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KUAF 91.3 FM NPR in Fayetteville, Arkansas joined the Major Giving Alliance in 2001. At the time, there had been some half-hearted attempts to start a major giving group. Staff had created a logo and a name—the NPR Society for $1,000+ donors—but the station had fewer than ten people giving $1,000 or more, most of whom were underwriters.

KUAF has a cume of about 55,000 listeners per week and a membership of about 4,000. The development department is a one person shop which produces two on-air fundraisers per year, six to seven mailings per month, special events, a weekly e-mail listserv, promotion of program listings, major donor cultivation, and planned giving.

“Carving out time for major donor cultivation has been a challenge, but through MajorGiving.com, I receive the letters, scripts, GM letters and other materials that not only make it easier to communicate with major donors, but also keep me on track throughout the year,” notes Chaddy Platt, KUAF Membership Director. “When Bob Stein came for an on-site visit many years ago, he taught me how to run reports that helped me to identify prospects. He made two visits to donors with us that resulted in a $5,000 gift that kicked off our campaign to increase power to 100,000 watts.”

With the help of MajorGiving.com, the NPR Society has grown to 80 households. In 2004 the station created the Broadcaster’s Society for the $500 - $999 crowd and this group has already grown to 60 households. The income from these two groups accounts for about 25% of the organization’s overall income. In addition, KUAF received two substantial planned gifts this year, totaling $85,000.