Before I became a staff member for KCSC, I was a fan of not only the music, but also the staff who I had befriended here on the University of Central Oklahoma campus.  I was probably one of the few people who actually enjoyed listening to 90.1 during their spring and fall fund drives.  What I heard between the wonderful music was a real team effort and I knew asking for money could not be easy for these friends and colleagues who were so adept at all the “quiet” and somewhat solitary behind the scenes work it took to run a station--- programming, production, membership, development, accounting, engineering, etc. Fundraising twice a year required them to do something a bit off their daily beaten paths.

I became part of the staff several years ago and now see things up close and personal.  Fund drive week can be somewhat painful.  Not the long days, early hours, weekend work, or juggling of responsibilities.  It’s the asking for money and figuring out how to ask you in a way that not only keeps the week interesting, but also makes you want to pick up the phone and call us with a pledge of support through new membership or renewal.  We know each of you is elbow deep in mail from non-profits.

So it’s a challenge on our end, indeed, but what stood out to me years ago when I listened in as a bystander and today, as I sit in the thick of it, is that this group has a passion for classical music and not only that, it helps that what we offer is unique and distinctive and relevant to our community, to our society.  It helps us make “the ask” with dignity and at the end of our drive, we feel tired, and though somewhat hyperactive in those final hours, we feel good.  We have come together as a team and spent a week on the phones talking with many of you, and listening to what you have to say.

So, coming up, once again, March 22 through March 29, we scoot out of our cubbyholes—some of us clutching notes scribbled with talking points, some of us oiling up our “recall” buttons after years of fund drives, and at least one of us firing up a calculator.  It’s a week of engagement and we promise not to beg or shame—not our style—but we must do “the ask” and hope many of you might enjoy a little bit more discussion during that week about who we are, what it takes to be a classical public radio station, and what significance we play in your lives.

Hey, call me if you have your own ideas about fund drive week, how to make it more fun for you…I love to listen.  Susan C. (405-974-2120)