KUAC Fall Fundraiser relies on volunteers
October 24, 2016
The KUAC Fall Fundraiser raised just over $500,000 as nearly 400 volunteers solicited
donations, answered phones, wore silly hats, banged a gong and rang a cowbell from
Oct. 8-16.
The fundraiser is a wacky community celebration with a serious side — supporting public
radio and television for Interior Alaska.
During the fundraiser, KUAC's normally locked doors on the University of Alaska Fairbanks
campus were thrown wide open to welcome volunteers, food donors and the children who
came to join the KUAC Kids’ Club.
The 124-hour effort raised $501,128.
The 2016 drive began with UA President James Johnsen and UA Regents Chair Jo Heckman
in the FM studio and expanded to seasoned announcers and newbies.
“This effort takes community involvement,” said Gretchen Gordon, KUAC’s assistant
general manager and director of development and outreach and FM. “We strive to create
a fun, inclusive environment and then we help our guests become stars on the radio.”
KUAC aims to use 100 percent community voices during its drive. During all but one
hour of the recent drive, the people pitching came from the volunteer pool.
“We had some new voices, like Mayor Karl Kassel and Ester Volunteer Fire Department
Fire Chief Tori Clyde and Eagle’s Ann Millard, which was fantastic,” Gordon said.
The drives are a crucial component of keeping KUAC sustainable. The Fall Fundraiser
provides more than one-third of the radio and TV stations’ fundraising budget.
Gordon and crew are already planning the Spring Fundraiser for April 2017. KUAC thanks
all UAF employees and students who participated in the drive by volunteering or donating.