CDP, Greater Public, NPR & PBS Host Inaugural Public Media Giving Days
A two-day advocacy and fundraising event to boost awareness for public media in local communities nationwide
(Boston, MA) - March 6, 2023 - Contributor Development Partnership, Greater Public, NPR and PBS are proud to come together in a first-of-its-kind collaboration to bring you the inaugural Public Media Giving Days. This two-day advocacy and fundraising event, taking place May 1-2, 2023, will encourage fans of public television and radio alike to declare to all what the institution of public media means to them.
Day One will be for advocacy, networking and celebrating, inspiring fans to spread the word about public media and raise its place in the public consciousness. Assets will be provided via the Public Media Giving Days website (accessible at https://www.publicmediagivingdays.org/) to assist them in their efforts—from sending emails to posting on social media using the hashtag #PublicMediaGives. Then Day Two is about giving back, encouraging participants not only to donate themselves but to ask those they spoke to on Day One to donate as well.
Today’s public media system recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. Over that time, it has made itself available to all, playing an important role in our democracy, providing educational resources to our youth and delighting us with well-done entertainment. And community involvement has always been at the heart of this mission and its success. Though in recent years donor acquisition has become a challenge for public media organizations, with results from pledge drives—key fundraising sources in the past—down for both television and radio, this event represents an exciting new approach. Through their participation, each and every person who takes advantage of these days to promote and foster public media’s mission will help grow its community impact.
Public Media Giving Days will be a national event, bringing together stations across the country. This exciting partnership led by PBS, NPR, and fundraising entities Greater Public and Contributor Development Partnership has never been seen before. It is an opportunity not just to fundraise but to work to share enthusiasm, bring new people into the fold and take a moment to honor all that #PublicMediaGives.
About CDP
Founded as an initiative by GBH drawing together public media stations in strategic collaboration in 2011, CDP is now an independent public benefit corporation working on behalf of more than 230 public radio and television stations to share data across the system, analyze fundraising performance, and develop best practices. CDP’s mission is to grow net revenue for public media stations.
The “CDP idea” launched as an initiative by the Major Market Group of Public Television. With support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and GBH, a group of stations built the industry’s first and only National Reference File, a tool used daily to help stations better understand areas of opportunity to increase their fundraising effectiveness and efficiency.
About Greater Public
Greater Public is a professional development association for public media fundraisers. For more than forty years, we’ve been facilitating conversations across the public media system by hosting the annual Public Media Development and Marketing Conference, and providing the members of our association with peer-to-peer connection, professional advice, templates, direct mail services, and cutting-edge strategies for modern fundraising.
About NPR
NPR's rigorous reporting and unsurpassed storytelling connect with millions of Americans every day — on the air, online, and in person. NPR strives to create a more informed public — one challenged and invigorated by a deeper understanding and appreciation of events, ideas, and cultures. With a nationwide network of award-winning journalists and 17 international bureaus, NPR and its Member Stations are never far from where a story is unfolding. Listeners can find NPR by tuning in to their local Member stations (npr.org/stations), and now it's easy to listen to our stories on smart speaker devices. Ask your smart speaker to, "Play NPR," and you'll be tuned into your local Member station's live stream. Your speaker can also access NPR podcasts, NPR One, NPR News Now, and the Visual Newscast is available for screened speakers. Get more information at npr.org/about and by following NPR Extra on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About PBS
PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature, and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’s broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS’s premier children’s media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math, and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV — including a 24/7 channel — online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps, and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at PBS.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Communications on Twitter.
Contacts:
CDP: Susannah Winslow, swinslow@cdpcommunity.org
Greater Public: Melanie Coulson, mcoulson@greaterpublic.org
NPR: Elyse Poinsett, epoinsett@npr.org
PBS: Jerry Liwanag, jtliwanag@pbs.org