Stations land million-dollar gifts from familiar funders
There’s no tape documenting how loud fundraisers yelped or how much inebriation followed, but several public TV stations celebrated million-dollar gifts this year despite the lagging economy.
- Maryland Public Television’s foundation received $1 million in May from the chair of the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission, Edward H. Kaplan, to seed a New Initiatives Fund for programming and outreach in several core areas.
- Detroit Public Television received a $1.25 million challenge grant in May from the Kresge Foundation to boost the station’s capital campaign and finish building its broadcast center.
- KETC in St. Louis received a $1,050,000 grant in April from the local Dana Brown Charitable Trust to create a digital media space in its building for use by young people and others in the community. The station will provide training and mentorship.
How did this happen?
Maryland: Kaplan, who chairs the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission that oversees the state-operated network, has been a station volunteer and commission member for a number of years, says Joe Krushinsky, v.p. of institutional advancement. When MPT embarked on its major-giving campaign three years ago, Kaplan attended a presentation by Kay Sprinkel Grace, a consultant for the CPB-backed major-giving initiative. Grace challenged stations to create a culture of philanthropy, and Kaplan decided he wanted to help.
Kaplan, who also supports a variety of Jewish, environmental and hunger-relief organizations, was impressed by MPT’s community engagement efforts such as Chesapeake Bay Week, which promotes economic, cultural and environmental awareness. He had also contributed $100,000 to support the televised volunteerathon that ends the event each year, when MPT asks people to donate volunteer time instead of money to local nonprofits.
Kaplan wanted MPT to take advantage of public-service opportunities without worrying about financial risks, says Krushinsky. That led station execs to conceive the New Initiatives Fund, to which Kaplan gave the first million.
Detroit: In courting Kresge Foundation support, the station emphasized its history of community involvement and local production. Kresge grantmakers are “infamous” for making an applicant prove its track record, says Kelley Hamilton, v.p. of development. But the foundation already knew DPTV: Kresge provided startup funds when DPT began managing WRCJ, a classical and jazz radio station, in 2005. Then in July 2007, as part of a separate campaign to support Detroit-area arts organizations, the foundation gave $300,000 to DPTV and $150,000 to WRCJ.
St. Louis: Ten years ago, the Dana Brown Charitable Trust helped KETC build its broadcast center. This time KETC asked for aid in promoting one of the foundation’s key objectives, healthier lives for youth. The station pointed out that kids’ health can be affected not only by viewing but also by creating media. No other organization in the community focused on the media angle, says Jack Galmiche, KETC president.
How will they use the gifts?
Maryland: The network is developing criteria for spending from the New Initiatives Fund, focusing on four service areas: kids and family, environment and stewardship, local perspectives and stories, and health and wellness. Two projects up for consideration are a Maryland companion program to Ken Burns' upcoming series The National Parks and a multiplatform project on financial literacy, says Krushinsky. "These are ideas we wouldn't even be discussing if we didn't have the benefit of the Kaplan gift."
Detroit: The Kresge donation will help DPTV purchase HD equipment, finish studios in its new broadcast facility and buy a video-production truck. The foundation was particularly interested in financing the truck so the station can broadcast from anywhere in the community.
St. Louis: The station is outfitting its new 5,000-square-foot digital media space, to be called the Nine Network for Public Media. It opens in October with modular workstations, digital-editing resources and digital displays. KETC will offer the facility and media training to nonprofits and public-service institutions, in addition to young people, Galmiche says. The nonprofit news website The Saint Louis Beacon, now housed in another area of KETC’s building, will move its operation into the space and work with visiting youth.
How are they raising more money?
Maryland: The station is leveraging the New Initiatives Fund to attract additional donors. “As we are seen in the community doing good works generally,” says Krushinsky, “general support for our efforts will come.” The key, he says, is to bring volunteers and donors into the station’s conversations so they know what MPT aspires to do. The station is talking with several other major donors about specific programming and outreach opportunities.
Detroit: The station is a little more than $4 million short of meeting its Dec. 31 capital campaign goal of $22 million. The Kresge donation lends credibility to the campaign, says Hamilton, and fundraising picked up when DPT brought in new General Manager Rich Homberg in February. But since then the faltering economy has slowed fundraising.
DPTV is courting major donors through face-to-face activities including on-site tours and “parlor receptions” — small-group gatherings in trustees’ homes where the station’s execs talk about their projects and long-term goals. Fundraisers are also going directly to top philanthropists in the area and asking for six-figure support.
St. Louis: The station is rebuilding its development department with new hires and focusing heavily on major gifts. They’re discussing givers’ interests at length and finding ways to support those interests, Galmiche says. For example, members of the Visionary Arts Society have given $10,000 gifts to underwrite KETC arts programming.
The station is also courting donors in areas of history, science and discovery, news and public affairs, and children’s programming. It could be a long process. “We’ll have at least a half a dozen meetings with some foundation,” Galmiche says, “before we finally get to the point where we might think we have something we can propose to them.”
Web page posted Aug. 15, 2008
Copyright 2008 by Current LLC
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