Guilting Donors in 30 Seconds or Less

This week, Slate has a cute article on the lines public radio stations use to get pledge drive donations. If you listen to public radio, these will all have a familiar ring, particularly around this time of year:

The New York Jets would never let fans into the big game for free and then request donations as they leave the stadium. Public radio gives away its product and then asks listeners to pay once they're hooked, like the mythical schoolyard drug slinger. The strategy here is to remind listeners how much they rely on public radio (rely is probably the most oft-repeated word during these campaigns) and to ask them to put a price on their dependence. Most stations play it straight — "Think about how much you use WAMU and how you would quantify that in terms of your budget if you received a bill only a couple of times a year." Sometimes, however, this tactic can feel overbearing — and off-putting. When a host throws out a virtual bill ("WNYC pays over $5 million a year for NPR News and the BBC"), I want to send it back unpaid.

The one that drives me crazy, both as a public radio fan and as a member of the nonprofit community, is the "help us stop this dreaded pledge drive!" approach. Shouldn't our fundraisers be a cherished event for donors to look forward to every year?