Pubcasters refine tactics for acquiring donors through canvassing

Current News Article – Pubcasters refine tactics for acquiring donors through canvassing
By April Simpson
August 9, 2016

Door-to-door canvassing has raised nearly $14.5 million for public media since a Colorado TV station first tried the technique five years ago, and experts say more broadcasters are trying it.

Twenty stations have attempted canvassing since Rocky Mountain PBS pioneered it in 2011. Fourteen now have canvassers knocking on doors, including a public radio station.

To date, canvassing has signed up 220,000 new donors, according to Michal Heiplik, executive director of the Contributor Development Partnership. “That’s the equivalent to creating one new station,” said Heiplik, whose organization helps stations with canvassing. READ MORE