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March 2014 Membership Drive Update

VPR's March Membership Drive is Wednesday, March 19- Friday, March 28 with a goal to raise $250,000. I hope you'll become a Sustaining Member or make a one-time gift to VPR to support all of the news, music, and conversation you rely on. Check back here for daily updates on how the drive is going!

Update for Monday, March 31:

We made the goal! Thanks to more than 3,000 listeners, we surpassed our goal on Friday evening. We'll have more details about the drive later this week. But thanks so much to everyone who made a gift during the drive...we couldn't do it without you (really!).

Update for Thursday, March 27:

As of 1 p.m., we have $67,440 left to raise...we've received 2,395 pledges so far. We had an excellent evening last night, raising $14,573 with 157 pledges. That was followed by an outstanding morning, with 180 pledges, helping us meet our goal for the day by 9 a.m.!

That all said, it will still be a stretch to meet our membership drive goal by Friday evening at 7 p.m., but we remain confident that our listeners will come through for VPR. You've done it before and we can do it again. It's rally cap time!

Remember, our final drawing is at 7 p.m. on Friday, for two airline tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S. thanks to Milne Travel/American Express.

Update for Wednesday, March 26:
As of 1 p.m., we have $103,128 left to raise to meet our goal. That puts us behind, but we are confident that listeners will come through over the last two and half days of our March Membership Drive. 

Last night, we fell short of our goal to receive 15 pledges between 3-4 p.m., but we blew through our goal to receive 60 pledges between 4-7 p.m., receiving 77!

This morning we had a challenge to raise $8,000 for an additional $4,000. We fell short by just over $500!

Tonight, we'll give away a $2,000 gift certificate to Gardeners Supply. Please make a gift now to help VPR end the membership drive successfully and to be entered to win!

Update for Tuesday, March 25:
As of 1 p.m., our grand total is 1,679 pledges and $129,006 raised so far. We are past the halfway mark to our overall goal, although we're still tracking behind by about $15,000.  

As of Monday afternoon, we have welcomed 320 new members and 316 new Sustaining Members during this drive. 
Coming up: tonight, we'll give away a $1,000 gift certificate to Small Dog Electronics. This is the last Small Dog drawing of this drive, so we hope you'll make a gift before 7 p.m. to make sure you're entered to win. Thank you so much for your support!

Update for Monday, March 24:
As of 1 p.m. today, our grand total is 1,448 pledges and $111,642 raised. We're taking the day off today, thanks to our Sustaining Members!

We had a very successful Saturday morning, raising $20,751. However, we are behind our projections by about $20,000, so we have some ground to make up by Friday evening in order to meet our overall goal of $250,000.

On Friday afternoon from 3-5 p.m. a friend of VPR matched all gifts of $120 matching challenge. We claimed an additional $2,600. On Saturday from 8-10 a.m., we offered a dollar-for-dollar match and received an additional $5,000 for VPR. 

Update for Friday, March 21:
Happy Friday, everyone! As of 1 p.m., our grand total is 1,035 pledges and $75,738 raised so far. At the end of the day yesterday, we were about $8,000 behind our projections for the first two days. However, we are right on track with participation, and it’s wonderful to be hearing from so many of you! Yesterday during Fresh Air, we had a goal of 15 gifts and we received 16. And from 4-7 p.m., we had a goal of 50 gifts, and we surpassed that goal as well. 

This morning, we offered an "early bird" challenge: 25 gifts before 7 a.m. to receive an additional $1,000. We missed the goal by just a handful of gifts. But, from 7-9 a.m. we had another challenge to receive 100 gifts before the end of the morning shift, and we got 130 gifts, which got VPR an additional $4,000 towards our goal. 

Tonight, from 3-5 p.m., every gift of $120 or $10 monthly Sustaining Membership will be matched dollar for dollar. It’s a great opportunity to help your contribution go further forVPR and get your hands on the sweet new stainless steel VPRKleenKanteen water bottle (pictured above)! 

We have a couple of awesome drawings coming up in the next day: tonight at 7 p.m., we’ll be giving away a $1,000 gift certificate to Small Dog Electronics. And on Saturday at noon, we're giving away a trip for two to see Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me live in Chicago!

Update for Thursday, March 20:
We are celebrating the arrival of spring today with a special incentive from High Mowing Organic Seeds. For every sustaining membership or gift of $35 or more, we'll thank you with a Bee's Garden Seed Kit, containing five packets of seeds for plants and flowers that attract bees and other beneficial insects. Learn more at our blog, where you can also listen to our Spring Fever playlist to encourage the season along!

We ended our first day right on track for revenue (raising $28,478) and above projections for number of gifts (we received 299). As of 1 p.m. today, our grand total was 756 pledges and $57,905 raised.Last night, we had a goal of 80 gifts by 7 p.m. We received 64. This morning, we had a goal of 125 pledges by 9 a.m., and we received 86.

Tonight, we have a goal to receive 50 gifts between 4-7 p.m. If you haven't yet, I hope you'll call 1-800-639-6391 or make a gift online. Every little bit helps, and thank you!

Update for Wednesday, March 19:
The drive is off to a great start, with more than 300 people responding (so far) by mail, phone, and web before the drive began, for a total of $22,000. 

This morning, a dollar-for-dollar match helped inspire 152 listeners to make a gift or become a Sustaining Member, bringing us to $21,000 for the morning! 

Overall, we've raised more than $46,000 so far. Thank you!
 
Tonight, we're giving away a $2,000 gift card to Skirack at 7 p.m., and we're challenging 80 listeners to make a gift between 3-7 to help keep us on track. Thursday morning, our goal is 125 pledges between 6-9 a.m.

Original Post

During this drive, we are asking listeners why VPR is so valuable to them. Here are just a few reasons we think VPR is worth your support:

  • VPR provides a forum to discuss social issues that affect our community
  • Eye on the Sky weather forecasts
  • Direct access to elected officials through Vermont Edition
  • National and international news you can trust
  • VPR showcases the arts throughout our region
  • Brings you multiple perspectives on complex issues
  • Broadcasts live performances on VPR Classical that broaden your musical horizons 
  • Offers fresh insight on life in the Green Mountains

Your reasons for listening to VPR may be varied and personal, but they boil down to the basic same idea: because you can’t imagine life without Vermont Public Radio. In a complex world, VPR helps you sort out what matters, making sense from the noise and chaos. And we can't do it without you! I hope you'll become a sustaining member or make a gift today. And thanks!

Michelle leads the team that oversees station branding, marketing, events, communications, and audience services. She joined VPR in 2002.
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