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2005 PBS DevCon Award Winner: KETC
On September 20, 1954 KETC became the 7th non commercial television to go on air in the United States. Since its inception, the station has undergone many changes, including a successful capital campaign for a new state-of-art home. As KETC approached its 50th anniversary the challenge arose: How to recognize the events, people and programs that had shaped the station over the last 50 years while strengthening the station's relevance in the community? The solution: Celebrate the anniversary throughout the year maximizing the stations interaction with the community through unique events, special programs and a strong marketing campaign.
On September 27, 2004, Channel 9 kicked off its anniversary year with a Hollywood-style premiere party at the Sheldon Concert Hall for Because of You, a documentary highlighting the events, people and programs that made KETC a community landmark. KETC invited members, volunteers, board members, staff, funders and underwriters, in short anyone who had made a difference in the station's 50-year existence. 650 people attended this free, magical evening, which included gift bags containing a complimentary copy of the Because of You documentary.
Over the next several months Channel 9 continued the celebration and even had a special logo designed for the occasion that was used on all communications. Banners were put up around the neighborhood heralding the momentous occasion. The development office also asked several long-time supporters of Channel 9 to film donor testimonials for Channel 9 that discussed why they valued Channel 9 and donated to the organization. The promos ran during the anniversary year, in conjunction with special television spots made by local and national celebrities congratulating KETC on its 50th anniversary. These on-air pieces allowed the 50th anniversary celebration to reach the maximum of supporters.
Besides our own coverage of the anniversary, KETC enjoyed plenty of media coverage from other sources. KETC personalities were interviewed on several radio stations about the 50th anniversary and three local newspapers devoted the front page of their art section to stories about KETC 50th anniversary. This extensive media coverage culminated in being awarded the Media Organization of the Year by the St. Louis Press Club.
Channel 9 also celebrated its 50th anniversary by hosting several signature events. These events were so well accepted that have become annual affairs, including:
- DonnyBash, a live version of our local hit show Donnybrook, at the Sheldon Concert Hall. KETC welcomed a capacity crowd to this event. Members enjoyed a pre- and post-show reception with the Donnybrook panelists and other KETC personalities. KETC has scheduled two DonnyBash events for the upcoming year.
- KETC/Channel 9 Presents L'Ecole Culinaire Taste of the Originals held on April 31at a new culinary school. The corporate and foundations manager worked with a local restaurant association, wine merchants and other vendors to minimize the cost for the event while maximizing the experience. The result was a sold-out event with over 500 people in attendance, many of whom were new prospects for Channel 9.
- A Night with the Glenn Miller Orchestra on May 20. At this sold-out event, members enjoyed the ballroom setting that included a sit-down dinner followed by dancing. This event was so well received by our members that we are bringing it back for two nights in 2006.
KETC's direct mail efforts also incorporated the 50th anniversary. Leadership Giving challenged the Studio Circle Members and Major Partners, members who give $500 and above, to a "50-Year Challenge" by asking them to increase their renewal levels by $500. We had 25 individuals respond to our challenge, which helped us generate an additional $36,952. As a gift for meeting the challenge, members were offered the DVD of "Decades," a nine-part series celebrating the last century in St. Louis history, or given the opportunity to attend a Donnybrook reception. Less then 2 percent of those who responded to the challenge requested a thank-you gift for their increased generosity. The major donor add gift appeal had a nostalgic feel, incorporating an old 1950s television and KETC logos from the last 50 years. The direct mail piece, although reflecting on the past, asked members to take action by supporting KETC, ensuring its future. Individuals who gave to the add gift campaign were offered the opportunity to be a part of KETC television by having their names around their favorite type of programming or specifically, their favorite show. The Add Gift Campaign resulted in $115,292 of additional revenue.
Also during the anniversary year, Legacy 9, KETC's planned giving program, was formalized. The committee quickly came up with a name, produced a brochure, provided the impetus for the donor testimonials that aired on television and organized the first ever recognition luncheon for the 47 founding members of Legacy 9 with guest speaker Paul Kangas. The luncheon recognized 47 individuals who represent an estimated $8,000,000, strengthening the future of Channel 9 by ensuring that it remains a viable resource. These amazing efforts have also led to a $40,000 sponsorship of Legacy 9 by A.G. Edwards.
In addition to these events focused on cultivating and engaging our members, KETC also wanted to reach out to the many art organizations located nearby. With the underwriting support of a board member, KETC invited approximately 30 art organizations to an "Art Luncheon" to discuss the relationship between KETC and the arts community. This luncheon not only allowed KETC to open possibilities with the art organizations but it provided an opportunity to re-engage a board member whose term was ending. Although the board member did go off the board at the end of the fiscal year, he did agree to become co-founder of "The Visionary Art Society." The purpose of the society is to bring together key community leaders to enhance KETC/Channel 9's status with the arts. These members will provide feedback, input and suggestions on the local production and other community efforts of the station in relation to the arts. Participation in this society is an annual donation of $10,000. The society already has two prominent members who have taken the task of recruiting other members to join them in their efforts to provide a vital platform for the arts locally and nationally.
As KETC approaches the end of its golden anniversary, many programs and events that were instituted during the year, as a means to cultivate and engage the community, have proven to be valuable tools that the station will continue to use and build upon. The 50th anniversary was truly a "golden" opportunity: over 3,000 people attended signature events; the station initiated a new giving society; major donors participating in our 50-year challenge increased their giving by approximately 40%; and the efforts of Legacy 9 ensured the future of KETC by securing millions of dollars. KETC is proud of its 50 years of service to the St. Louis community and through the successes it has seen in the last year, we are confident that the next 50 will be just as fruitful. KETC's 50th anniversary campaign demonstrates how well a station can interact with the community and its members providing a perfect environment that welcomes cultivation and stewardship.
2005 PBS DevCon Award Winner: WCVE
In the fall of 2002, after the Dallas Development Conference, WCVE Richmond PBS began to develop a station tour based on Terry Axelrod's "Raising More Money" seminar. The tour, however, quickly evolved into something that differed from our original intentions and has had extraordinary results in terms of bringing new major donors and corporate sponsors to us, inspiring current donors to upgrade their giving, and perhaps most remarkably, creating a strong and palpable culture of philanthropy among our own staff. Today, the tour is a reliable and powerful development tool, moving and inspiring all who visit with us at our stations and consistently evoking the comment, "I always thought you were just a television station. I had no idea you did so much." Before 2002, our station tours were typical tours, focusing on the "bells and whistles" of our operations — the height of our towers, our uplink capabilities, the monthly cost of electricity, the average cost of a television camera. At best, the tour was unremarkable; at worst, it was a snore. Guests' eyes would often glaze over, and when they left, they had little or no sense of the scope of the work we do "beyond broadcast" — our community outreach efforts or our educational services work in schools throughout the Commonwealth. In addition, our guests had no opportunity to meet and interact with any staff other than the tour leader.
Our new tour, which has been in nearly constant development since 2002, is called "open Sesame" (our street address is 23 Sesame Street). It focuses not on the technical aspects of our work, but on the impact we have on all the constituencies we serve — viewers and listeners, teachers and students, and volunteers. The tour is always led by a development staff member, either the Vice President for Development, the Director of Corporate Development, or the Director of Major Gifts. The tour leader acts as a facilitator, and during the tour asks various staff members to talk with guests about the work they do and to share testimonials about the impact of that work. For example, our Ready to Learn Coordinator speaks eloquently and passionately about her frequent interactions with teachers, day-care providers, and young children. When she speaks about the First Book program, her commitment to her work and the joy it brings her become quickly evident to our guests. Development staff serve to provide an overarching coordination of the tour, making transitions from one area to the next, answering questions as they arise, and keeping the conversation focused on our impact in the community. The tour begins in educational services, proceeds to distance learning, then master control and the television and FM studios. We finish in our teleconference room, with a video highlighting our local productions, "book-ended" by national PBS spots. After the video, our President joins the group for a question-and-answer session. "Open Sesame" is an incredible team effort, reflecting literally hundreds of hours of preparation rehearsal, discussion and coordination. In terms of measurable results, the tour has been an unqualified success. The following are some examples:
- After taking the tour, a long-time member of our Commonwealth Circle (our $1,000+ giving society) and an avid public radio listener said to our Director of Major Gifts, "I never, ever knew that you did so much for education through television; we have always been so focused on and supportive of radio. We're doubling our gift."
- One of the directors of a very large corporation came in with his wife for a tour at the invitation of one of our Resource Development Committee members (who attended with her husband, a member of our Board of Directors). Two days later, they joined our Commonwealth Circle and have made arrangements for our President and CEO to meet with corporation leaders to discuss partnership possibilities.
- The Director of the Verizon Foundation visited our stations to tell us in person that they were not going to renew their $10,000 radio sponsorship because our work was not "in line" with the Foundation's interests. After taking the tour and hearing about our educational services and outreach initiatives, the Foundation not only renewed, but also upgraded to $13,000. We are now cultivating the Foundation for a $25,000 educational outreach grant.
Immediately after each tour, we visit with each staff member to thank them for their good work. We also make sure that staff are aware of the successes that result from each tour. While increased giving and visibility in the community are certainly exhilarating, perhaps the most delightful and deeply satisfying result of this whole process is the gleam of pride we see consistently now in the eyes of staff members who have been notoriously difficult to "win over." We have become a close-knit and dedicated team, and a wonderfully strong culture of philanthropy now shines throughout our stations. Truly, with this tour, we really are "all in Development."
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