Successful Pitching

KKFI Pitching Pointers — A Quick Reference
Dont’s:

1. Don’t start the show with a Pitch Break. Wait 5 to 10 minutes into the show to do the first Pitch Break; keep the Pitch Breaks to 3-4 per hour and 3-5 minutes each.
2. Don’t apologize, beg, or complain when pitching.
3. Don’t talk about the Phone Volunteers doing nothing. Thank them for being there, or say something like, “If you don’t get through, call right back .”
4. Don’t make it about us! A vital thing to remember when pitching is that it is not about us, our budget, our bills or any of our immediate needs. IT IS ALWAYS ABOUT WHAT KKFI PROVIDES TO THE LISTENER.

Do’s

5. Do present your show as closely to your weekly show as possible. That is presumably why people are listening.
6. Do introduce yourself and your Pitch Partner and let the listeners know that you will resume the show in about 3 minutes.
7. Do prepare for each Pitch Break by deciding on one case before getting on the mic.
8. Do mention the phone number (888-931-0901) and website (K-K-F-I dot o-r-g) often.
9. Do make it personal. Share your own feelings by letting your passion come through in your pitching.
10. Do make your pitching about the listener, not about KKFI, by using language that connects to the listener’s feelings about the music and information they hear on this station.
11. Do smile when you pitch by relaxing and using a conversational tone.
12. Do use “you” and ”I” a lot as if you are talking to ONE listener.
13. Do stay focused on the basic message which is to contribute NOW! “Your financial support makes community radio possible. Call now to show support for the programs you care about and rely on here at KKFI.” “Eighty percent of our funding comes directly from listeners. That is how we are able to bring you the programming you know and love, and the news and views that are rarely heard elsewhere.’
14. Do target new donors. Historically less than 10% of listeners donate, so there are a lot of them out there. Sometimes that first step leads to a lifetime of donating.
15. Do choose a Pitch Captain in your group to regain control, if someone gets off track or is running too long.
16. Do maintain eye contact with your Pitch Partner and work out clear signals to facilitate smooth pitch handoffs.
17. Do use the music or information on your current show and/or the others on KKFI as an example of the unique programming only possible with the support of generous donors.
18. Do say “thank you” and let listeners know how grateful you are they listen and for their support.
19. Do stay positive and have fun! It’s OK to include some levity. (Just avoid inside jokes.)
20. Do conclude each pitch with a call to action and say the number – very slowly. “Thanks for helping to keep community radio alive and well in our community. Pledge online at K-K-F-I dot o-r-g or give us a call now at 888-931-0901.”

21. Do work to get 2 trained people as a Pitch Team to help you during fund drives, and ask the Development Director for help if needed.

Three Parts to the Perfect Pitch:
Intro + Case + Close = $$$

The Intro – the windup before the pitch. Identify who is talking and tell them WHY you’re talking to them.

“Hello, this is Ima Goodman, a KKFI volunteer, asking you to support KKFI, YOUR Community Radio Station. We bring you music and vital information underserved or ignored by mainstream media. ”

The Case (for Support) – getting into the meat of the pitch by presenting listeners with compelling reasons to donate.

“I want to talk to you about, what is in every measurable way, YOUR community radio station. The deejays and hosts explore music and issues that are underserved or ignored completely by mainstream media. We pride ourselves on digging in and sharing the issues that entertain and inform our listeners by providing a curated, unique and independent voice. KKFI is supported by our listeners, local businesses and organizations that share our mission.”

The Close – a call to action, the “Ask”. The right pitch moves the listener to become a donor.

“Call 888-931-0901 if you value the entertainment and information you receive on KKFI. If you share KKFI’s mission of providing an independent voice to music and information underserved or ignored by mainstream media, dial 888-931-0901. Consider becoming a Sustaining Member today. Ask your phone volunteer for details on that option. Call 888-931-0901 or go online at K-K-F-I dot O-R-G to make your pledge. ”

The Intro and Close are straightforward. The Case for Support requires the most attention.

Case Examples

The Mission
Sustining Donors providing financial stability
Continuing education for you and your community
Podcasts locally produced on an array of topics
Local, Regional, National, and International Music Discovery
Local Arts and Culture
First Time Donors
Diversity of programming.
Shared Resource
Open Door Policy.
Personal stories of connection and engagement
Coverage of LGBT Issues

Examples of Cases for Support

Read over and make up your own.

Make it Personal.

Trust

The community radio model is different. It is not programmed to serve commercial interests or to make owners or stockholders wealthy. Dollars generated are used to provide information and music of the highest quality that is ignored or underserved by mainstream media.

Local and world stories break daily on a wide array of topics. KKFI seeks to bring you factual, precise and timely information — not just the headlines and the sound bites. KKFI is searching for the REAL story and why it is important. What motivates this kind of coverage? The trust you show in us year after year to search for the truth. What makes that search possible? Our listeners’ gift of financial support.

You can trust that each day KKFI will strive to broadcast relevant, accurate, and timely information and high quality music.

It is KKFI’s goal to earn your trust by providing news and information that values fact over speculation, depth and truth over expediency and high quality music ignored or underserved by mainstream media.

KKFI Is Listening

KKFI is listening – to you and for you.

KKFI is not just your average radio station! It is our goal to listen to you, our community, and provide an opportunity for your voice to be heard and your thoughts to be shared through this station. We regularly facilitate connections between community members with an on topic program. Our Music Deejays or open to discovering new music and helping to get the word out about an artist, group or genre.

Let us know you want us to keep Listening. We are calling upon you, our community, to keep these voices alive through this Pledge Drive.

KKFI is listening – to you and for you. Of course a radio station can listen, if it really wants to. We listen. We want to offer the music you want to hear and provide information on the issues you want addressed. That is our goal That is the why we exist.

KKFI is listening – to you and for you. Why? Because we are a member of your community and wish to build a strong, diverse, and dynamic community… together.

Programming: Music

For music lovers of many genres, nothing compares to KKFI. There is a variety of music, culture and creativity you will hear only on KKFI.

The fact you are listening now says a lot about you. You have demonstrated a deep appreciation of musical possibilities. The music survives only if the people who love it have a way to find it. One way is KKFI. And KKFI survives only if the people who use and value it actively support it. That’s what I’m asking you to do today.

You are listening right now because you love [name of music genre]. But you’re not just a [music genre] fan. You’re also a community radio fan. Because community radio is where you can hear music out of the mainstream. That’s us – KKFI. And that’s you, too – the KKFI community – investing in this incredible music service.

As a music lover, what do you think is the most important instrument? Piano, guitar, drums? Today, it is the telephone, and we are asking you to make it ring. The world of music you get on KKFI every day is possible only if you help financially support it.

Programming: News and Public Affairs

Understanding national and world events and the people who shape them helps make you a more involved, effective and compassionate citizen of the world. Through our public-affairs programs, you hear about breakthroughs in science and technology, stories about culture and art, writers and musicians. KKFI is here and is listening to serve those with a wide range of interests with a goal to provide more depth, variety and perspective. With your support, we can do that.

There is an old saying…. “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.” Keeping current on the issues of the day has never been more important. The economy, National issues and International relations can change within a few hours OR a few Tweets. KKFI seeks to be a reliable source you can turn to in your own search for the truth.

We do not just break the news – we strive to put it back together, too. You will hear in depth first-hand reports, analysis and opinion that will help you become a more fully informed citizen. Ignorance can be costly. The price tag on bringing you public-affairs programming is not free. …making your pledge of support is more important than ever. Support the source you have come to trust by calling now with your donation in support of KKFI.

The effect of foreign conflict is felt at home and abroad. The national and local economic picture changes daily. Politics are more polarized than ever. As a listener-supported radio station, your financial gift insures you being kept apprised of latest status on these issues.

Programming: As Diverse as our Community
KKFI is an oasis of diversity amid the uniformity of the media landscape. We provide nourishment essential for your mind and soul with our variety of programs.
Community radio exists only so long as the people who choose to listen ALSO choose to help pay for it. That is how KKFI remains independent.
As long as our funding comes from you, the community, KKFI is able to reflect the richness and diversity of our community.
Personal Importance: News and Public Affairs
Think about the programs you listen to on KKFI. Would you be willing to do without them? If your answer is no, please consider how much you will contribute.
A listener once said she valued KKFI because it let her “see her world.” That’s an interesting comment for a couple of reasons. First, it speaks to the breadth of stories you hear on KKFI. They come from all parts of the globe as well as from our own backyard. Second, she said community radio helps her “see” the world . . . to experience it . . . to process it . . . to understand it. And there is certainly value in that. If KKFI’s news, arts and cultural programming is important to you, I am asking you to put a value on it in the form of a tax-deductible donation TODAY.

Personal Importance: Diverse Viewpoints

KKFI is a shared resource, where you will hear many different opinions and perspectives. You may not agree with them all, but it is important that everyone has the opportunity to be heard.

Understanding those who differ from us, and those with whom we disagree, IS a good thing. The diversity of programs you hear on KKFI gives you an opportunity to consider other perspectives and more fully form your own opinion.

Very different people listen to KKFI. They all share a common bond that links us together as a community – an appreciation for the very special programming that KKFI provides.

Personal Importance: Belief in the mission

Do you want this radio station to stay on the air? Do you believe in our mission to give a voice to the information and music underserved or ignored by mainstream media? Do you want this radio station to continue to bring you content that is unique and unusual?

There are supporters who share they listen to KKFI as soon as they wake up, following them to breakfast and into the shower, on their ride to work in the car, at work, on the drive home, in the evening or during the weekend. It is part of their life. They want the station to thrive, not just survive. If that is what you want too, please pledge your support to KKFI today.

A special kind of person appreciates a non-commercial community-based station like KKFI. You are listening right now and that makes you someone very special. You get informed, entertained, inspired, even captivated. Your mind is engaged. This is programming that matters, for people who care. Today is the day to stop and think about it. Why are you listening, and what is it worth to you?

Personal Importance: Inspiring

Have you ever been inspired by something you heard on KKFI? A vivid picture painted in words, a startlingly beautiful or personal piece of music? It is a gratifying experience. You are listening to KKFI because you know that what you hear may inspire you, move you, amaze you. Show your support in what KKFI brings to you.

KKFI is diverse, eclectic, challenging, educational, inspiring. It is also portable. You can usually find a way to listen to the radio, anytime, anyplace. To come to you on these available platforms costs money…lots of it. Just like any other service you value, we are asking you to help pay for it. Unlike other services, you name your price. Pick an amount that fits your budget, then give us call.

I feel very fortunate to be part of KKFI. I believe I am doing something meaningful, helping to provide programs that matter for people who care. You have a role to play that is every bit as important as mine. Your role is to help support KKFI with your financial contribution. You can do something meaningful for yourself AND your community by pledging your financial support now.

Personal Importance: Different Perspectives

One of the unique things about KKFI is the opportunity to hear a different perspective from mainstream, corporate media. You will hear people from all walks of life, different cultures, countries and ages. That is a GOOD thing. The more we understand each other, the more likely we can find a way to live and work together. Supporting public radio gives a voice to diversity and different perspectives. To show support for promoting that type of understanding and collaboration, call now with your pledge.

Personal Importance: Engaging

Most of our listeners are not the type of people who sit around and watch the world go by. Perhaps that is why you listen to KKFI. Our news and public affairs programs provide information that will help you shape an opinion about important issues and may even help inspire you to get more involved in your community. The current political climate is serving as a catalyst for community involvement on a level unknown for generations.

Our music and entertainment programs guide you to concerts, events and festivals that will enrich your life.
There is tremendous value in that. Perhaps even more than you think you can afford to give. That is okay… just give what you can. Your action today… right now… will ensure that KKFI is here for you now and in the future.

Personal Importance: It is about YOU, the listener

When you cut through the litany of thank you-gifts, the cost of operating the station and whether the goal was made or not, this Pledge Drive is really about… YOU. It is about where and how you get your news, public affairs and music. You help decide how YOU want the morning, afternoon and evenings to sound like. You are choosing to reward yourself with the asset of KKFI in your life.

This fund drive is an opportunity for you to take care of something that you have decided is important to you…KKFI.

Personal Importance: It is YOUR station

Why listen to KKFI? It is not just radio. It is community radio – creative and surprising without having to rely on shock value or sleight of hand tricks to keep you engaged. The world IS a shocking AND beautiful place. The news and public affairs programming you hear on KKFI features the thinkers, writers and musicians of the past and present to help you shape and share your own world view. KKFI… community radio made possible by listeners just like you… donating their hard earned money to make this information available in your life.

First Time Donors

You are listening to 90.1. But KKFI is NOT just another spot on the dial – it is a window. It is YOUR window to YOUR local, regional and world community.

KKFI provides music, news and public-affairs programs, when considered as a complete package is not found anywhere else. It is an important service made possible by listener support. Your support. Please provide that support so we can be there for you…NOW and in the future.

If you are not currently a KKFI donor, we are OF COURSE honored to have you as a listener. Take that next step. Help provide financial support for the programs you care about. Feel how rewarding it can be to be an active participant in the KKFI community.

If you have never been a KKFI donor before, we would LOVE to have you join the party. Don’t be shy! It is very easy and it only takes a minute.

We are thrilled you are listening to KKFI. It is a wonderful station, award-winning even. You have chosen to spend your valuable time listening to us right now. If you are not a financial contributor yet, you are taking a gamble this station and this program will stay on the air only as long as OTHER people who choose to listen financially support it.

It is remarkable really… the program you are listening to right now was paid for by listeners who made contributions during the last pledge drive. Wasn’t that nice of them? Now is the opportunity to do something nice for yourself, and for people like you, by making a generous pledge in support of KKFI.

Funding Fact: Income

You have heard us say repeatedly that KKFI depends on you to survive. Let me place a sharper focus on that statement. KKFI depends on listeners (YOU) to provide 80 percent of its general operating funds. Most of the rest comes from Underwriting, Special Events and Grants. Clearly the individual contributor like you keeps KKFI on the air.

When I say community radio, I am talking about this radio community as the life blood of this station. You are the “I” in community. We cannot continue to bring you this caliber of radio you have come to expect and love without your financial support.

Funding Facts: Income: “Not Commercials”
What would KKFI sound like if it primarily depended on commercials or government funding for most of its financial support? It would sound like everything else up the dial. But listener-supported radio…that is still something very special and in our current world, increasingly important. “Listener-supported” stands for radio about this community …FOR you… and in a very real sense… BY you.
We are still here because you want us here; NOT because of profit motive or government objective.
We rely on the listeners… YOU… to make KKFI worth hearing.
Funding Fact: Income: Underwriting

Periodically throughout the day, you hear announcements thanking local businesses and organizations for their support. You might think of them as such but they are NOT commercials. These are people, part of the community, just like you, doing their part to financially support the programs that are important to you and me.

The contributions of KKFI’s valued underwriters are important and efforts are underway to increase its footprint as part of the fundraising puzzle, but underwriting support currently provides less than ten percent of KKFI’s operating budget. The lion’s share – fully 80 percent — comes from listener support – people like you and me – who care enough about this community station to support it with our contributions. Support our underwriters of course but today…it is YOUR turn to provide that much needed financial support.

Funding Fact: Income: “Your Habit”
KKFI relies on listener contributions for the largest share of our income… and that drives the quality of what you hear on the air. Most people do not give to community radio until they have developed a community radio listening habit. In any other business, that translates into finding customers and keeping their repeat business. For that to happen here at KKFI… we have to pay attention to what you are interested in hearing. We have to continually EVOLVE KKFI to insure it remains your radio station.
Once we have earned and received your support, we put that money to work in an effort to KEEP you tuned-in and informed.
This is how listener-supported, non-profit community radio works. That is why you find so many good programs on KKFI. That is why we are asking you to make that tax-deductible donation of support right now.

Funding Fact: Income: “Strength In Numbers”

If you have ever worked in retail or helped with fundraising for a non-profit, you know that long-term financial success does not come from landing that one big sale or gift. It comes from all the regular, everyday transactions. $150 here. $75 there. An occasional $500 donation. That IS how it works at KKFI. We count on individual donations from thousands of listeners for the lion’s share of our income. There is strength in those numbers. When more people give, KKFI’s future will be more secure. That is why YOUR donation NOW is so important!

Pledging Online

If you are sitting at your computer right now, you do not have to stop what you are doing to pick up the phone and call in your pledge. You can do it online, securely with your debit or credit card… right now. Go to K-K-F-I dot o-r-g. Hit that donate button and follow the prompts. K-K-F-I dot o-r-g.

If you are one of those people primarily connected to the outer world by a computer, there is an easy and financially secure way for you to participate in this pledge drive by donating online! Go to K-K-F-I dot o-r-g, and put that computer to work to do something important for you and great for YOUR community radio station.