88.5 WFDD, the National Public Radio® affiliate licensed to Wake Forest University and serving the Winston-Salem-Greensboro-High Point area, completed the On Air portion of its Fall 2006 campaign with $184,088 raised, a 15.0% increase from last Fall’s On Air drive. The On Air Pledge Drive, which began a week and a half ago with a “power hour,” is one portion of the station’s Fall fundraising campaign, which launched at the end of August.

The station is seeking $615,250 in annual membership contributions for fiscal year 2007 to help fund high quality program purchases and broadcasting expenses. Membership contributions cover approximately half of the station’s overall operating budget.

The station has so far raised $271,675 during a fall campaign consisting of the On Air Pledge Drive, renewal mailings, emails, and a renewal reminder calling effort. A portion of individual contributions received by the station is matched by donors’ employer matching programs. More than 1,525 individuals contributed during the on air portion of the campaign. WFDD’s annual membership roster includes approximately 5,000 individuals.

Each fundraising campaign begins with direct mail encouraging long-time givers to renew before the On-Air Pledge Drive starts. This year, the station’s Membership Department made a strategic decision to begin the Fall direct mail campaign approximately two weeks later than last Fall. “Despite the fact that our direct mail started a bit later than last Fall, we have seen a significant increase in fundraising year to date,” said general manager, Jay Banks.

Banks continued with comments about the On-Air drive: “The outpouring of calls of support from across the Triad is exciting and again affirms the focus of the station on bringing the best in high quality national programming coupled with award-winning local reporting and features. The entire staff is to be commended for its extraordinary hard work to meet the needs of our diverse and growing communities. We are grateful for Wake Forest University’s continued commitment in supporting a station that is operated in the broader community’s interest.”

Over a hundred volunteers, vendors, restaurants, and arts and community organizations supported the drive.

88.5 WFDD, the NPR® news and Triad Arts station broadcasting from Wake Forest University, is the only public radio station of its kind located in the Piedmont Triad. It broadcasts news, information, and public affairs programming covering the arts, people, and institutions in the area from both its Winston-Salem and Greensboro studios. The state’s charter NPR® member, 88.5 WFDD is the longest continuously broadcasting public radio station in North Carolina. It is a member of the North Carolina Public Radio Association.