FundRaiser Blog

The FundRaiser Software Blog is an excellent resource for nonprofit organizations looking to learn more about fundraising, donor management, membership management, and much more.

5 key factors to solving the dilemma of premiums for your public radio station

4 key factors in establishing a successful premiums program for your community radio stationLike many public radio stations, WBJC-FM uses premiums to encourage people to make donations. Also like many organizations, they are ambivalent about using premiums.
Yvonne Allen, Membership Director for WBJC-FM,  states the dilemma clearly: "public radio stations are trying to get away from premiums because they cost money and stations need that money for operating costs," she says. "But we get a lot of contributions and without premiums, I think we wouldn’t get as many."

WBJC-FM has been running a success premiums program for years, and has just  finished another successful fund drive that used 'thank you gifts' to help boost response. They have found that there are 5 key factors to creating a good balance between the costs of the premiums and the incentive they provide to donors. Yvonne shares  those tips here. WBJC-FM is an all classical, user supported station. They use FundRaiser Professional to help manage many details related to their premiums program. 

Key Factor #1   Choose premiums carefully with your audience in mind

Key to good management is choosing the correct premiums.. "With premiums you have to really think about your listening audience. You have to gear your premiums strictly to that audience:

  • what they are listening to
  • what you are playing


If you are offering something that has no connection to what your station does, then I wouldn't use those premiums; but if you:

  • look at the age of your listeners
  • their education
  • their preferences
  • what they tend to do in your area


then that is what you gear your premiums to," says Yvonne.  For instance, some successful premiums that WBJC-FM has offered are classical music CDs, tickets to classical music performances, and certificates for meals at local restaurants.

Key Factor #2   Offer premiums only for higher levels of donations

"When we purchase premiums, we buy the largest amount at the level of our most popular contribution." She advises, "don't offer them on all levels, just do it at the higher levels. Then you won't have to purchase as many, because there are fewer contributions coming in at the higher levels."

To receive a premium, WBJC-FM members have to give more than the basic donation level.  WBJC-FM has several levels of donations, and doesn't offer a premium for the bottom level. The second level is the first one at which donors receive a premium. The rest of the levels climb by steps (including $91.50 which is the station’s frequency) up to their top level, which includes all premiums on the list.

Key Factor #3   Change your premium offerings yearly

WBJC-FM selects one list of premiums per fiscal year. Choices are thought through by a carefully selected group of people who know the station and its audience well and are aware of budget restrictions. Keeping the group as stable as possible has given them the opportunity to gather experience about what works best.

Key Factor #4   Use premiums primarily for live fundraising drives

WBJC-FM starts to offer the new year of premiums in August, in a direct mail campaign. Then, during an on-air fund drive, the DJs begin to describe the premiums and interest picks up. "On the air, premiums help doing fundraising, but it’s not as important in the mail-out. Members don’t choose them as often," in response to the mail out.

Key Factor #5   Send your premiums out quickly and correctly

Once the fundraising drive is over, it’s time to send out the premiums. For this you need to know who gets which premium, what their mailing address is, and how many premium items are in inventory. Processing all that takes focus. Donor management software with special 'premium handling' features can be a huge help. At WBJC-FM, they use FundRaiser Professional.

First, "we process the donations. Then we print out labels and send premiums out," says Yvonne. "Because our giving is increasing, the number of premiums is larger. We have interns that come in and package the premiums. That gives us time to process donations and still the premiums are going out. We segment which premiums are going out and just print those out. FundRaiser Professional gives us the ability to track inventory and tells us when we need to order more, with the help of the Premiums Module."

Overall, at WBJC-FM, "we try to keep things clean and simple. Our listeners gravitate towards that. We don't try to be extravagant. We try to keep our offerings and our budget simple."

For more information on how FundRaiser can help you manage your premiums

Free FundRaiser Software Evaluation

Not sure where to start with evaluating new donor management software for your organization? Start here.

Complete the form at right and one of our fantastic FundRaiser Representatives will give you a call right away to learn more about your organization and your needs and goals for new fundraising software. We'll talk with you about how you are currently tracking your donors and donations, your plan for moving your data into new software, your timeline for implementation, and your budget.

All of this information will help us determine which of our software packages will be the best fit for you. Then we'll help you set up a demo and map out a custom evaluation process for you so that you can hit the ground running and meet your implementation goals.

People Are Talking!

"We chose FundRaiser Professional because it met our specifications perfectly; it was priced fairly, the service department was extremely responsive and we had a good feeling after talking to friendly company personnel. As a direct result of using FundRaiser Professional, we have increased contributions because of the efficiency with which we can process gifts and acknowledge them. We recommend FundRaiser to any organization that is seeking good value in an exemplary data management product." --S. DiNenna, President, Bishop McDevitt Catholic High School, Wyncote, PA
Using FundRaiser's Premiums Module to track and fa...
Safeguarding your FundRaiser Software data with re...

Related Posts

Wait a minute, while we are rendering the calendar
motivation spreadsheets Reporting to IRS letter templates event management Volunteer module passwords Codes relationship tracking fundraising support security government grants Task List In-Kind gifts advanced tab donor attrition rate capital campaign volunteering new donors publicity materials community supported gardens Thank You endowment campaign donor attrition fundraising letters adding personal notes to letters building donor relationships donor source pledges overview major donors holiday Alternative Addresses how-to videos New Year add ons gift acceptance policy mission driven letter FundRaiser Hosted importing csv GoFundMe project grassroots campaign LYBUNTS merge fields transparency arts salutation general donor profile appeal new features happiness social media product news Snow Birds volunteers Personalizing donor engagement new nonprofit new leadership donor contact information ticket sales Network for Good data conversion segmenting donors brick campaign budget Congratulations charity golf tournaments auction campaign management alumni updates operational costs donor prospects gift notes field holiday giving upgrading donors correspondence the Ask spare fields customer portal direct mail word processor holiday letters premiums user spotlights targeted mailings user interface board members large donations annual campaign correspondance prospects operating systems training memorial giving flash sales look and feel new version corporate sponsors End of Year Letters online donations development director Groupings vacation Reminders customer service donor donor loyalty National Change of Address mode code annual maintenance plan donor relations donor slip communications tax summary letters technical support increasing giving amounts Tickles email understanding giving trends community arts nonprofits donor preferences anonymous donors monthly giving in honor of donations PayPal merge notes change of address updating personalizing letters ROI training tip motivation code NCOA processing appeal letters how to handle auction gifts features campaign data analysis announcements Thanksgiving on site training giving levels Crowdfunding Campaign donor retention small donations FundRaiser Basic follow up banquet Resiliency data entry nonprofit fundraising phoning donors recurring gifts texting donors FundRaiser Spark planned giving membersip benefits planning accounting software legacy giving mailing Constant Contact pictures donor recognition donation history upgrade donor advised funds disaster relief role of nonprofits online donations thank you letters gift entry Cloud animal rescue donor retention rate office case study grants #GivingTuesday Company culture community broadcasting major gift prospects membership benefits moves management donor targeting welcome packet Facebook Importing Data password protection GivingTuesday lapsed donor Excel Donor Portal SYBUNTS Facebook campaign solicitors ticketsales backing up data tribute gifts entering auction gifts custom page foundations membership programs raffle giving history reports repeat donors tech tip

Connect With Us

  800-880-3454 ext 3
  Email Us
  Request More Information
  Monday-Friday
      8:30AM-5:30PM CST

Customer Portal Login Form

User Name:
Password:

If you are not sure about your Customer User Name, please call 800-543-4131 and we will be able to help you.

Or you have lost your password, Request Password