VPR's Harlem Shake

Thanks to our amazing listeners, VPR surpassed its membership drive goal of $500,000. And now that we are clearly epic video moguls, we could think of no better way to thank you than to jump on the Harlem Shake video bandwagon. 

Enjoy this proof that Mitch and Jane aren't the only ones at VPR with sweet moves - and THANK YOU for your support!

Sharing The Love (Letters)

Greta the Pledge Dog helps us sort through comments

Did you know that when a listener emails a comment to VPR with praise, constructive criticism, or whatever else is on their mind, the entire staff hears about it?

No, really.

You see, when a person uses our online comment form, a copy of the message goes to each member of the staff, whether you are in news, programming, traffic, development or engineering. So we're always listening as you listen to VPR.

We believe that this feedback loop is incredibly important and at the core of our mission of public service. Receiving these comments (the good, bad, and ugly) helps us understand how we are doing in general, alerts us to problems with online listening or at one of our transmission sites, feeds our thinking about new programs, and more.

One of the most rewarding aspects of a membership drive is the flood of comments that we receive as listeners make their pledge online or over the phone.

Here's a sample:

"Best public radio station I've listened to in 16 years in the U.S. living in three different states! Keep it up!" - Brad Ketterling, Burlington, VT

"I'm embarrassed that I didn't do this years ago." - Jack Adams, Fair Haven, VT

"I currently live in Chongquing, China and I want to thank you for the live streams of both VPR and the BBC." - Tucker Van Aken, Bolton, MA 

"I like everything except that Mitch is a Red Sox fan!" - Suzanne Dafni, Wallingford, VT

"Making this gift in honor of my late father who loved VPR Classical." - Cecelia Brelsford, White River Junction, VT

"We listen to VPR in Vermont in the summer and stream from Costa Rica in the winter." - Casey Henson, Peru, VT

"I'm enjoying the programming less and less, but still hanging in there ;-)" - Marielle Blas, Brandon, VT

"I just watched the video and had to pledge...great job!" - Amanda Tucker, Montpelier VT

"Just moved to Montreal and sooooooo pleased to find you here on the radio! I would have missed NPR otherwise." - Noa Davidai, Verdun, QC

"The guilt was killing me! I hate you VPR...no, I love you VPR!!" - Nathaniel Halstead, Winooski, VT

Great stuff. Thanks to everyone who has pledged so far during our winter membership drive. The finish line is quickly approaching, so if you haven't made a pledge yet, please do so today.

And keep those comments coming. We're listening.

Public Radio Is For Optimists

There's just half a cookie left!

This morning we reached an important milestone in the Winter Membership Drive: we are halfway to our goal of $500,000!

As of 1 p.m. today, more than 2,600 people have generously supported VPR for a total of $251,926.

When you think about it, membership drives are definitely for people who see the glass as half full, or perhaps a better analogy considering the photo here, who see the cookie only half eaten.

After all, at the root of each membership drive is an unfailing optimism that our listeners will come together in support of VPR. I remember clearly my first membership drive as an employee: It was a summer drive and the pledges were not ringing off the hook as we had expected. I expressed my concern to Robin Turnau, the president of VPR, who calmly stated, "Brendan, our listeners will come through for us."

And you know what? She was right. Shortly after our conversation, the drive turned around and we went on to not only meet, but surpass the goal. We're optimistic because our listeners come through for us time and again. Thank you!

Today is also psychologically important because we start counting down. With five days to go, we have just $248,000 left to raise.

Some winter membership drive stats you might enjoy:

• So far, 43% of our pledges have been through the mail, 35% have been over the phone, and 22% have been online.
• The average pledge is $95.89.
• Our best day so far was Friday, when we raised a total of $52,295.
• Congrats to our prize winners! The Small Dog Electronics gift certificate winner was Amelia Shillingford of Bellows Falls, VT; The Wait! Wait...Don't Tell Me! trip winner was Mark Hesler, Franconia, NH.
• So far, 635 listeners have requested the new VPR Artist Mug.

Speaking of the mug, if you haven't seen the art for this drive's mug, you can check it out here. It's a beautiful watercolor of pears on a wintry windowsill. We're having some fun with the idea with a "pear meme." You can check it out on VPR's Instagram feed. Feel free to join in on the fun by sharing the photos or coming up with your own!

New Mug Inspired By George Harrison Song "Give Me Love"

"Give Me Love" by Kathryn Milillo

If you're a member of VPR, there's a good chance that you have at least one of our artist mugs in your cupboard. For more than 20 years, we've offered a specially-designed mug by a Vermont artist during our membership drives.

The VPR Artist Mug series is an institution in and of itself. There's an entire wall dedicated to the collection here at VPR HQ. Heck, we've even sent the entire gallery of mugs around the state for display. Each mug has its own personality thanks to great Vermont artists like Ed Koren, Sabra Field, Harry Bliss, Stephen Huneck, and many, many more. You can peruse the entire collection on our website.

For the 2013 winter membership drive, we are lucky enough to have a great new mug thanks to Proctor artist Kathryn Milillo. Kathy finds inspiration for her work in music. The art that she contributed to our new mug is titled, "Give Me Love," inspired by the George Harrison song of the same name. Check out more of Kathy's work on her website.

We offer these special mugs as an incentive for listeners to support VPR during membership drives. It's not unusual for us to receive 1,600 or more requests for a mug during a drive. With a pledge of $90 or more, you can request a mug and we'll pop it in the mail to you as soon as possible. 

Here's a short video clip containing some of my favorite VPR artist mug designs:

What do you think of the new mug? What's your favorite mug from the collection? As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts...

Get Your Stats Here!

Peter Biello captured this photo of Mitch Wertlieb &
Jane Lindholm during the first day of the membership drive.

For those in the audience who love numbers, we've go you covered!

Here are some stats from the winter membership drive (as of 12 pm, Feb. 7, including pre-drive):

• $123,851 raised
• 1,479 pledges
• 419 pledges by phone
• 257 pledges by web
• 803 pledges by mail

If you follow our pledge goals and challenges, here's an update:

• Last night we had a goal of 125 pledges before 7 p.m. We received 131.
• This morning, we had to receive 175 pledges before 9 a.m. to receive an additional $5,000 challenge. We made the challenge with 192 pledges!

We also had a lot of fun on the first day of the drive with our chocolate hearts from our friends at Lake Champlain Chocolates. Everyone who made a pledge could request one (and many did!).

Tonight at 7 p.m. we have our first drawing prize, a $1,000 gift certificate to Small Dog Electronics. Pledge now to be sure you are entered in the drawing! Sustaining members are automatically entered into all membership drive drawings. You don't have to pledge to be entered, but we certainly hope that you will. You can check out all of our drawings on our website here.

Are You Obsessed With Being First?

A fresh batch of first thank yous
that went out in today's mail.

Are you obsessed with being first?

You know...first in line, first to arrive at an event, first in, well....everything?

One of the most important parts of a membership drive happens long before we turn on the microphones and ask for your pledge of support: We call it, "pre-drive."

Pre-drive starts many weeks before a membership drive actually begins. We send out letters (and an email or two) to remind listeners why they should support Vermont Public Radio and why it helps to be first.

One of the benefits of being first is that the earlier you make your pledge, the greater your chances of winning one of our awesome drawing prizes. You can see the full list here.

Thanks to these "first folks," we can keep the drive as short as possible because we get a head start on reaching our overall membership drive goal.

So here's a special shout-out to the more than 800 listeners who contributed more than $65,000 before day one of our winter membership drive.

Thanks for being first!

Introducing The Daily Drive Report!

We understand that membership drives are not necessarily a VPR fan favorite.

But, believe it or not, some listeners have actually asked us for more information about membership drives, including how and why they are an important part of our overall fundraising efforts.

That's me, Brendan, on the left with VPR colleagues Lesli Blount
and Michelle Jeffery (conducting product research).

So, for the duration of this winter membership drive (which started today!) I'll post daily updates to the VPR Blog.

These reports will include things like: progress toward the overall goal, information about prize drawing winners, the results of challenges, and a few charts and graphs to satisfy the statisticians in our audience!

I'll also share some "behind the scenes" details of the membership drive, through photos and possibly a video or two.

One question that we frequently receive is, "How do you decide on the goal for a membership drive?"

As you can imagine, we have to consider a number of factors. History can help us determine reasonable goals for each drive. We take a look at how membership drives have contributed to our fundraising success in prior years and how they might perform in the year ahead.

We also examine how other factors might influence the size and scope of our drives. For example, we know that an increase in sustaining memberships has had an impact on our drives. With more people making automatic monthly gifts to VPR, participation in membership drives may decrease over time.

Over the past three years (partially as a result of  increases in our sustaining membership program!) we've been able to consistently lower the goals for our membership drives. For example, this year's winter membership drive goal is $500,000, compared to last year's goal of $520,000.

I hope you'll participate in this experiment by asking questions throughout the drive (or making suggestions in general). Use the comments section below to join the conversation!

We've Got Heart!

"I love you."

"I need you."

"I can't live without you."

These are just a few of the sentiments our listeners tell us about VPR. And hey, we love you right back! To prove it, when you become a sustaining member or make a pledge of $35 or more today, we’ll send you a big chocolate-caramel heart from Lake Champlain Chocolates as our way of saying "we heart you," and thanks for supporting VPR. 

It will arrive at your door just in time for Valentine’s Day, so you can give it to your sweetie…or keep the 2.2 ounces of chocolatey goodness all to yourself!

This offer is only available today, the first day of VPR's membership drive. You'll be helping us meet our overall goal of $500,000, which will keep the news, music, and conversation you love going strong. 

If you prefer, you can always phone in your pledge. Just call 1-800-639-6391!

Support VPR And Win

With so many choices, why do you listen to and support Vermont Public Radio?

Because it gives you topics for dinner conversation?

Because Walter Parker’s voice soothes your young children?

Because you’re convinced Terry Gross is a mind reader by always asking just the right question?

Because you could win lots of prizes?

Okay, that last one is more of a bonus. VPR's membership drive begins next week, and whatever your reason for listening, we hope you will make a pledge today to support this essential service. Plus, when you make a pledge now you’ll be entered to win:

• Two pairs of round-trip airline tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S. from Milne Travel 
• A $1,000 gift certificate to Small Dog Electronics
• $1,500 in gift cards to Phoenix Books
• A trip for two to see Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me in Chicago
• A $2,000 gift card to Onion River Sports
• A $2,000 gift card to Gardener's Supply 

The sooner you pledge, the more chances you have to win – a no-brainer, right?

Thanks in advance for your support. And remember, if you’re a sustaining member, you’re already entered in all of the drawings. Good luck!

Contest Rules

The VPR Travel Mug Is Back - Today Only!

VPR’s stainless steel travel mug is back, just for a limited time!

Become a sustaining member today with an automatic pledge of $10 a month or more and we’ll send you one of these classic mugs.

Click here to become a sustaining member now!

These mugs are in limited supply. They’re shaped to fit in your hand and your cup holder as naturally as VPR fits into your life!

When you become a sustaining member, you’ll join more than 8,500 members who give monthly to VPR, providing a reliable source of income we can count on year-round, saving mailing and postage costs, and everyone’s favorite - reducing on-air fundraising.

And of course, your ongoing support helps pay for Vermont Edition, Performance Today, Radiolab, and all of the programming you rely on every day.

Please become a sustaining member today and get your VPR travel mug while they last. Many thanks for your support!

Get Your Reusable VPR Shopping Bag And A Recipe For Cheddar Soup

VPR is about halfway to meeting its membership drive goal of $500,000, but we need your help to get it “in the bag!”

When you pledge $60 or more to Vermont Public Radio today, we’ll thank you with a VPR reusable shopping bag and coupons for $5 worth of Cabot dairy products!

The green nylon bag folds up into a fist-sized pouch that fits in your purse or back pocket. It has VPR’s “euro” design on the front so you can show everyone that you support your public radio station.

This special gift is our way of saying thank you for supporting VPR.  Your financial contribution helps pay for election coverage, Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me, This American Life, VPR Classical, and all of the programming you rely on every day.

Please make your contribution right now, and many thanks for your support!

And, if you're looking for a way to use that free Cabot cheese, I highly recommend trying out this recipe for Vermont cheddar soup from VPR Underwriter Simon Pearce. It's amazing!

Get Your NPR Election-Themed Buttons Today Only!

When you support Vermont Public Radio with a pledge today, we’ll thank you with a trio of these NPR election-themed buttons. Click here to make a pledge, or call us at 1-800-639-6391.

These buttons, with designs chosen by listeners, let people know you’re an informed voter because you listen to public radio. Wear them on your jacket or hat, pin them to your backpack or the bulletin board in your kitchen or office cubicle.

Don’t delay – these buttons are only available today, the first day of VPR's fall membership drive. Your one-time contribution or sustaining membership will help us pay for the news coverage you need to make important decisions this November!

Thank you so much for your support!

Membership Drive Timing & The DNC

Some listeners have contacted us today with concerns about the timing of our mini-membership drive. Their main concern is that we may be pre-empting news and updates coming out of the Democratic National Convention in favor of on-air fundraising.

These are good questions and we are happy to address them:

• The Democratic National Convention had no bearing on the timing of this short membership drive.
• Although we did pre-empt one convention story this morning, in general, we are not "covering up" convention coverage with fundraising messaging during this drive.
• In addition to coverage during Morning Edition and All Things Considered, we’re airing an uninterrupted hour of On Point at 10 a.m., which is airing live from the DNC, and of course stories throughout the day on the BBC NewsHour, Here And Now, and other programs.
• Tonight (Thursday) beginning at 8 p.m., you'll hear live coverage of the DNC without interruption, including President Obama’s speech accepting the Democratic nomination for President.
• As a statewide organization dedicated to public service, VPR is deeply rooted in the communities we serve. Over the last several years, we’ve been taking our mission a step further by bringing listeners together during membership drives to support organizations that help improve the quality of life in Vermont - while raising the money to support the programming you count on, including election coverage.
• While there’s not necessarily an ideal time for a membership drive, we determined that early September was an appropriate time to hold a short membership drive to help Hunger Free Vermont because it is Hunger Action Month. With 90,000 food insecure people living in Vermont, it's an issue to which we wanted to call attention and give listeners the opportunity to something to help.
• The drive will end this Saturday at noon.

Despite these facts and assurances, we recognize that listeners may perceive the drive as interrupting convention coverage. Keeping our listeners' trust is of utmost importance to us, and we don’t discount the impact of those perceptions.

As a result, on Friday during Morning Edition we will not air long pledge drive breaks. Instead, on VPR you will hear Mitch Wertlieb reminding listeners about our special mini-drive, but the focus of the morning will be bringing you the latest news from the convention floor, the President’s address, and recap of the week’s events in Charlotte in addition to our regular newscasts.

After Morning Edition, we plan on resuming our appeals for support, not only for VPR but for our partner, Hunger Free Vermont. We know that membership drives are not a listener favorite, however, they are the most effective tool we have to ensure that VPR remains financially on track and able to bring you the quality of programming that you have come to expect and rely upon.

Thanks again for listening, and as always, thanks for your feedback. We value all of the ways that you support VPR, whether it’s through your financial support, volunteer time, and you’re your feedback!

Sincerely,

Brendan Kinney
Vice President of Development & Marketing

Broccoli Salad Recipe From The Learning Kitchen

VPR’s mini membership drive is underway! With every pledge to VPR received by noon on Saturday, September 8, the Vermont Community Foundation will donate a bag of groceries to Hunger Free Vermont’s Learning Kitchen Program.

In The Learning Kitchen, low-income Vermonters learn to make healthy food choices through cooking classes taught throughout the state. After learning to prepare a meal in class, participants take home a grocery bag that includes all of the ingredients to recreate the meal at home with their families. For a taste (literally!) of what they do, here’s a recipe from the program for broccoli salad!



Your one-time gift or sustaining membership pledge during this short, three-day fundraiser pays for VPR programming and you’ll provide a valuable nutrition lesson to a neighbor in need. Thank you!

What’s your favorite cost-effective, healthy recipe? Let us know in the comments below!

Three-Day Pledge Drive Will Fight Hunger And Promote Nutrition Education

As a statewide organization dedicated to public service, VPR is deeply rooted in the communities we serve. Over the last several years, we’ve been taking our mission a step further by bringing listeners together during membership drives to support organizations that help improve the quality of life in Vermont - while raising the money to support the programming you count on.

We’re proud to announce another community partnership for our “mini” membership drive next week: For every pledge VPR receives through noon on September 8, the Vermont Community Foundation will donate a bag of groceries to Hunger Free Vermont's Learning Kitchen program.

Hunger Free Vermont is a statewide organization with the mission to end hunger and malnutrition for all Vermonters. The Learning Kitchen program empowers low-income Vermonters to make healthy food choices through classes taught in schools and community centers throughout the state. After learning to prepare (and enjoying!) a meal in class, participants take home a grocery bag that includes all of the ingredients to recreate the meal at home with their families. The Learning Kitchen enhances community health and self-sufficiency by enabling parents and children to develop the practical skills necessary to establish life-long healthy eating habits.

The Vermont Community Foundation fosters philanthropy in Vermont by helping individuals, organizations, and businesses put their values and their spirit of giving to work in the state. 


We are grateful to our partners Hunger Free Vermont and the Vermont Community Foundation who have joined with us in the unique partnership!

Now it’s up to you.

Your pledge during this short, three-day fundraiser benefits you, VPR, and our community. Of course, you don’t have to wait to make your pledge – your pledge online today will support VPR and Hunger Free Vermont.

Thanks so much!

You Did It!

Thank you, VPR members!

You did it! On behalf of everyone at VPR, thank you so very much for making VPR’s summer membership drive a huge success! We ended the drive last Friday and surpassed our goal of $485,000 to pay for the all the news, music, conversation, and entertainment you love from VPR News and VPR Classical.

You power VPR with your financial support, but your comments and reflections also keep us going. We get many listener comments during membership drives and throughout the year, but this one-liner really summed it up for us this time around:

Please never stop bringing us such good programming!

So long as there are generous and passionate listeners like you, we won’t! We promise we’ll work harder every day to bring you the best independent, innovative, community-supported news, music, and conversation in Vermont. Thank you so much for all you do for VPR – we couldn’t do it without you!

A Surprise Visit From Bill McLaughlin

We had a surprise visit today from Bill McLaughlin, host of Exploring Music on VPR Classical. He's based in Chicago, but was traveling from Montreal to Massachusetts with his girlfriend, jazz singer Karrin Allyson and called this morning to see if he could pop by for an impromptu visit. He's as nice in person as he seems on the air!



Since we're in the middle of our summer membership drive, we couldn't resist putting him on the air to make the case for supporting VPR - listen for his testimonial on VPR Classical, or check it out here!

Listen to Exploring Music with Bill McLaughlin weeknights at 7.

Update: Cut The Drive In Half

Typically, receiving half of something is a bad thing.

But what about half of a membership drive?

By now, you've surely heard about our effort to cut the upcoming membership drive in half by raising $245,000 before it even begins. To date, more than 500 of you have voted with your wallet in favor of shorter membership drives, and we have great momentum to meet this important goal by June 18th.

Listeners are always telling us they would like less on-air fundraising and more programming. So, we launched this experiment to see if we could raise at least half of our overall goal before the drive, and cut the number of days we need to spend fundraising in half (to just five days).

However, the deadline is fast approaching! In fact, there are only 14 days left to meet this mark, so it’s vitally important that we hear from you TODAY.

Without listener support, VPR wouldn’t exist. And without listener support today, we won’t be able to realize this important goal.

Thanks in advance for supporting Vermont Public Radio and shorter membership drives!

Thank You For Making VPR's Membership Drive A Success!

On behalf of everyone at VPR, I just wanted to say thank you so much for making VPR's membership drive a success. The drive ended last Friday and 5,173 of you pledged $540,000 to pay for the programming you rely on.

You power VPR with your financial support, but your comments and reflections also make the case for supporting VPR better than any of us ever could. Here is just a small sampling of the notes we received during this drive:

"When I am listening to other stations, I am made aware of just how special VPR is. First, I love VPR Classical. It is such a pleasure to awaken to John Zech every morning; he has a great voice, a great sense of humor and plays wonderful music. I also think Joe Goetz is a wonderful announcer. The same thing goes for Mitch Wertlieb; he is funny, unpretentious, intelligent and a real pleasure to listen to. This is what I love about all the VPR staff; one just gets the sense that these people are very warm, friendly, intelligent and love what they do. VPR feels homey. It feels sincere. It feels accessible. I don't know if I am just getting older and wiser, but I have enjoyed listening to this fund drive, because I really hear what the staff is saying - that donating to VPR is donation to the whole Vermont community, a contribution to our small, wonderful and very special state which we love so much."

"After the kids had trundled off to school, I had a second cup of coffee and reflected on the part VPR/NPR has played in our lives. I don't think our boys remember a time when the radio wasn't on in the morning for breakfast or in the evening while dinner is being prepared. It has sparked many discussion - from gay marriage, to assistance for returning soldiers, to the attributes of the various Republican Presidential candidates. Our sons have developed an informed view of the world! Thanks for being part of our lives."

"No one wants to spend money they don't have to but here is what you may not know if you have not done this yet - it feels good. You'll feel better waiting for the drive to end having done your part - no gift too small, it's about all of us doing together what none of us can do by ourselves. I bet over 90% of us would be sorry if VPR was not just a button away. We just renewed our membership. Modest level but we're in. Thank you to all those others who are acting this month to help out."

Your generosity and passion is both humbling and inspiring, and ensures that this independent, community-supported source for news, music, and conversation will stay strong well into the future.

So, thanks. VPR wouldn't be here without you!

The News Is Very Serious Business.

But that doesn't prevent the VPR News team from writing silly songs to entertain and thank our loyal volunteers during our membership drive. We've heard pledge drive-themed songs based on the theme from Three's Company, Do-Re-Mi, and the theme from Gilligan's Island...and let's not forget Mitch Wertlieb's funky beats.



We take our responsibility to provide essential news, information, music, and conversation very seriously, but sometimes we just need to show a little love for the listeners and members that make VPR thrive! Do you have a public radio-themed ditty to share? Let us know and it may make the rounds at our next fundraiser. Also, donations of funny hats are welcomed and encouraged!