Travel with Rick Steves Fundraiser Modules 2024-1

Funder #2024-1

Released March 7, 2024

Overview

Let one of the top fundraisers in public broadcasting put his expertise to work in raising support for your radio station.

In the latest set of Travel with Rick Steves fundraiser modules, Rick does most of the heavy lifting for you, in making a strong case for listeners to support your station. 

This fundraiser edition of Travel with Rick Steves features excerpts from an in-person presentation of Rick's top travel tips and tricks. It was recorded before an audience of public broadcasting supporters in December 2023.

Note that Rick does not pitch the fundraising premium packages during the fundraiser modules; just in the separate clips that you can include during your local pitch breaks.

Rick closes each segment by pitching the value of public radio, and the need for your listeners to show their support. Rick refers often to the quality of news and information programming on public radio throughout this fundraiser.

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.

This latest fundraiser is designed to fill an hour, including your local pitch breaks. The suggested rundown helps 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.

These latest fundraising modules can also be combined with material from previously-released fundraisers to create a two-hour fundraiser special, or to run over consecutive weeks. This set of fundraiser modules includes an extra Module E, which you can use to extend beyond one hour, or use elsewhere during your on-air campaign.

We do recommend that you try to include the Billboard at the open of a Travel with Rick Steves fundraiser. It sets the same tone for the show as it would 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 30-second 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 B, C, D, and E modules with a brief re-statement of the need to support public radio, and thanks listeners for doing so. It creates an appropriate transition from your local pitching back into the program.

If you'd also like more time to fundraise during one of the regular weekly Travel with Rick Steves programs, we have an easy way you can edit the full-hour file of the program, to allow more time for local pitch breaks. Contact executive producer Tim Tattan in advance of your airdate to find out the cue points you can use to shorten each segment of one of the weekly programs.

Rick has also recorded promo-length funder pitches, for you to use at any time in your fundraising campaigns.

If your station is offering the Rick Steves premium package, you should include one of Rick's premium pitches during your local pitch breaks to let Rick promote the content of those packages. The current premium package features Rick's books and DVD sets, and is ideal for "travel dreaming."

Rick Steves Public Radio Fundraiser Spots

Rick Steves also provides fundraiser spots designed to enhance your local fund drives, with a few salient thoughts from Rick to encourage your listeners to contribute. They each vary in length from :22 to 1:04 with music beds or voice-only options for some of them. Several of them are timed to an even 30 seconds, too. You can air them at any time and in any program. You can include them in your longer local pitch breaks too.

Rick Steves Fundraiser Premium Packages

The Travel with Rick Steves premium packages feature Rick's popular travel and art books and DVDs of his TV shows and specials. They are offered at an attractive wholesale price to stations, with no minimum order required. You simply add Rick's recorded premium pitches to your local pitch breaks to get him to promote 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 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 packages can raise money for your station.

Rick is offering thank you gifts at two support levels. These levels are designed to encourage monthly sustainer contributions from your listeners.

The contribution levels Rick describes are $8 a month, or a $96 one-time gift, and $15 a month, which would be a $180 one-time gift.

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 strong results. Let us know how it works for you.

Airing the 2024-1 Travel with Rick Steves Fundraiser

The following rundown helps you to program the Travel with Rick Steves fundraiser modules, released March 7, 2024. 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 generic fundraising promos from Rick that you can use during Travel with Rick Steves, or even in other programming, when you are in a fundraising campaign, or getting ready for one that's about to commence. These spots promote the value of contributing to your station and do not promote the Rick Steves premium package.

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

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

 

Rundown — Travel with Rick Steves Fundraiser 2024-1

This rundown uses the billboard, full newscast, and four modules. This allows a total of 16:27 for local pitch breaks — roughly five minutes following each segment; more if you omit or shorten the newscast.

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

TRS FUNDER 2024-1 BILLBOARD


outQ: (theme music out)

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

NPR or BBC Newscast I & II
(or local pitch break from 04:00-06:00)

Note: Gain two more minutes of local pitching time by starting Segment A after the first part of the Newscast at 04:00 and moving up the segment start times by 2:00.

 (5:00)
06:00 - 17:26

FUNDER 2024-1 — MODULE A

Rick Steves European Travel Tips and Tricks, part 1: Itineraries


inQ: "A lot of the fun of a big overseas trip, is the time that you put into planning it…"
outQ: "Your financial contribution lets you and your neighbors rely on this station, well into the future. Can we count on your support?" (quick music fade)

 (11:26)
17:26 - 22:00

LOCAL PITCH BREAK

Note: You can intersperse Rick's funder pitch spots, or his premium pitches, with your local pitching.

 (4:34)
22:00 - 27:52

FUNDER 2024-1 — MODULE B

Rick Steves European Travel Tips and Tricks, part 2: Context


inQ: "Thanks for your financial contribution, during this special fundraising edition…"
outQ: "…contributing to my local public radio station. Can we count on you, too?" (slow music fade)

 (5:52)
27:52 - 33:00

LOCAL PITCH BREAK

Note: You can intersperse Rick's funder pitch spots, or his premium pitches, with your local pitching.

 (5:08)
33:00 - 40:42

FUNDER 2024-1 — MODULE C

Rick Steves European Travel Tips and Tricks, part 3: Getting Around


inQ: "Your financial support is crucial for public radio…"
outQ: "…a part of this public radio station that brings you Travel with Rick Steves." (music fade)

 (7:42)
40:42 - 46:00

LOCAL PITCH BREAK

Note: You can intersperse Rick's funder pitch spots, or his premium pitches, with your local pitching.

 (5:18)
46:00 - 54:33

FUNDER 2024-1 — MODULE D

Rick Steves European Travel Tips and Tricks, part 4: Crowds


inQ: "I hope you're enjoying this special edition of Travel with Rick Steves…"
outQ: "Your financial support for public radio really does make a difference. Thank you."

 (8:33)
54:33 - 1:00:00

CLOSING PITCH BREAK

 (5:27)

Rick is offering an extra module and funder pitch from his European Travel Tips and Tricks presentation. You can use Funder 2024-1 Module E to extend the Travel with Rick Steves fundraiser beyond an hour. Or air it as a standalone feature elsewhere during your on-air fundraising campaign. It includes practical perspectives from Rick for planning an overseas trip, and concludes with a strong call-to-action fundraising pitch from Rick.

Run Time Segment (Length)
extra

FUNDER 2024-1 — MODULE E

Rick Steves European Travel Tips and Tricks, part 5: Public Markets; Connecting with People


inQ: "Hey, I'm Rick Steves, asking you to join me in supporting this station…"
outQ: "Thank you so much for being a supporting member of public radio."

 (9:47)

 

 

Download "Travel with Rick Steves" 2024-1 Fundraiser Segments

Released March 7, 2024

  .MP3 files .MP2 files
Billboard — Funder 2024-1 (1:00) Download mp3 Download mp2
Module A (11:26) Download mp3 Download mp2
Module B (5:52) Download mp3 Download mp2
Module C (7:42) Download mp3 Download mp2
Module D (8:33) Download mp3 Download mp2
Module E (9:47) Download mp3 Download mp2
Promo — Funder 2024-1 (:30) Download mp3 Download mp2
Rick's funder pitch spot #11A (mixed) (:30) Download mp3 Download mp2
Rick's funder pitch spot #11B (vox only) (:30) Download mp3 Download mp2
2024 Premium Pitch 1 (mixed) (1:48) Download mp3 Download mp2
2024 Premium Pitch 1 (vox only) (1:45) Download mp3 Download mp2
2024 Premium Pitch 2 (mixed) (1:16) Download mp3 Download mp2
2024 Premium Pitch 2 (vox only) (1:12) Download mp3 Download mp2