Let The Countdown Begin…

2011 Radiothon Sponsorships

I don’t know about your business, but I have been in Christmas mode for quite some time already!  That’s because I have joined The Salvation Army’s team as Corporate Relations Coordinator.  Radiothon planning is well under way; and for the 17^th consecutive year, The Salvation Army is teaming up with Emmis Communications’ 93.1 WIBC for a three day, on-air fundraising campaign benefiting local programs and services for those in need.  To date, corporate partners and WIBC listeners have helped raise more than $1,527,412!

After volunteering with The Salvation Army and Radiothon the last three years, I am thrilled to be a full-time member of The Salvation Army’s Development Staff. To make Radiothon planning easy on me, they have put me in charge of securing sponsorships for the highest profile fundraiser we do during the Christmas season on the leading news/talk station in the city—no pressure, right?  Okay, well, there is quite a bit of pressure actually.  Thankfully, we have a fabulous team putting this extravaganza together—both inside The Salvation Army and out!

Our most dedicated radio partner to date, Emmis Communications, secured Donatos as this year’s title sponsor, and we couldn’t be more grateful.  Reach Magazine/ValPak once again signed on as the Radiothon phone bank sponsor.  Apparently, we are doing something right!  This is the third year for the sponsorship and also the third year Reach Magazine/ValPak employees will be volunteering at the WIBC studios.  Now that the two biggest sponsorships are out of the way, the rest of Radiothon should be a piece of cake, right?  Right!  Only 35 more sponsors to go…

You may not realize it, but The Salvation Army receives approximately two-thirds of our financial support during Christmas.  We work hard to make sure everything comes together, and today that is why I am asking you to help The Salvation Army.  Your sponsorship of an hour during Radiothon and/or your donation of a prize valued at $50 or more will allow us to continue to programs for men, women, and children in central Indiana, and with the need even higher, those programs are vital.

If you have any questions about how you can be involved in the WIBC Radiothon Benefiting The Salvation Army Presented by Donatos, please, do not hesitate to contact me.  I’m looking forward to hearing from you!

Merry Christmas,

For a complete list of available sponsorship opportunities,  click here.

 

Mel McMahon is the Corporate Relations Coordinator for The Salvation Army.  To find out how your company can donate time, treasure, and talents through Salvation Army programs and services, call her at (317) 224-1019 or email her, mel_mcmahon@usc.salvationarmy.org.

Seamless Restoration, LLC Helps Wrap Up The WIBC Radiothon To Benefit The Salvation Army

A huge thanks goes out to Seamless Restoration, LLC for coming to the plate with a last minute sponsorship for the WIBC Radiothon benefiting the Salvation Army.  Seamless Restoration, LLC helped wrap up Radiothon weekend with a generous donation and a gift to each pledge in the final hour —10% off any service offered!

Seamless Restoration, LLC understands that your home is the most important asset you have, so when you are ready to build or remodel, get yourself the best General Contractor in the business!  With 10 years experience in storm restoration, specializing in residential construction, they use the best materials available and hold ongoing training and safety seminars to ensure the producers used are up-to-date in style and technique.

This is Seamless Restoration’s first year with the WIBC Radiothon, and we look forward to many more years working together!

West Coast Tacos to feed WIBC Radiothon volunteers

Our volunteers are really in for a treat when the guys from West Coast Tacos stop by and share the tacos that are making them all the rage in Indy.

We appreciate WCT’s generosity and support as we set our sights on having enough pledges to provide 50,000 meals and 2,500 safe nights of shelter for Hoosiers in 2011. And by Sunday lunch, our volunteers will have put in dozens of hours to help out their neighbors in need.

Thanks to all of our generous meal sponsors for helping out this year. Know of an area restaurant or bakery that would be willing to provide breakfast either Friday, Saturday or Sunday of Radiothon (12/3-5)? If you do, have them call Kristen at 224-1019.

Kroger puts in the ‘gift’ in gift card

Thanks to Kroger, 5 WIBC Radiothon pledgers will have some extra Christmas goodies. Who couldn’t use an extra $50 in groceries during the holidays? We appreciate the 5, $50 gift cards and we know our listeners will too.

Got an idea for a prize package? Give Kristen a call at 224-1019.

Markey’s to provide equipment for Radiothon

Loads of gratitude to our friends at Markey’s Rental and Staging for donating the use of a couple of large screen televisions and cabling for our upcoming WIBC Radiothon. A long-time partner for Radiothon, Markey’s is our official audio/visual equipment sponsor. Every time the WIBC personalities announce new pledges, they’ll turn to the “Markey’s tote board” for updates. Their support makes communication easy and accurate during a very busy event.

Markey’s makes sponsoring look easy, don’t they? We’d love to include your business in this year’s Radiothon. To sponsor an hour or donate items for prize packages, give Kristen a call at 224-1019.

Donato’s to provide lunch for our volunteers

Thanks to another food sponsor for stepping up to help us take care of our volunteers - Donato’s Pizza. So now, thanks to Donato’s lunch on Friday, December 3 is taken care of.

We still have several meals left available for sponsorship. So, if you’d like to help provide a meal for about 50 or so volunteers, we’d love to speak with you! Give Kristen a call at 224-1019.

GFS Marketplace signs on for Radiothon

We’d like to thank the folks at GFS Marketplace for agreeing to provide lunch for the volunteers and WIBC personalities who make Radiothon happen. This is no small gift. Our volunteers sign on in 4 or so hour shifts to answer phones and take pledges as personalities like Terri Stacy, ‘Big’ Joe Staysniak and Steve Simpson share the stories of the men, women and children whose lives have been changed by the generosity of strangers.

The Salvation Army is serious about using your donations to change lives. In fact, about 85 cents of every dollar you donate goes straight into programs that help your neighbors in need with food, shelter and financial assistance. With only about 15 cents left to cover all of our operations, we rely on our community to help us with expenses for events like this. And Hoosier business partners have always taken on that challenge.  Thanks to GFS Marketplace, lunch on Saturday, December 4 is covered!

We still have several meals left available for sponsorship, so if you’d like to help provide a meal for about 50 or so volunteers, we’d love to speak with you! Give Kristen a call at 224-1019.

Jillian’s donates first prize packages of 2010 WIBC Radiothon

Just met with our friends from Jillian’s Indianapolis and we’re thrilled to announce the first prize packages of the season. If you’re not familiar, Jillian’s is like a Chuck E. Cheese for grown-ups, but better. You’ll enjoy great food and interactive video games, cosmic bowling and billiards. (And let me tell you, the brownie bites are A-MA-ZING!) Located right downtown Indianapolis, it’s central to everywhere and not just like anywhere. Sounds like a great time, right? Absolutely!

Ready for a little holiday (or post-holiday) fun? Jillian’s has donated three prizes packages, each valued at $275. Each package includes a VIP party for 15 guests, a 7000 point Amazing Game Card and 1-hour of billiards play!

So, now you know the bar has been set high. We’re looking for more great packages to add some excitement and incentive for pledgers during Radiothon on December 3-5. Got any ideas? Give me (Kristen) a call at 224-1019.

2010 Radiothon takes on a blue hue as Colts’ Zupancic and WIBC/ESPN 1070′s Staysniak co-chair

Each December, WIBC 93 fm hosts a three-day live fundraising event to benefit The Salvation Army. The 16th Annual Radiothon has a blue hue this year and will feature our co-chairs, Indianapolis Colts’ Tom Zupancic and WIBC/ESPN 1070′s Joe Staysniak. The ‘marathon of giving’ begins on 93 WIBC at 6 am on Friday, December 3 and ends just before the Colts kick it off with the Dalls Cowboys on Sunday, December 5, 2010.

Radiothon weekend is a lot of fun with Colts-themed prizes and touching stories of the men, women and children whose lives have been changed. But, it’s also a crucial part of funding the programs that provide financial and grocery assistance to struggling families, shelter for the homeless, refuge for women and children fleeing domestic violence, after-school and summer opportunities for metro Indy children, and support for Hoosiers after natural disasters.

 So, what about those co-chairs?

Our co-chairs’ paths intersected at the Indianapolis Colts when Zupancic (above, left) served as Strength and Conditioning Coach during Staysniak’s (above, right) time as a player. They now host a Colts pre-game show along with Jeffrey Gorman and Wil Wolford, called The Heavyweights. The show, simulcast on 1070 The Fan and 97.1 Hank fm and airing on MyNDY, provides exclusive coverage and interviews about the Colts in the hours leading up to the game.

We’re thrilled to welcome these two Heavyweights as our 2010 WIBC Radiothon Co-Chairs. And we encourage you to join us. [check out the promo video] Corporate sponsorships are available starting at $500! We’re also looking for partners to donate prize packages for pledge incentives and for restaurants to donate meals to feed our volunteers and on-air talent who give their time to take pledges and encourage calls. Find out more at WIBCRadiothon.org or give Kristen a call at 224-1019.

Thanks, Valpak and REACH Magazine!

We have a phone bank sponsor! Thanks to Jim Brantley and the folks at ValPak and REACH magazine for digging deep for their neighbors in need and joining us for our 16th annual WIBC Radiothon on December 3-5.

And as much as we appreciate the support, this sponsorship comes with some great perks. Each time a WIBC personality mentions the phone number or making a pledge, we’ll encourage listeners to “Call the ValPak and REACH magazine phone bank at 877-71-PEACE”. That’s a lot of mentions across an entire weekend!

Looking for a great way to promote your business and give back to your community, too? We welcome you to join us as an hourly sponsor. Check out our sponsor video with Zup and Big Joe. With sponsorships starting as low as $500, we have options for even modest budgets. To learn more, you can call Kristen at 224-1019 or visit our sponsorship page here at WIBCRadiothon.org.