Growing balanced radio income

Listener-supported radio stations face a challenging gap between their vision and their funding.  Stations have put too many eggs in the sharathon basket–and many of those eggs are falling and cracking.  Stations are attempting to launch donor development programs with current staff members who are neither trained nor comfortable with asking listeners and local business people for money.

In our decades of development experience (whether major donor or business underwriting) we have found that a poorly trained individual can actually cause more damage to a station-donor relationship than never building that relationship.  That is the reason for Advocace–to provide training and assistance in successful donor and business development.

Despite these financial challenges for stations, the opportunity for income growth has never been brighter.

Four income streams for listener-supported radio

In our work with hundreds of stations from coast-to-coast, Advocace sees a balance of income streams as healthy for listener-supported radio stations.  At every stage of the station's growth, a balance of income streams provides increasing revenue while increasing off-season stability for each stream:

	Mass donor—Typically dependent upon on-air pledge programming and direct-mail fundraising, the mass donor income stream provides single-gift and continuity program donations of any size.
	Major donor—Large gift programs attract pledges through relationships with major donors and their circle of influence. The pledges and gifts are typically three or more times the station’s average mass donor gift.
	Local underwriting—Businesses and ministries located in the station’s metropolitan area agree to a specific gift that the station acknowledges on the air with announcements. Each announcement may require a minimum gift to the radio station.
	National underwriting—Businesses and ministries located outside the station’s metropolitan area agree to a specific gift that the station acknowledges on the air.

How many more people would your station reach with a well-balanced portfolio of income streams?

Advocace Media is helping stations set income records with local business development, national business development and major donor representation.  With Advocace Media training and representation your station can grow income to fuel your vision.