The Journal of the Walter J. Lemke Department of Journalism

 

Annual Drives Raise $280,000 For KUAF

By Dru Glaze
Lemke Ledger Staff

  The National Public Radio station on campus, KUAF, has seen an outpouring of donations the past school year.
  While the big drive is the capital campaign to raise money for the new KUAF building, KUAF still completed its annual fall and spring fundraising drives.
  The station raised more than $140,000 during each of the two fundraising events.
  “The volunteers who answered the telephone lines during this time said they were busier than ever,” said Terry Bumgardner, director of individual giving for KUAF.
  More than 1,200 listeners contributed over eight days during the spring drive. KUAF also was able to add 400 members during the drive.
  Listeners were able to follow the spring drive daily on the KUAF Web site blog. The blog allowed listeners to see updates on the fundraising. The blog even played an April Fools’ Day joke on listeners, reporting that a corporation had contributed the nearly $90,000 needed to reach the goal. The statement was quickly followed up to tell readers it was a joke.