On Monday, VPR’s Bob Kinzel reported on a recent Vermont Attorney General report on outside "paid fundraisers" in Vermont. Since VPR is named in the report, we wanted to share some background with you.
In 2012, VPR hired a company called Aria, which works with many public media companies in the United States, to make some donor calls on our behalf.
They called lapsed members as well as Sustainers with declined or expired credit cards. Our contract with Aria expired in 2014 for a total engagement of 15 months.
In the coming year, we'll be working with a different firm, Comnet, to provide 24/7 call center service for Sustainers who are looking to update their information with us.
The Attorney General’s report indicates that 92 percent of the money raised by Aria went to VPR, which is the second-best return on investment noted in the report. We believe a cost of eight cents on the dollar is reasonable, considering we may have otherwise lost these members for good!
VPR is very proud of its 4-star rating with Charity Navigator, receiving an overall score of 93.79 out of 100. We also consistently land in the 90th percentile compared to peer public radio stations for overall fundraising impact and efficiency.
We know our supporters trust us to not only provide the programming and services you expect, but also that we will be careful stewards of the hard-earned funds you contribute. If you have any more questions about our fundraising, please feel free to contact us anytime.
