners recognized the value KPR adds to their lives.”

All donations during spring and fall membership drives directly support KPR’s local and national programming.

The overall pledge total does not include challenge grants, in which a company, foundation or individual will donate money if KPR can raise a certain level of funding during a specific time period. An additional $34,000 was raised through challenge grants.

In each hour, KPR interrupts programming for about 10-15 minutes to ask for donations. Regular programming resumes for the rest of the hour. The membership drive featured a “Power Breakfast” on April 9, when an entire day’s fundraising was compressed into 90 minutes. That raised more than $38,000.

Even though the on-air portion of the drive is over, listeners can donate anytime at the KPR website.

More than 100 volunteers answered phones from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. during the drive. Area restaurants donated meals and beverages for volunteers’ breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.

KPR, a 15-time Kansas Association of Broadcasters Station of the Year, licensed to the University of Kansas, broadcasts on 91.5 FM in Lawrence, 89.7 FM in Emporia, 91.3 FM in Olsburg-Junction City, 89.9 FM in Atchison, 90.3 FM in Chanute, and 99.5 FM and 97.9 FM in Manhattan. KPR can be heard online. KPR also operates KPR2, a news-talk programming stream, which can be heard on an HD receiver or on KPR’s website.

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