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.

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.

The Big Finish

Wrapping up the 15th annual WIBC Radiothon – the Addai football went to a lovely woman who’s wrapping it up for her hubby’s Christmas gift, so I won’t spill the beans. And the final number is….$255,146!

Thanks so much to all of our hourly and in-kind sponsors – to Emmis Communications and the amazing men and women who produced the -athon, the programmers, the personalities, just everyone who’s made it easy to call Emmis’ lobby home for the past 55 hours. We would not be able to do what we’ve done without their dedication and enthusiasm.

And here are the teary thanks, so buckle up – Thanks to our Radiothon Chair, Quinn Buckner and the Indiana Pacers. You set the tone for giving before the event went on the air! Thanks to Walmart for that incredible demonstration of support! Not only did your $100,000 bump that total, but it went a LONG way in encouraging our listeners to step up and make the calls. Thanks to our Phone Bank sponsor, ValPak and REACH magazine for your generosity and the manpower to keep those calls a’comin. And we can’t forget the folks at Markey’s Rental and Staging for the donation of our big screens – the tote boards are so vital in communicating with our phone bank and with the studio.

On behalf of all of the men, women and children we serve, THANK YOU for your support! This weekend, you’ve truly made a difference right here in Indiana!

Keep those phones a-ringin’

It’s been a busy morning, but our volunteers can handle the action. Right now we’re in a lull, so now’s the time to call! We’ve got a fantastic prize package on the Markey’s tote board until noon – a Klipsch home theater HD 1000 system and 2 Gerdt Furniture recliners…the Ultimate Stay-cation! Call our ValPak/REACH magazine phone bank at 1-877-71-PEACE to make your donation and get in on the drawing.

It Has Begun!

The 2009 WIBC Radiothon is in full swing down here at the Emmis Communations building on Monument Circle. Big Joe Staysniak and Terri Stacy are wrapping up their show and we’re just about to draw the first prize package winner of the day. Thanks to our friends at Dunkin’ Donuts for not only feeding our volunteers breakfast, but also for donating the signed Adam Vinatieri hat and jersey for our Colts Fan Pack. Add in the two tickets to Sunday’s Colts game from The American Legion and you’ve got a package worth making that call to donate early!

So far, our total stands at $5,580 – not bad for a cold, December morning. But we need your help. Our goal this weekend is to raise $225,000 for our neighbors in need. We’re off to a great start. Don’t forget to check out our prize packages. There’s some great stuff out there – everything from Pacers tickets to Gerdt Furniture recliners to a couple of overnight stays downtown. Something for everyone! Oh, and don’t forget to check out our sponsor page. We have some generous business partners who’ve sponsored hours with matching funds as well as in-kind donations for those prize packages.

Don’t worry – you haven’t missed your chance to join us. To make your donation for men, women and children and need, go here or give us a call at 1-877-71-PEACE.

Markey’s – the technology behind the energy

Sounds like a funny thing to say, but it’s true! Markey’s Rental and Staging donates two large screen televisions for Radiothon each year. But they’re more than televisions, they’re our “tote boards”, our way of keeping the phone bank volunteers and in-studio personalities up-to-the-minute on how the pledges are adding up. And it makes a difference in the call volume.

People want to be a part of something big. We all want to know that what we give is counting or, better yet, being matched to do more than we could do alone. These screens keep the momentum up at the event, so the on-air folks can report to our listeners and keep the calls comin’.

We always want to use our supporters’ dollars to reach those in need. That’s why we appreciate our partners who donate the use of their resources so much. Since we don’t have to rent that equipment, those funds can be used to provide shelter for moms and kids, a warm meal to a family in need and even after-school care for Indy metro kids.

That’s a big deal and we can’t thank Markey’s enough.

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 15th annual WIBC Radiothon on December 11-13.

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 throughout 55 hours!

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. 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 event site at WIBCRadiothon.org.

Prizes drive pledges

Dollars are great, but that’s not the only way to support an event like our WIBC Radiothon. In-kind donations are the key to helping us add urgency to a listener’s desire to support our programs. Hoosiers are generous, but there’s no harm giving them a reason to give and maybe get a little something in return just in time for Christmas.

If your business has items to donate that would make great pledge prizes, we need you. What kinds of things? Here are some ideas from Radiothon’s past – dining and merchandise gift cards, tickets to cultural and sporting events, gift baskets, overnight stays at hotels, getaways, home furnishings, electronics, gift certificates for services like maid service, memberships, home or auto maintenance. Really anything that would cause someone to think “hey, that’s an awesome prize” and pick up the phone and make that pledge.

Not only will you be helping us raise dollars to support our neighbors in need in the coming year, but we’ll give you plenty of recognition on-air during the hour your prize(s) is/are offered. We’ll be posting our prize packages to WIBCRadiothon.org prior to the event on December 11-13. And that site is linked to WIBC’s site. We’re also putting a ton of social media efforts behind Radiothon this year with a facebook fan page, feeds on Twitter and lots of blogging. So, we’ll make certain you get that receipt for your taxes and a ton of goodwill in the community.

Sound good? Give Kristen a call at 224-1019 to coordinate a donation pick-up or you can simply mail smaller items to: WIBC Radiothon, attn: Kristen / 3100 N. Meridian Street / Indianapolis, IN 46208.

Sponsorships start as low as $500

For 15 years, we’ve been partnering with WIBC 93.1fm to bring you the stories of the men, women and children whose lives have been changed through your support of The Salvation Army. This 55-hour Marathon of Giving is our community’s best opportunity to join us in a win-win partnership for your business and those we serve. You’ll have the chance to reach the entire listening  audience of WIBC with your message while supporting our mission!

With sponsorships starting as low as $500, it’s easy to work that into a community giving or advertising budget. Since our campaign doesn’t officially end until January 30, so you can make a sponsorship pledge and pay in 2010! So, don’t let year-end budget crunches stop you from helping your neighbors in need. Commit a portion of next year’s budget and reap the rewards during Christmas.

We’ve worked hard to make Radiothon sponsorships affordable for our partners. Hourly sponsorships are ranked according to WIBC’s listenership volume with the highest levels having the widest  audience reach. In-kind item(s) donations for prize packages are needed and greatly appreciated as they increase call volume and pledges that support our  programs. Read more