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WNCW Fall Fundraiser: A Time To Reflect On Giving And The Power Of Great Music

WNCW Staff stand in Studio B to show the new thank you gifts available during the fall fund drive season.
Photo by Vicki Dameron
WNCW Staff stand in Studio B to show the new thank you gifts available during the fall fund drive season.

Local Public Radio station WNCW recently celebrated its 28th birthday. For almost three decades the popular station, located on the campus of Isothermal Community College in Spindale, NC, has provided an award winning blend of Americana music with DJs playing a wide variety of folk, bluegrass, jazz, rock, country, reggae, Celtic, world and indie music. Pair that up with National Public Radio News, and you can easily see why the station has an enormous fan base of grassroots listeners, supporters, underwriters and sponsors.

Each year, WNCW hosts two fundraisers to help raise money to operate the station. At the end of October, WNCW will be hosting its fall fundraiser. The station’s staff will ask for donations and provide thank you gifts for each of its members, as it does during each fundraiser. However, during this pledge drive staff members and DJs will bring a few new options to the donation table.

“Originally WNCW’s Fall Fund Drive was scheduled for the end of September,” said WNCW Marketing Coordinator Stephanie Webb. “Since so many people were hard hit by the storms during that month, we felt it was inappropriate to continue fundraising at a time when people needed help with food, shelter and other necessities. We rescheduled our fundraiser, sought out an opportunity to make a contribution to MANNAFoodBank’s Emergency Disaster Relief Fund, and it all came together. We were happy to hear MANNA was willing to work with us. We hope our listeners know how seriously we take our obligation to pay it forward and help others in need. We also hope that our listeners who’ve been affected by the recent disasters know we care about them.”

WNCW Business and Development Specialist Vicki Dameron pointed out the importance of the power of music and its positive effect during good times and trying times.

“It’s heartwarming to all of us at WNCW to know we’ll be helping our neighbors in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico, as well as the citizens of California,” said Dameron. “We’re also doing our part, along with our grassroots supporters, by keeping the music and news alive and well on WNCW. Music has the power to heal, to soothe, to inspire and to help us reflect on what is important in our lives. As staff members, we know this to be true. Our listeners remind us every day that we provide a service that is definitely good soup for the soul.”

Another new facet of the fundraiser is the addition of a giving program called the Sustaining Membership Patron Program. WNCW Membership Coordinator Kim Henson said it’s an easy way to support the station.

“The sustainer program has been a long time coming,” said Henson. “We’re happy to be able to offer it to our members and we’re very excited that we have almost 40 people participating in the program at this time. Becoming a sustainer is easy… just go to our website, www.wncw.org, and get set up to be a patron. We’re so appreciative to those who have already included us in their monthly budgets!”

One of the most exciting new items on the thank you gift menu is the latest volume of the station’s popular Crowd Around The Mic two-CD compilation. WNCW Program Director Joe Kendrick said it’s going to be a good one.

“Every year we’re fortunate to host some of the best artists from near and far, playing music live in our Studio B,” said Kendrick. “We’ve compiled some of our favorite songs from those sessions into our two-disc set, Crowd Around the Mic - Volume 21. This year we’ve taken that series one step further, bringing in sessions from live broadcasts we’ve hosted in Asheville, NC and Greenville, SC. Our new CD project features everything from bluegrass to Afrobeat, from soul to country, from artists you’ve known for decades to bands you’ve just discovered. It’s a must-have volume for anyone who loves a wide variety of music, and one of the best ways to support a radio station that is known to be a vital link to the music community in western North Carolina and beyond.”

WNCW Director of Radio Operations Dave Kester summed up the feelings of many WNCW employees.

“This is one of our favorite times of the year. Fund drives are times for our staff to truly connect with our members, volunteers and friends, who come together in support of WNCW.  While they’re always our busiest weeks of the year, it’s definitely the most fun we have all year long.  Each and every time I find myself amazed at the incredible talents of the folks that I work with and the incredible devotion that they, and our audience, have to WNCW.  It truly is a special family.”    

The WNCW Fall Fundraiser begins October 29th  and ends November 4th. For more information, or to make an online pledge click here or call 1-800-245-8870 during the fundraiser.