As we look forward to the coming year, the unknowns loom large. In particular, we’re keeping a close eye on federal funding outcomes, and our guiding principle will be flexibility. You’ll see this approach reflected not only in the new donation form tests mentioned in our testing section, but also in our overall messaging strategy. 

For example, a sudden, significant federal funding announcement could require a rapid pivot in our copy, while a slower, more gradual flow of news might be more easily integrated into existing messaging and plans. We also don’t know how the giving public will respond to the new administration. Last time President-elect Trump was in office, we observed a “Trump bump” in donations. This year, however, shifting attitudes mean we might not see the same phenomenon — once again, a reminder to all of us to stay agile. 

On a more practical note, this month we’re continuing to prepare for Public Media Giving Days coming up in May. Keep an eye out for upcoming assets and webinars. This year, we’re shaking things up: instead of one day dedicated to giving and another to talking about public media, we’re changing how we talk about the days. This year’s framing is that one day simply isn’t enough to showcase the breadth and depth of public media’s impact — across radio, television, in-person events, and, in some cases, online virtual events, too.  

As part of this year’s focus, we plan to include educational components on “What is public media?” to help donors understand its full scope and how it works at the foundational level. Just because someone primarily watches TV but doesn’t listen to the radio doesn’t mean they can’t appreciate the broader value public media brings. In fact, our past testing has shown that donors often give more when reminded of areas of public media they don’t typically engage with. Reminding them of this value is a worthwhile effort.