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TheBuzz Erika Engle |
COURTESY HAWAII PUBLIC RADIO
From left, Hawaii Public Radio arts and culture reporter Noe Tanigawa, President Michael Titterton, political reporter Chad Blair and Bank of Hawaii Chief Mike O'Neill enjoyed a break yesterday during HPR's latest successful pledge drive.
Rally around radio
Hawaii Public Radio beat its
spring pledge drive fund-raising
goal and got a record $470,530The last fund-raising break at Hawaii Public Radio's Challenge 2004 spring pledge drive began at 10:09 a.m. yesterday with President Michael Titterton announcing that this was the time when "folks begin to materialize. They know that something very special is going to happen."
A veteran of numerous fund-raising efforts, he knew what he was talking about.
Only $4,000 was needed to reach the $468,000 goal and a return to normal programming on the nonprofit organization's stations at KHPR-FM 88.1, KIPO-FM 89.3, KKUA-FM 90.7 and KAN0-FM 91.1.
Titterton gave out the call-in phone numbers for the umpteenth time and around the tables staffed by volunteer pledge-takers, phones started ringing off the hook.
Pledge forms bore contribution amounts from $50 to $365 and greater, some to be paid through electronic funds transfer facilitated by Bank of Hawaii.
HPR staffer Valerie Yee, busy as the proverbial one-armed paper hanger, made the rounds of the volunteer table checking forms and "doing her sums" as Titterton called it. By this point, with the phone lines jammed, each of her rounds resulted in a new, smaller sum that she hurried to display to Titterton on her trusty calculator.
The amount plunged suddenly to $2,000.
The Atherton Performing Arts Studio, or "pledge central" had begun to fill with staff, supporters and volunteers wanting to witness the goal-meeting moment, as well as, perhaps, to share a bit of champagne to toast the end of several months' worth of work. They were cheering and applauding each new total, yes, before the bubbly burst forth.
The calculator display kept shrinking, to less than $700, $400, $200 ... and a mild gasp from Titterton as he announced that the amount left to raise had reached "zero."
It was 10:27 a.m., seven days, four hours and eight minutes after the pledge drive started. A record fund-raising goal had been attained.
Cue the music!
"Stars and Stripes Forever" is the traditional pau-pledge-drive ditty.
The organization's station operations will be funded for the next six months, with another fund-raiser to come in October.
KHPR's first on-air fund-raising goal was $20,000 in 1981 under then-General Manager Cliff Eblen, who stopped into the studios yesterday morning.
"Our budget was tiny then," he said.
Program Director Bob Miller and Development Director Lisa Gibson led the pledge-pitching.
Then a single station in the quarry at the University of Hawaii Manoa campus, it paid very little rent, but had big dreams. Lean as the times were, Eblen persuaded the board of directors to reject a $54,000 state grant. "That would give them control," he was convinced.
Looking back, "It was the best money I ever didn't take," Eblen said. He later oversaw the purchase of the new studios and offices at 738 Kaheka St. near Ala Moana Center.
Headphones off and relaxed in a chair as the dust was settling, with volunteers nibbling at the remaining donated doughnuts and as the final, official total was being double-checked, Titterton was happy but felt the drive had slogged.
Perhaps because a year ago the ten-day goal was reached in a record six days.
He attributed last year's momentum to world events and listeners' driving need for solid news updates.
HPR offers donors premiums such as logo-emblazoned commuter cups, T-shirts and umbrellas. A new trend has volunteers asking if donors want the amount to go to radio or if they'd like a premium item. People increasingly decline the merchandise.
HPR tries to get more bang for its large donors' bucks by encouraging them to issue a matching fund challenge, as do perennial givers Henry Clark and Jay Shidler, among others. Each $50 from a new member would have the effect of being doubled by the larger donors' matching funds, for instance.
HPR's neighbor island stations were knocked off the air briefly yesterday morning, slowing the last-day momentum in its earliest hours.
Nevertheless, the last minute deluge of dialers sent the total raised to $470,530, slightly over the goal.
A tired Titterton smiled and said, "It's over. That's the definition of a good pledge drive."
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com
