Hawai’i Public Radio successfully concluded its Fall Membership Campaign today, with $622,785 raised from 1,908 individual contributors. First-time donors represented 35% of all contributors.
The vast majority of the station’s operating funds come from the community. Individual donors and businesses make up 94% of the station’s revenues, and the remaining 6% is from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that distributes federal funds.
“Once again, our community has stepped forward to demonstrate their commitment to the work that we do,” said José A. Fajardo, HPR’s President and General Manager. “As we celebrate our 40th anniversary next month, the success of this campaign ensures a strong future for HPR and our ability to continue investing in our news, music, and entertainment programming in the months and years to come.”
The station has recently added several new programs and features to further serve its audiences. In August, HPR-1 introduced Hawaiʻi Kulāiwi (Sundays from 6-7 p.m.), hosted by Paige Okamura (DJ Mermaid); the program explores the history of Hawaiian music through the lenses of language and place. In September, the station debuted Island Insider, a weekly email roundup of local stories from HPR’s award-winning news team. These additions were informed by recent HPR audience research and are in alignment the station’s strategic plan.
For nine years in a row, HPR has received a four star rating (the highest possible) from Charity Navigator, the nation’s largest independent evaluator of nonprofits. The rating system examines the financial health and accountability and transparency of organizations, enabling donors to make intelligent and informed giving decisions. HPR’s four-star rating is an indicator of the station’s commitment to acting as stewards of members’ support.
Although the fund drive has concluded, donations are still gratefully accepted at members.hawaiipublicradio.org.