Are you a current member? Timing is everything.

The most significant figure we report each year to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is the number of individuals and households making voluntary contributions each year. It’s reasonable for someone called a “member” to believe they are included in our current count.

This count “resets” several times per year depending upon which count is in question. The CPB reporting year resets July 1. The year for our Annual Report resets January 1. Our network fees and dues change October 1. Other authorities are at liberty to request a figure at any time.

A monthly, automatic gift as a Sustaining Member ensures you are in each current count. Only in this way are you assured that the period has not reset since your most recent gift. A once-annual donation (made in June, say) may be “last year” for most of the 12 months you wish to think of yourself as a member!

To meet the reasonable expectation that someone called a Member is currently counted, we tend to use the term Member for monthly givers, and one-time givers are considered Donors.

“Major Donor” is the formal CPB term used for a household contributing $1000 or more in a counting period, either as a once-annual gift or ongoing and monthly. They track this figure separately each year, as this level of support tends to correlate with overall station health. At least one program provider gives us extra credit for our major donors with a discount on fees, so such a gift is not only generous in itself, but it actually saves us money! Contact our Director of Development Russ Wedel for details!