Travel with Rick Steves Fundraiser Modules 2019-1

Funder #2019-1

Released March 27, 2019

Overview

Let one of the top fundraisers in public broadcasting, put his expertise to work in raising support for your radio station. The latest set of Travel with Rick Steves fundraiser modules includes dynamic excerpts from a graduation commencement speech Rick delivered at The Evergreen State College a few years ago.  The lively and receptive audience adds to the upbeat tone of Rick's address. The content is based on the themes Rick explores in his book, "Travel As A Political Act."

Rick closes each segment by pitching the value of public radio, and the need for your listeners to show their support.

If your station offers the Rick Steves premium package for your contributors, you can let Rick pitch them for you by inserting the separate set of premium-specific pitches during your local pitch breaks. As some affiliates have demonstrated, you can even get great results using the Rick Steves premium package for a Rick Steves-themed premium hour in your news magazine programming, too.

These fundraising modules are designed to be used at any time of year. They can also be combined with material from previously-released fundraising modules to create a two-hour fundraiser special, or to run over consecutive weekends.

The suggested rundown helps you to air the latest Travel with Rick Steves fundraiser modules and allows you to pace your local pitch breaks so that everything times out to one hour. You can also shorten or eliminate the hourly newscast to add to your local pitching time.

We recommend you include the Billboard at the open of the show. It sets the same tone for the show as during non-fundraising weeks, to make listeners eager to hear the material coming up, and less likely to tune away "because it's a fundraiser."

There is also a promo for the fundraiser, to help you promote the content of program, as usual, during your regular programming.

Each module ends with a generic public radio fundraising pitch from Rick. Rick opens the segment B and C modules with a brief re-statement of the need to support public radio. Module D open with "Let's celebrate our success."

If your station is offering the Rick Steves premium package, you should include Rick's premium pitches during your local pitch breaks to let Rick promote the content of those packages.

Rick Steves Fundraiser Premium Packages

The Travel with Rick Steves premium packages include DVD boxed sets of Rick Steves TV productions, offered at an attractive wholesale price to stations, with no minimum order required. You simply add the recorded premium pitches from Rick to your local pitch breaks to get Rick to sell them for you. These Rick Steves premiums are otherwise not mentioned in the fundraising modules, for stations that wish to fundraise using other thank you gifts.

Note that the Rick Steves-themed fundraiser premiums have proven to be significant money-raisers for public radio and television. We strongly encourage each Travel with Rick Steves affiliate to offer the Rick Steves premium package. There is no minimum required order on your part — just order what you need when it's time to fulfill your pledges. Station wholesale costs are kept low to help you optimize your station's fundraising potential.

Let your station's development department know about this link, so that they can see how the latest Travel with Rick Steves premium package can raise money for your station.

Rick is offering thank you gifts at three support levels: $60, $90, or $180. He has voiced two versions of his premium pitch. Each pitch is available as voice-only, or mixed with music to enhance the tone.

Some Travel with Rick Steves affiliates have also offered the Rick Steves premium package as a special Rick Steves-themed incentive during their local talk shows, and even during Morning Edition, with remarkably strong results. Let us know how it works for you.

Airing the Travel with Rick Steves Fundraiser Material

The following rundown helps you to program the Travel with Rick Steves fundraiser modules, released March 27, 2019. We suggest start times for each segment, and lengths for your local pitch breaks, in order to time out correctly to one full hour. The pitch breaks are long enough for you to include Rick's premium pitches, if you are offering the Rick Steves premium package. There are also short non-pitch package generic fundraising promos from Rick that you can use during  Travel with Rick Steves, or even in other programming.

We've also provided you with a 30-second promo for the fundraiser.

The modules in this Travel with Rick Steves fundraiser are appropriate for airing at any time of year.

Rundown Option 1 — Travel with Rick Steves Fundraiser 2019-1

Run Time Segment (Length)
00:00 - 01:00

Billboard — Funder 2019-1


outQ: (theme music out)

(1:00)
01:00 - 06:00

NPR Newscast

(5:00)
06:00 - 15:49

Segment A — Funder 2019-1

Rick's Evergreen State College Speech — part 1: "The Fearless Graduate"


inQ: "I spend a lot of my life traveling…"
outQ: "…We’re counting on you."

(9:49)
15:50- 21:00

Local Pitch Break

(5:10)
21:00 - 31:41

Segment B — Funder 2019-1

Rick's Evergreen State College Speech — part 2: "Teary-Eyed Germans"


inQ: (music in) "Thanks for doing your part."
outQ: "…and it just can't happen without your financial support."

(10:41)
31:42 - 37:00

Local Pitch Break

(5:18)
37:00 - 46:02

Segment C — Funder 2019-1

Rick's Evergreen State College Speech — part 3: "Mother Teresa vs. Oscar Romero"


inQ: (music in) "So many people are stepping up to show their support…"
outQ: "Please. We'd love to hear from you right now." (:09 music fade)

(9:02)
46:02 - 51:00

Local Pitch Break

(4:58)
51:00 - 56:48

Segment D — Funder 2019-1

"Toasting in Many Languages"


inQ: "Let's celebrate our success in supporting public radio…"
outQ: "It's your financial support that makes all of this possible. Thanks so much." (:04 music fade)

(5:47)
56:47 - 1:00:00

Closing Local Pitch Break

(3:13)

 

Rundown Option 2 — Travel with Rick Steves Fundraiser 2019-1

  • Uses billboard, five-minute newscast, and only the first three segments (Rick's speech)
  • Provides three longer local pitch breaks of ~7 to 9 minutes each
  • Print the 2019-1 Funder Rundown Option 2 (pdf)
Run Time Segment (Length)
00:00 - 01:00

Billboard — Funder 2019-1


outQ: (theme music out)

(1:00)
01:00 - 06:00

NPR Newscast

(5:00)
06:00 - 15:49

Segment A — Funder 2019-1

Rick's Evergreen State College Speech — part 1: "The Fearless Graduate"


inQ: "I spend a lot of my life traveling…"
outQ: "…We’re counting on you."

(9:49)
15:50- 23:00

Local Pitch Break

(7:10)
23:00 - 33:41

Segment B — Funder 2019-1

Rick's Evergreen State College Speech — part 2: "Teary-Eyed Germans"


inQ: (music in) "Thanks for doing your part."
outQ: "…and it just can't happen without your financial support."

(10:41)
33:42 - 42:00

Local Pitch Break

(8:18)
42:00 - 51:02

Segment C — Funder 2019-1

Rick's Evergreen State College Speech — part 3: "Mother Teresa vs. Oscar Romero"


inQ: (music in) "So many people are stepping up to show their support…"
outQ: "Please. We'd love to hear from you right now." (:09 music fade)

(9:02)
51:02 - 1:00:00

Closing Local Pitch Break

(8:58)

 

 

Download "Travel with Rick Steves" 2019-1 Fundraiser Segments

Released March 2019

  .MP3 files .MP2 files
Billboard (1:00) Download mp3 Download mp2
Segment A (9:49) Download mp3 Download mp2
Segment B (10:41) Download mp3 Download mp2
Segment C (9:02) Download mp3 Download mp2
Segment D (5:47) Download mp3 Download mp2
Promo (:30) Download mp3 Download mp2
Premium Pitch A (mixed) (2:31) Download mp3 Download mp2
Premium Pitch A (vox only) (2:30) Download mp3 Download mp2
Premium Pitch B (mixed) (1:33) Download mp3 Download mp2
Premium Pitch B (vox only) (1:32) Download mp3 Download mp2
Generic 24-sec Rick Steves Funder Spot (0:24) Download mp3 Download mp2
Generic 29-sec Rick Steves Funder Spot (0:29) Download mp3 Download mp2

Note: Fundraiser audio files are also available in the .wav format, from a different online site. E-mail producer Tim Tattan to request access to the page where .wav files of the fundraiser and weekly shows are stored.

You can also ask Tim for suggestions on cutaway cues during any of the regularly-scheduled weekly programs. We keep track of the optional points which you can cleanly edit to insert local fundraising breaks. Credits for the incidental music used in the fundraiser are also available on request from Tim.